What is Liechtenstein?
Liechtenstein is a small country hidden in the alps. It lies on the borders of Switzerland & Austria, and is full of mountains and cottages and whatnot. The capital city (or should I say town?) of Liechtenstein is Vaduz, named after the ancient county, and boasts a whopping population of 5,270, whereas the largest "city" is Schaan, with a population of 5,963. The official spoken language of Liechtenstein is German, and the currency used is the Swiss Franc.
There's also a royal family, but there's no point in mentioning them because they don't really matter.
A Brief History...
- Farmers & agriculture appeared to be present in the area from 5300 BCE.
- Was part of the Carolingian Empire way back when Oxford University was established, around the 12th century.
- Switzerland & Austria invaded the area during some war in the 17th century. That was interesting.
- Became a sovereign state under Napoleon's (empire's) care, then Napoleon and his goons left, way back in the early 19th century.
- Germany decided to let Liechtenstein join it's exclusive club for a while.
- Germany's confeder- I mean club, disbanded in 1868; Liechtenstein then thought it was a good idea to be a neutral state for the rest of its lifespan.
- After the World Wars, Liechtenstein had to sell some "Royal art" in order to keep its finances up.
- Nothing else relevant has happened in Liechtenstein since. But it did appear on an episode of Top Gear once.
Did You Know? -
Liechtenstein has more companies than people.