| Country | Liechtenstein |
|
| Flag |  |
|
| Capital | name: Vaduz geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
|
| Population | 34,761 (July 2009 est.) |
|
| GMT | +1 |
|
| Location | Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
see map |
|
| Area | total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km |
|
| Ethnic groups | Liechtensteiner 65.6%, other 34.4% (2000 census) |
|
| Religions | Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002) |
|
| Languages | German (official), Alemannic dialect |
|
| Government type | constitutional monarchy |
|
| National holiday | Assumption Day, 15 August |
|
| Constitution | 5 October 1921; amended 15 September 2003 |
|
| Legal system | local civil and penal codes based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
|
| Background | The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleanic 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 went into effect in 2003. |
|
Internet country code | .li |
|