Liechtenstein

§1. Liechtenstein Introduction

Background:
  The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman
  Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World
  War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused
  by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to conclude 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.
  However, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in
  concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering.

§2. Liechtenstein Geography

Location:
  Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Geographic coordinates:
  47 10 N, 9 32 E

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 160 kmē
  land: 160 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  total: 76 km border countries: Austria 35 km, Switzerland 41 km

Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
  none (landlocked)

Climate:
  continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to
  moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Terrain:
  mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m

Natural resources:
  hydroelectric potential, arable land

Land use:
  arable land: 24%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 16%
  forests and woodland: 35%
  other: 25% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  NA

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
    Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
    Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
    Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
    Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
  along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the
  world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

§3. Liechtenstein People

Population:
  32,528 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 18.41% (male 2,992; female 2,996)
  15-64 years: 70.6% (male 11,455; female 11,511)
  65 years and over: 10.99% (male 1,439; female 2,135) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.98% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  11.53 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.95 years male: 75.32 years
  female: 82.6 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.5 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
  adjective: Liechtenstein

Ethnic groups:
  Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5%

Religions:
  Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 7.4%, unknown 7.7%, other 4.9% (1996)

Languages:
  German (official), Alemannic dialect

Literacy:
  definition: age 10 and over can read and write
  total population: 100%
  male: 100%
  female: 100% (1981 est.)

§4. Liechtenstein Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
  conventional short form: Liechtenstein
  local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
  local short form: Liechtenstein

Government type:
  hereditary constitutional monarchy

Capital:
  Vaduz

Administrative divisions:
  11 communes (gemeinden, singular - gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin,
  Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz

Independence:
  23 January 1719 Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established; 12 July
  1806 established independence from the Holy Roman Empire

National holiday:
  Assumption Day, 15 August

Constitution:
  5 October 1921

Legal system:
  local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations

Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed
    executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the
    monarch (born 11 June 1968)
  head of government: Head of Government Mario FRICK (since 15 December 1993)
    and Deputy Head of Government Michael RITTER (since 2 February 1997)
  cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Diet; confirmed by the monarch
  elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
    elections, the leader of the majority party in the Diet is usually
    appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the
    largest minority party in the Diet is usually appointed the deputy head
    of government by the monarch

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Diet or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct popular
  vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
  elections: last held on 9-11 February 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005)
  election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 49.90%, VU 41.35%, FL
    8.71%; seats by party - FBP 13, VU 11, FL 1

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Superior Court or Obergericht

Political parties and leaders:
  Fatherland Union or VU [Dr. Oswald KRANZ]; Progressive Citizens' Party or
  FBP [Dr. Ernst WALCH]; The Free List or FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Karin JENNY,
  Rene HASLER]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  CE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, IAEA, ICRM, IFRCS, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW,
  OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO (observer), WIPO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  Liechtenstein's Ambassador to the US, Claudia FRITSCHE, is dually
  accredited to the UN in New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to
  Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein

Flag description:
  two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the
  hoist side of the blue band

§5. Liechtenstein Economy

Economy - overview:
  Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has
  developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy
  with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with
  the urban areas of its large European neighbors. Low business taxes - the
  maximum tax rate is 18% - and easy incorporation rules have induced 73,700
  holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in
  Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in
  a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national
  currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements.
  Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an
  organization serving as a bridge between European Free Trade Association
  (EFTA) and EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its
  economic policies with those of an integrated Europe.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $730 million (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $23,000 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA% industry: NA%
  services: NA%

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0.5% (1997 est.)

Labor force:
  22,891 of which 13,847 are foreigners; 8,231 commute from Austria and
  Switzerland to work each day

Labor force - by occupation:
  industry, trade, and building 45%, services 53%, agriculture, fishing,
  forestry, and horticulture 2% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  1.8% (February 1999)

Budget:
  revenues: $424.2 million
  expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998
    est.)

Industries:
  electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food
  products, precision instruments, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA%
  nuclear: NA%
  other: NA%

Electricity - consumption:
  NA kWh

Electricity - exports:
  NA kWh

Electricity - imports:
  NA kWh

Agriculture - products:
  wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Exports:
  $2.47 billion (1996)

Exports - commodities:
  small specialty machinery, dental products, stamps, hardware, pottery

Exports - partners:
  EU and EFTA countries 60.57% (Switzerland 15.7%) (1995)

Imports:
  $917.3 million (1996)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles

Imports - partners:
  EU countries, Switzerland (1996)

Debt - external:
  $0 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient:
  none

Currency:
  Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code:
  CHF

Exchange rates:
  Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6303 (January 2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022
  (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997), 1.2360 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Liechtenstein Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  20,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  NA

Telephone system:
  general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA
  international: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
  21,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)

Televisions:
  12,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .li

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  44 (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) (2000)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Liechtenstein Transportation

Railways:
  total: 18.5 km; note - owned, operated, and included in statistics of
    Austrian Federal Railways
  standard gauge: 18.5 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)

Highways:
  total: 250 km
  paved: 250 km
  unpaved: 0 km

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  none

Airports:
  none

§8. Liechtenstein Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of Switzerland

§9. Liechtenstein Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 kmē of land in
  the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918

Illicit drugs:
  multilateral organizations engaged in issuing international guidelines for
  financial sector oversight have found gaps in Liechtenstein's financial
  services controls that make it vulnerable to money laundering
