History UsefulNotes / Liechtenstein

The country is not a member of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, but it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. This makes it unique among the five European micro-monarchies, as neither UsefulNotes/{{Andorra}}, UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}}, UsefulNotes/SanMarino, nor UsefulNotes/VaticanCity is an EFTA member.

* '''Area:''' 160 km
(62 sq mi) (189th)

Owing to its status as a tax haven and its tiny population (around 37,000 as of 2014), it's one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of $157,040, just below the record holder UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} and surpassing the status of the wealthiest "conventional" country, UsefulNotes/{{Luxembourg}} (for some reason, Liechtenstein and Monaco don't show up often in economic rankings, probably due to their status as tax havens) and ''three times'' the GDP per capita of the US. If one measures it with the cost of living, though (which is very expensive), it drops down by about $70,000 and ranks third, below Luxembourg.

Liechtensteiners speak a dialect typical of the Alpine Germans, the Alemannic, which is highly divergent from the German of the lowlands. Like its eastern neighbor, UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} (but unlike Germans elsewhere), the German population is almost entirely Roman Catholic. The rest of the population mainly consists of Turks and other peoples of former UsefulNotes/{{Yugoslavia}} who are either [[UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} Muslims]] or [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Orthodox Christians]].

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, Liechtenstein's utilities are mostly handled by Switzerland, as is its penal system (anyone serving more than just a short stint in jail will go to a Swiss prison), major companies will typically treat Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the same 'territory' for business, and the two nations are in a customs union with each other. If Liechtenstein were to hypothetically join Switzerland as its 27th canton, it would become its second smallest [[note]]beating out Basel-Stadt, which covers just a small portion of the overall Basel metropolitan area[[/note]] and fourth least populated[[note]]ahead of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Uri, and Obwalden[[/note]]. One of the few exceptions to its dependence of Switzerland is with its railways; the country's local rail service is provided by Austria, who run their regional trains through the country on services to neighbouring Buchs. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, Liechtenstein's utilities are mostly handled by Switzerland, as is its penal system (anyone serving more than just a short stint in jail will go to a Swiss prison), major companies will typically treat Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the same 'territory' for business, and the two nations are in a customs union with each other. If Liechtenstein were to hypothetically join Switzerland as its 27th canton, it would become its second smallest [[note]]beating out Basel-Stadt, which covers just a small portion of the overall Basel metropolitan area[[/note]] and fourth least populated[[note]]ahead of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Uri, and Obwalden[[/note]]. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, Liechtenstein's utilities are mostly handled by Switzerland, as is its penal system (anyone serving more than just a short stint in jail will go to a Swiss prison), major companies will typically treat Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the same 'territory' for business, and the two nations are in a customs union with each other. If Liechtenstein were to hypothetically join Switzerland as its 27th canton, it would become its second smallest canton[[note]]beating out Basel-Stadt, which covers just a small portion of the overall Basel metropolitan area[[/note]] and fourth least populated[[note]]ahead of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Uri, and Obwalden[[/note]]. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, Liechtenstein's utilities are mostly handled by Switzerland, as is its penal system (anyone serving more than just a short stint in jail will go to a Swiss prison), major companies will typically treat Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the same 'territory' for business, and the two nations are in a customs union with each other. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, for instance. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom's tax body for them to have a look at.

The country's ruling dynasty is also considered to be one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe, due to the fact that the Prince has the final say in government policy. Because of that, it is known for a quirk of the constitution in the other German-speaking European countries: The prince not allowed to '''''sell''' the country'' (which would include all its inhabitants) despite ''owning'' every square inch of it. But much like Switzerland, Lichtenstein also has a strong tradition of direct democracy, where referenda are frequently held to decide on the country’s policies and laws.

Liechtenstein does not have an army, having dissolved it in 1868. But given how tiny the country and its population are and that it's surrounded by by two much bigger allies who speak the same language, they probably don't need one.

The crown on Liechtenstein's flag was added in 1937, after there had been confusion with the identical flag of UsefulNotes/{{Haiti}} at the 1936 Olympics.

The crown on Liechtenstein's flag was added in 1937, after there had been confusion with the identical flag of Haiti at the 1936 Olympics.

Liechtensteiners speak a dialect typical of the Alpine Germans, the Alemannic, which is highly divergent from the German of the lowlands. Like its eastern neighbor, UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} (but unlike Germans elsewhere), the German population is almost entirely Roman Catholic. The rest of the population mainly consists of Turks and other peoples of former Yugoslavia who are either Muslims or [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Orthodox Christians]].

Liechtensteiners speak a dialect typical of the Alpine Germans, the Alemannic, which is highly divergent from the German of the lowlands. Like its eastern neighbor, UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} (but unlike Germans elsewhere), the German population is almost entirely Roman Catholic. The rest of the population mainly consists of Turks and other peoples of former Yugoslavia who are either Muslims or Orthodox Christians.

Owing to its status as a tax haven and its tiny population (around 37,000 as of 2014), it's one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of $157,040, just below the record holder UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} and surpassing the status of the wealthiest "conventional" country, UsefulNotes/{{Luxembourg}} (for some reason, Liechtenstein and Monaco don't show up often in economic rankings, probably due to their status as tax havens) and ''three times'' the GDP per capita of the US. If one measures it with the cost of living, though (which very expensive), it drops down by about $70,000 and ranks third, below Luxembourg.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, for instance. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of [[WhiteCollarCrime money laundering]]. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UK's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, for instance. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of money laundering. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UK's tax body for them to have a look at.

Since then, Liechtenstein has aligned itself more with Switzerland and today it is in many ways just another canton of Switzerland - it uses the Swiss postal system and the Swiss Franc as its currency, for instance. However, remaining independent allows it to be a tax haven and Liechtenstein's main source of wealth is from foreign companies taking advantage of its low corporation tax rate. In fact, Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with more registered companies than it has inhabitants--sort of the European equivalent of Delaware, but even more insignificant (and without any [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden notable political figures]]). This has led to a minor spat with the US over the conflict between confidential banking and the prevention of money laundering. This status has recently been eroded somewhat by opening up accounts to the UK's tax body for them to have a look at.

When UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte dissolved the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, the von Liechtensteins found themselves in charge of an independent country and finally got round to actually visiting it. Liechtenstein was a member of the [[UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies German Confederation]], but was left out of both the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany German Empire]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria-Hungary]] as it decided to pursue a policy of neutrality in the aftermath of the UsefulNotes/AustroPrussianWar. The von Liechtensteins were still at heart an Austrian noble family and mostly stayed in Vienna until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI brought Imperial Austria crashing down.

When Napoleon dissolved the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, the von Liechtensteins found themselves in charge of an independent country and finally got round to actually visiting it. Liechtenstein was a member of the [[UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies German Confederation]], but was left out of both the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany German Empire]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria-Hungary]] as it decided to pursue a policy of neutrality in the aftermath of the UsefulNotes/AustroPrussianWar. The von Liechtensteins were still at heart an Austrian noble family and mostly stayed in Vienna until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI brought Imperial Austria crashing down.

Liechtenstein, officially known as the '''Principality of Liechtenstein''' ('''German:''' ''Fürstentum Liechtenstein''), is a tiny principality located in UsefulNotes/CentralEurope and Western Europe. It is just 62 square miles in size, sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland in the middle of the Alps. The river Rhine forms its western border and much of the country is made up of mountains. The country is the last German-speaking monarchy and (arguably) the last remaining remnant of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire.

Liechtenstein, officially known as the '''Principality of Liechtenstein''' ('''German:''' ''Fürstentum Liechtenstein''), is a tiny Central/Western European principality - just 62 square miles - sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland in the middle of the Alps. The river Rhine forms its western border and much of the country is made up of mountains. The country is the last German-speaking monarchy and (arguably) the last remaining remnant of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire.

The country's ruling dynasty is also considered to be one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe, due to the fact that the Prince has the final say in government policy. Because of that, it is known for a quirk of the constitution in the other German-speaking European countries: The prince not allowed to '''''sell''' the country'' (which would include all its inhabitants) despite ''owning'' every square inch of it.

Its very existence is one of those random historical happenstances: the Lordship of Vaduz and the County of Schellenburg were purchased by the powerful Austrian von Liechtenstein family in the 17th/18th centuries because these two titles, as tiny as their associated territories were, had "Imperial immediacy" (i.e. no superior lord but the Holy Roman Emperor himself) and therefore entitled their holders to sit in the Imperial Diet. The medieval knight Ulrich von Liechtenstein is named after ''another'' Liechtenstein castle and has nothing to do with this state.

During the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, Liechtenstein got over rather lightly; the Liechtenstein rulers sent out all six of their soldiers, and got seven back - they had managed to miss all the fighting, and made a friend on the way back.

When Napoleon dissolved the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, the von Liechtensteins found themselves in charge of an independent country and finally got round to actually visiting it. However, they were an Austrian noble family and mostly stayed in Vienna until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI brought Imperial Austria crashing down.

Liechtenstein does however have some "real" companies of its own, such as Hilti who make a popular concrete fixing, Ivoclar Vivadent, producer of a large proportion of the world's false teeth, and Intamin, a renowned ride and rollercoaster manufacturer.

Liechtenstein does however have some "real" companies of its own, such as Hilti who make a popular concrete fixing and Ivoclar Vivadent - producer of a large proportion of the world's false teeth.