Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is a small principality in the Alps, wedged between Switzerland and Austria and itself surrounded by countries without a coast. Vaduz is the capital, German is the official language, and the land of just over 160 km² (62 sq mi) is split into 11 municipalities.

Neolithic farmers lived in its valleys around 5300 BC, and the area later fell to Rome and became part of the province of Raetia, then of Frankish and Holy Roman rule. The ruling family took its name from Liechtenstein Castle near Vienna and held most of its lands in Moravia and Austria. To gain a seat in the Imperial Diet, the princes bought the lordships of Schellenberg and Vaduz, and on 23 January 1719 Emperor Charles VI united them as an imperial principality bearing the family name.

After the Holy Roman Empire ended in 1806, the principality belonged to the Confederation of the Rhine and then the German Confederation, and it became fully independent when that confederation dissolved in 1866. Its army was abolished for lack of money in 1868. A putsch in November 1918 led to the constitution of 1921, and in March 1938 Franz Joseph became regent; he later ruled as prince. Women gained the vote only on 1 July 1984, after referendums in 1968, 1971 and 1973 had rejected it.

Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy in which the prince keeps real power: a 2003 referendum let him dismiss the government and veto laws. It shares a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc, and it belongs to the United Nations, the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area while staying outside the European Union. Vaduz is a center of banking, and factories make precision instruments, power tools, anchor bolts, calculators and pharmaceuticals.