Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is a (very) small[1] country (actually a "principality") sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland. Originally a collection of cantons and enclaves within the Holy Roman Empire, the principality became independent, though as a vassal of the Austrian Habsburgs.[2] But it wasn't until the collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I that the country was forced to fend for itself, only to become increasingly intertwined with Switzerland to the point that the two had become nigh inseparable.
It is a major financial hideaway banking country and consequently has the highest gross domestic product per person in the world according to the CIA World Factbook[3]. In recent years, it has begun cracking down on tax cheats who have hidden away money in its banks, more than likely to have Liechtenstein taken off the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development blacklist (which they were in 2009).
The country is so small (160 square kilometers, or 61 square miles) that it has no airport (Passenger jets land in Zürich, Switzerland, while small planes can land in St. Gallen-Altenrhein), and it shares an amateur radio prefix with Switzerland (HB).
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Their flag takes up 12% of their land area.
- ↑ Mainly since the Princely family ruled from Austria initially.
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html