Liechtenstein

Official name Fürstentum Liechtenstein (Principality of Liechtenstein)
Form of government constitutional monarchy with one legislative house (Diet [25])
Head of state Prince: Hans Adam II1
Head of government Head of the Government: Adrian Hasler
Capital Vaduz
Official language German
Official religion See footnote 2.
Monetary unit Swiss franc (CHF)
Population (2013 est.) 37,000COLLAPSE
Total area (sq mi) 62
Total area (sq km) 160
Urban-rural population

Urban: (2011) 13.9%

Rural: (2011) 86.1%

Life expectancy at birth

Male: (2011) 79.5 years

Female: (2011) 84.2 years

Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate

Male: (2010) 100%

Female: (2010) 100%

GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2009) 137,070

Background of Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the Germanic Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US that went into effect in 2003.

Geography of Liechtenstein
History of Liechtenstein

Disclaimer

This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].

Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.