The Principality of Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world. The little country locates in the heart of the East Alps. The country borders Switzerland and Austria only. The border to Switzerland is following the river Rhine in the south and west direction. Here the cantons Graubuenden and St. Gallen shaping  the border to Liechtenstein.

In the east and north direction, the border to Austria follows the mountain ridge. There is no border control at the border. On the map, the country locates almost in the centre of Europe. The official name of the country is “Principality of Liechtenstein”. The ruler is a prince. The official language is German. All in all, it’s the same language as in Austria, the Swiss cantons Graubuenden and St. Gallen.

The principality is famous for generous tax policy. Under those circumstances, many letterbox companies have their home here.

Lichtenstein is part of the East Alps. The Rhine valley is the lower part of the country. While high mountains cover the other part. That’s almost half of Liechtenstein’s area. Mountains with pinnacles more than 2000 m in height dominate the landscape.

All major cities locating in the Rhine valley. Vaduz is the capital and the financial centre. Liechtenstein is an important financial trading place. Besides the financial economy, a lot of manufacturing companies exist in Liechtenstein. Moreover, the alpine meadows are very suitable for farming.

The country doesn’t issue its own money. The Swiss currency “Schweizer Franken” is the official currency in the principality. However, to pay with Euro isn’t a problem anywhere. Liechtenstein is a powerful dwarf in the heart of Europe.

The climate is mild to moderate because of the location in the shade of the northern Alps.  However, warm winds from the south keep the temperature in the Rhine valley up.