History Short: Is Liechtenstein a Real Place?

A Brief History

On September 18, 1990, the tiny European Principality of Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations. Incredibly, Liechtenstein is only the 4^th smallest country in Europe, behind Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino.

Digging Deeper

A monarchy, Liechtenstein is ruled by the Prince of Liechtenstein, though under a national constitution. With barely over 38,000 residents, this German speaking country lies between Switzerland and Austria and occupies a miniscule 62 square miles.

While the national wealth of Liechtenstein as measured by GDP ranks a mere 149^th in the world, the individual wealth of the population is a staggering $180,000 dollars per capita as measured by Nominal GDP, ranking first in the entire world!

Liechtenstein sought to remain neutral during the 20^th Century, including during the World Wars, though their ties to Austria and Germany were generally stronger than to the West. During the Cold War Liechtenstein was officially neutral as well, though relations with communist controlled Eastern European countries were strained.

Have you ever been to Liechtenstein? Do you know anybody from Liechtenstein?

Question for students (and subscribers): Did you know Liechtenstein was a real country? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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