1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Environment
variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation
Land boundaries
78 km total; Austria 37 km, Switzerland 41 km
Land use
25% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 38% meadows and pastures; 19% forest and woodland; 18% other
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
hydroelectric potential
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Total area
160 km2; land area: 160 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
95% Alemannic, 5% Italian and other
Infant mortality rate
5 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
12,258; 5,078 foreign workers (mostly from Switzerland and Austria); 54.4% industry, trade, and building; 41.6% services; 4.0% agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture
Language
German (official), Alemannic dialect
Life expectancy at birth
73 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Literacy
100%
Nationality
noun--Liechtensteiner(s); adjective--Liechtenstein
Net migration rate
1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
NA
Population
28,292 (July 1990), growth rate 0.7% (1990)
Religion
82.7% Roman Catholic, 7.1% Protestant, 10.2% other
Total fertility rate
1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
11 communes (gemeinden, singular--gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz
Capital
Vaduz
Communists
none
Constitution
5 October 1921
Diplomatic representation
in routine diplomatic matters, Liechtenstein is represented in the US by the Swiss Embassy; US--the US has no diplomatic or consular mission in Liechtenstein, but the US Consul General at Zurich (Switzerland) has consular accreditation at Vaduz
Elections
Diet--last held on 5 March 1989 (next to be held by March 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(25 total) VU 13, FBP 12
Executive branch
reigning prince, hereditary prince, prime minister, deputy prime minister
Flag
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band
Independence
23 January 1719, Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for criminal cases and Superior Court (Obergericht) for civil cases
Leaders
Chief of State--Prince HANS ADAM von und zu Liechtenstein (since 13 November 1989; assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Head of Government--Prime Minister Hans BRUNHART (since 26 April 1978); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Herbert WILLE (since 2 February 1986)
Legal system
local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Diet (Landtag)
Long-form name
Principality of Liechtenstein
Member of
Council of Europe, EFTA, IAEA, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNICEF, UPU, WIPO; considering UN membership; has consultative status in the EC
National holiday
St. Joseph's Day, 19 March
Political parties and leaders
Fatherland Union (VU), Dr. Otto Hasler; Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP), Dr. Herbert Batliner; Christian Social Party, Fritz Kaiser
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
hereditary constitutional monarchy
Economy
Agriculture
livestock, vegetables, corn, wheat, potatoes, grapes
Aid
none
Budget
revenues $171 million; expenditures $189 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1986)
Currency
Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi
Electricity
23,000 kW capacity; 150 million kWh produced, 5,340 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1--1.5150 (January 1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)
Exports
$807 million; commodities--small specialty machinery, dental products, stamps, hardware, pottery; partners--EC 40%, EFTA 26% (Switzerland 19%) (1986)
External debt
$NA
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Imports
$NA; commodities--machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles; partners--NA
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.5% (1987 est.)
Overview
The prosperous economy is based primarily on small-scale light industry and some farming. Industry accounts for 54% of total employment, the service sector 42% (mostly based on tourism), and agriculture and forestry 4%. The sale of postage stamps to collectors is estimated at $10 million annually and accounts for 10% of revenues. Low business taxes (the maximum tax rate is 20%) and easy incorporation rules have induced about 25,000 holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein. Such companies, incorporated solely for tax purposes, provide an additional 30% of state revenues. The economy is tied closely to that of Switzerland in a customs union, and incomes and living standards parallel those of the more prosperous Swiss groups.
Unemployment rate
0.1% (December 1986)
Communications
Airports
none
Civil air
no transport aircraft
Highways
130.66 km main roads, 192.27 km byroads
Railroads
18.5 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, electrified; owned, operated, and included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways
Telecommunications
automatic telephone system; 25,400 telephones; stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
Military and Security
Note
defense is responsibility of Switzerland