The
Liechtensteiners are descended from the Alemanni tribe that came into the
region after 500. Founded in 1719, Liechtenstein was a member of the
German Confederation from 1815 to 1866, when it became an independent
principality. It abolished its army in 1868 and has managed to stay neutral and
undamaged in all European wars since then. Liechtenstein still claims 1.600 km²
of Czech territory (the royal family's ancestral home) confiscated in 1918; the
Czech Republic insists that restitution does not go back before February 1948,
when the Communists seized power. In a referendum on 1July 1984 male voters
granted women the right to vote in national (but not local) elections.
Blacklisted in 2000 as a centre for money laundering,
Liechtenstein toughened its laws and made major efforts to clean up its
financial practices. In 2002 the country was removed from the OECD's blacklist.
In March 2003 Liechtenstein's people overwhelmingly
voted to give its prince more powers, including the right to dismiss
governments and approve judicial nominees. Prince Hans Adam II had threatened
to leave the country if his demands for more authority were not met. Before the
vote, he had already possessed more power than any other European monarch.
In August 2003 he announced that he would give up the
day-to-day ruling of the country in one year's time. In August 2004, his son,
Prince Alois, became regent of Liechtenstein, while Hans Adam II remained the official
head of state.
Liechtenstein entered international politics
relatively late. The League of Nations refused Liechtenstein membership because
it was thought that because of its size the country could not fulfil the
obligations set in the Covenant. Gradually Liechtenstein became member of
international organisations, the last being the United Nations in 1990 and the
European Economic Area in 1995.
Capital: Vaduz
Government: principality
Area: 157 km²
Population: 33.987 (2006)
Currency: Swiss Franc (100 centimes
or Rappen)
Internet TLD: .li
Dialling code: +423
Member of: United Nations and most
related organizations
Links
Liechtenstein
in Wikipedia.
Flag of Liechtenstein in Flags of the World.
The website of the Philatelic Service.
Country description from the BBC.
Country description from
the CIA.
Official website of the
government of Liechtenstein.
Permanent Mission of
Liechtenstein to the United Nations.
Stamp Catalogue
date: 23
May 1949
designer: P.
Chatillon
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
1 40 post
horn, princely crown, world map, text "1874 UPU 1949"
blue
date: 7
April 1960
designer: unknown; original stamps by Josef Seger
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11½
remark: overprint
on stamps for the Expo 58 in Brussels
2 30 + 10 overprint
WRY emblem, stripe through original text and value (40) and text
"WELTFLÜCHTLINGSJAHR 1960"
multicoloured,
overprint in black
3 50 + 10 overprint
WRY emblem, stripe through original text and value (25) and text
"WELTFLÜCHTLINGSJAHR 1960"
multicoloured,
overprint in black
The World United Against Malaria
date: 2
August 1962
designer: Louis Jäger, Karl Bickel (engraver)
printer: PTT
perforated: 11¾
4 50 campaign
emblem, text "KAMPF DER MALARIA"
blue-green
date: 26
August 1963
designer: Georg Malin
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
5 50 bread,
cup, milk jug, campaign emblem
brown, purple, red
date: 7
December 1965
designer: Georg Malin
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
6 25 symbols
of broadcasting, text "UIT / 1865-1965"
multicoloured
date: 6
June 1974
designer: Bruno Kaufmann
printer: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
perforated: 13¾
7 40 post
horn, field with repeating text "WELTPOSTVEREIN / UNION POSTALE
UNIVERSELLE", UPU emblem,
text "UPU / 1874
1974"
gold, green, black
8 60 post
horn, field with repeating text "WELTPOSTVEREIN / UNION POSTALE
UNIVERSELLE", UPU emblem,
text "UPU / 1874
1974"
gold, red, black
International Year of the Child
date: 8
March 1979
designer: Roberto Altmann
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
9 80 child
drinking, text "Jahr des Kindes"
yellow, silver, black
10 90 child
eating, text "Jahr des Kindes"
green, silver, black
11 1.10 child
reading, text "Jahr des Kindes"
orange, silver, black
date: 7
June 1979
designer: Josef
Schädler
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
12 50 radio
waves, ITU emblem, text "CCIR / 50 Jahre Internationaler / Beratender
Ausschuss / für
den Funkdienst."
blue, black
International Year of Disabled Persons
date: 9
June 1981
designer: -
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾:11½
13 40 symbol
for blindness, triangle, wheelchair access sign, text "1981 JAHR DER
BEHINDERTEN"
multicoloured
date: 6
June 1983
designer: Hans
Peter Gassner
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
remark: part
of a series of four stamps
14 50 air
mail envelope with UPU, ITU and WCY emblems, postmark with national coat of
arms, text "Weltjahr
/ der /
Kommunikation"
blue, red, black
Membership of the United Nations
date: 4
March 1991
designer: Cornelia Eberle
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
15 2 50 peace
dove with national flag, UNO emblem, text "MITGLIED DER / VEREINTEN
NATIONEN 1990"
multicoloured
date: 6
March 1995
designer: Regina
Marxer
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
remark: part
of a series of three stamps
16 1.80 flowers
tied together with national flag, flag with UNO jubilee emblem, text
"VEREINTE NATIONEN
1945-1995"
multicoloured
date: 25
May 1999
designer: Rapallo
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 11¾
remark: part
of a series of three stamps
17 70 bird
with letter, UPU emblem and UPU jubilee emblem, text "WELPOSTVEREIN"
multicoloured
International Year of Mountains
date: 4
March 2002
designer: Louis Jäger
printer: Courvoisier
perforated: 14:13½
remark: part
of a series of two stamps
18 70 mountain
landscape, IYM emblem, text "Internationales Jahr der Berge"
multicoloured
