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| Nothing small town about Vaduz |
We were told during the referendum campaign that if we left the mighty United Kingdom, we would be nothing more than a tiny insignificant place in the North of Britain.
Well, I was reading about this little country today and I thought... you know, being small doesn't seem to be that bad.
Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of
Liechtenstein, is a landlocked German-speaking country in Central Europe bordered
by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east
and north. Its area is just over 160 square kilometres (62 square miles), and
it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The
biggest town is Shaan.
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| Central station |
Liechtenstein has the highest gross domestic product
per person in the world when adjusted by purchasing power parity. Liechtenstein
also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world at 1.5%.
Liechtenstein is the richest (by measure of GDP per capita)
country in the world and the only country to lie entirely in the Alps. It is
known as a principality as it is a constitutional monarchy headed
by a prince.
Liechtenstein is divided into 11 municipalities. Much of its
terrain is mountainous, making it a winter sports destination.
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| Border with Switzerland |
Many cultivated fields and small farms characterize its
landscape both in the south (Oberland, upper land) and in the north
(Unterland, lower land). The country has a strong financial sector located
in the capital, Vaduz. It is a member of the European Free Trade Association and
part of the EEA and the Schengen Area, but not of the EU.
I'd not mind being that small and insignificant.
