Scenery of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein (German: Das Fuerstentum Liechtenstein, full name: Duchy of Liechtenstein) took the founding name of the Prince of Liechtenstein on January 23, 1719. It is a small landlocked country in central Europe, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. It is one of the only two dual landlocked countries in the world.

Liechtenstein is located in the Rhine Valley in the European Alps. On the west, it is adjacent to Switzerland with the Rhine River as a border, and on the east, it is bounded by the mountainous areas belonging to the Alps and Austria. Only about one-third of the country's west side is located in flat river valleys, and most of the rest are mountainous. The only natural lake is Lake Gampriner Seele, caused by erosion of the Rhine River that was flooded in 1927.

Liechtenstein is also the only country whose official language is German but has no border with Germany. It is still a small mountainous country that maintains a constitutional monarchy. Although it has a small land and a sparse population, it has an unusually high level of national income.

Liechtenstein is rich in tourism resources, and the Alps are the country's main tourism resource; its stamps are world-renowned.

The territory of Liechtenstein was once part of the Roman province of Retia. Later, Liechtenstein was the fief of successive Earls of Hohenems. The people of Liechtenstein, descendants of the Alemannians, settled in the area after about 500 AD.

The name of Liechtenstein originated in the early 18th century. John Adam, the Grand Duke of Liechtenstein from Vienna, Austria, bought two fiefs: Schnellerberg (1699) and Vaduz (1713), and became a member of the Holy Roman Empire.

On January 23, 1719, the then Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI merged these two places to form an independent small grand duchy, named Liechtenstein.

During the Napoleonic Wars from 1800 to 1815, they were invaded by the First French Empire and the Russian Empire. From 1805 to 1814, he was a member of the "Rhineland League" controlled by Napoleon.

It became a sovereign state in 1806.

He joined the German Confederation in 1815.

Liechtenstein declared independence in 1866 and has remained neutral since then.

In 1852, Lei signed a customs treaty with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ended in 1919 with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In 1919, Liechtenstein completely entrusted its country's external relations (defense, diplomacy) to Switzerland to form a neutral alliance. In 1923, Le signed a customs treaty with Switzerland, opening the border between the two countries, establishing a common economic area, and using the single currency, the Swiss franc.

Liechtenstein joined the United Nations in 1990. Joined the European Free Trade Association in 1991. Joined the European Economic Area and the World Trade Organization in 1995.