From being doubly landlocked to threatening to sell the country to Bill Gates, these are the most interesting facts about Liechtenstein.
Fast facts
Official name: Principality of Liechtenstein
Population: 40,272
Area: 160 sq km
Capital city: Vaduz
Major languages: German
Major religions: Roman Catholic 73.4%, Protestant Reformed 6.3%, Muslim 5.9%,
Time zone: UTC+1 (Central European Time)
Interesting facts about Liechtenstein
1. Liechtenstein is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordering Austria and Switzerland. Landlocked countries are completely surrounded by land and do not have access to the open sea.
2. Liechtenstein is also one of just two doubly landlocked countries, Uzbekistan is the second. A double landlocked country is surrounded only by landlocked countries and requires the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline.
3. Liechtenstein is the world’s sixth-smallest sovereign state by area.
4. Liechtenstein is one of just three sovereign principalities in the world. The others are Andorra and Monaco. A principality is a sovereign state ruled by a monarch with the title of prince and/or princess.
5. Liechtenstein has the world’s sixth-smallest population of independent countries after Nauru, Tuvalu, Palau and San Marino.
6. Liechtenstein’s flag is blue and red horizontally striped with a yellow crown in the top left corner. Blue represents the sky, red represents the evening fires in homes and the crown represents the unity of the people and their prince.
7. During the 1936 Summer Olympic Games, it was found that Haiti’s flag had the same blue and red design as Liechtenstein’s. To avoid future confusion, a yellow crown was added to Liechtenstein’s flag the following year.
8. Liechtenstein has been continually inhabited by farming communities since the Late Stone Age, around 4000 – 1800 BC.
9. Liechtenstein was formally made up of the two counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg until 1719, when it acquired its present name and became an independent principality of the Holy Roman Empire.
10. Liechtenstein is named after the Liechtenstein dynasty that purchased and united the counties of Schellenburg and Vaduz. The name in German means “light or bright stone”.
11. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866.
12. The current head of state in Liechtenstein is Prince Hans-Adam II. He was a successful banker before he became head of state in 1989, following the death of his father, Prince Franz Josef. In 2004, he handed over the everyday running of the principality to his son, Crown Prince Alois while remaining the titular head of state.
13. In 2001, the prince threatened to sell the country to Bill Gates if the public didn’t support his constitutional reforms to boost his powers.
14. In the end, the Prince won a referendum granting him new powers. The vote made him “Europe’s most powerful ruler” and “the closest thing modern Europe has to an absolute monarch”. He now has the authority to appoint judges, dissolve the government, block legislation and ignore court rulings.
15. Liechtenstein is considered to be one of the safest countries in the world to visit. It has been assessed as carrying an “insignificant travel security risk”.
16. Liechtenstein does not have any airports. All travelers must enter Liechtenstein by public transport from Switzerland or Austria (or drive).
17. The Princely House of Liechtenstein is reportedly worth $5 billion, making it the wealthiest royal family in Europe.
18. Liechtenstein has won more Olympic medals per capita than any other country. It has won 10 medals, all in Alpine skiing, which is one medal for every 3,640 inhabitants.
– Source: New York Times, Medals Per Capita
19. The official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein is the Schloss Vaduz castle. It was built as a fortress in the 12th century.
20. On 15 August, Liechtenstein’s National Day (Staatsfeiertag), the prince invites all Liechtensteiners over to the Schloss Vaduz castle for a glass of wine or beer.
21. Liechtenstein is one of just 21 countries that does not have an army. Instead, its safety and security are the responsibility of the National Police.
22. In 2007, Switzerland accidentally invaded Liechtenstein briefly. Around 170 infantry soldiers took a wrong turn and entered Liechtenstein’s territory. A spokesman for Liechtenstein said that nobody had even noticed the soldiers and “It’s not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something”.
23. Europe’s Alpine region encompasses the eight European countries of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland. However, only Liechtenstein is situated entirely within the Alpine massif.
24. Liechtenstein is Europe’s least visited country, peaking at around 98,000 international tourists in 2019.
25. Liechtenstein has been a member of the United Nations since 1990. However, it is not a member of most specialized agencies such as UNESCO, the IMF and the World Bank.
26. Liechtenstein has the world’s second-highest GDP per capita at $197,504.5 USD. Only Monaco’s is higher.
27. Liechtenstein is one of the world’s most notorious tax havens. However, recently, it has taken steps to shake off its bad image as foreign governments and international organisations have put the country under pressure to comply with international tax laws and be more transparent. It has since been removed from the OECD’s list of Unco-operative Tax Havens.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about Liechtenstein using primary sources. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.