1986 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1986 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
livestock, vegetables, corn, wheat, potatoes, grapes
Area
5 km Land 160 km2; the size of Washington, D. C.
Branches
unicameral legislature (Diet) with 15 deputies elected to four-year terms, hereditary Prince, independent judiciary
Capital
Vaduz
Communists
none
Elections
every four years; last election Political parties and leaders: Fatherland Union (VU), Dr. Otto Hasler; Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP), Dr. Herbert Batliner; Christian Social Party, Fritz Kaiser
Electric power
23,000 kW capacity (1985); 150 million kWh produced (1985), 5,357 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
95% Alemannic, 5% Italian and other
Exports
(1984) $440 million; 39% EC, 32% EFTA (24% Switzerland), 29% other
GNP
approximately $15,000 per capita (1984)
Government leaders
FRANZ JOSEF II, Prince (since 1938); Hans BRUNHART, Head of Governrnent (Prime Minister; since May 1978); the Prince transferred most of his executive powers to his son, Prince HANS ADAM, in August 1984
Infant mortality rate
6.3/1,000(1985)
Labor force
12,258; 5,078 foreign workers (mostly from Switzerland and Austria); 54.5% industry, trade, and building; 41.6% services; 4.0% agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture; no unemployment Government
Land boundaries
76 km People
Language
German (official), Alemannic dialect
Legal system
principality has its own civil and penal codes; lowest court is county court (Landgericht), presided over by one judge, which decides minor civil cases and summary criminal offenses; criminal court (Kriminalgericht), with a bench of five judges, is for major crimes; another court of mixed jurisdiction is the court of assizes (three judges) for misdemeanors; Superior Court (Obergericht) and Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) are courts of appeal for civil and criminal cases (five judges each); an administrative court of appeal from government actions and the State Court determine the constitutionality of laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Life expectancy
men 65, women 74
Literacy
100%
Major industries
electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products
Member of
Council of Europe, EFTA, IAEA, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNICEF, UPU, WIPO; considering UN membership; has consultative status in the EC; under several post-World War I treaties Switzerland handles Liechtenstein's customs and represents the principality abroad on a diplomatic and consular level whenever requested to do so by the Liechtenstein Government Economy
Nationality
noun — Liechtensteiner(s); adjective— Liechtenstein
Natural resources
hydroelectric power
NOTE
Liechtenstein has a prosperous economy based primarily on small-scale light industry and some farming; metal industry is by far the most prominent sector; highfrequency installations, boilers for central heating, hardware, small machinery, canned goods, furniture and upholstery, chemical and pharmaceutical goods, vacuum installations, optical and measuring instruments, oil tanks, artificial teeth, ceramics, and textiles are the principal manufactures, intended almost entirely for export; industry accounts for 54% of total employment, service sector 42%, and agriculture and forestry 4%; livestock raising and dairying are the main sources of income in the small farm sector; the sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors, estimated at $10 million annually, provides for 10% of state expenditures; companies incorporated in Liechtenstein solely for tax purposes provide a further 30% of the state budget; low business taxes (the maximum tax rate is 20%) and easy incorporation rules have induced between 20,000 and 30,000 holding companies, so-called letter box companies, to establish nominal offices in the principality; economy is tied closely to that of Switzerland in a customs union; no national accounts data are available
Official name
Principality of Liechtenstein
Political subdivisions
11 communes
Population
28,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 1.8%
Religion
82.7% Roman Catholic, 7.1% Protestant, 10.2% other
Suffrage
universal adult
Type
hereditary constitutional monarchy
Voting strength
(1986) VU 50.2% (8 seats), FBP about 4 1.9% (7 seats)