2021 Travel the World - Week 11

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world, so I continued the series in 2020 and here I am in 2021, the third year of traveling the world. 

This week's country is...

Liechtenstein

This country is 190 on the list of 195 countries in the world, making it one of the world's smallest countries. In fact, this tiny European country is nearly eight times smaller than Los Angeles California.

Liechtenstein is not only landlocked; it is double landlocked. Both of the countries that border Liechtenstein—Austria to the north and east and Switzerland to the south and west—are themselves landlocked. The only other country in this category is Uzbekistan.

The country is only 15.5 miles long and has a total land area of 62 square miles.

As of 1 January 2016, the population of Liechtenstein was estimated to be 37,622 people.

Liechtenstein is divided into eleven municipalities, most consisting of only a single town.

The largest city in Liechtenstein has a population of approximately 6,000 people. The capital city - Vaduz - has a population of 5,400 people.

Its unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the world, at 1.5%. Only 406 people were unemployed in Liechtenstein in 2016 - and that included those who were on maternity leave.

Liechtenstein is the only country in the world with 100% of its territory in the Alpine region. Europe's seven Alpine countries — Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, and Switzerland — are the nations that encompass the Alps, the highest mountain range that lies entirely in Europe.

The country's lowest elevation is more than 1,400 feet above sea level.

Liechtenstein appears like a fairytale land with mountains, valleys, rivers, and castles. The beauty of the land attracts many visitors to the country. It is a peaceful place to enjoy some time with nature and learn about the lives of the local people of the region.

There are no airports in Liechtenstein. The nearest major airport is Switzerland’s Zurich Airport. Liechtenstein does, however, have a heliport in Balzers.

More than half of Liechtenstein's workforce commutes into the country every day from neighboring countries.

Despite not sharing a border with Germany, the official language of Liechtenstein is German. In fact, it is the only German speaking country to not share a border with Germany, and it is the smallest German speaking country in the world.

Liechtenstein has one of the world’s lowest crime rates, with its last murder occurring in approximately 1997 and its prison holding very few inmates. Citizens who are given prison sentences longer than two years are transferred over to Austria. 

In Liechtenstein, afternoon siesta is the law. The disruption of sleep simply isn’t tolerated between noon and 1:30 pm. That means no leaf blowers, no bells, and no loud festivities.

Switzerland unintentionally invaded Liechtenstein in March 2007, when about 170 Swiss infantry soldiers wandered across the unmarked border for more than a mile into Liechtenstein before realizing their mistake. (The Swiss soldiers were armed with assault rifles but no ammo, incidentally.) Liechtenstein, which has no army of its own, admits that it didn’t notice the Swiss invasion and had to be informed that it had occurred (the country enforces no border control with Switzerland). Liechtenstein ultimately chose not to retaliate against its famously neutral neighbor.

Once a year, all of the residents are invited to a party in a castle. Every year on August 15, the royals of Liechtenstein celebrate the National Day of the country by throwing open the doors of their castle to the public. An official reception at the Vaduz Castle marks the beginning of the celebration which end with feasts and fireworks.

Liechtenstein actually welcomes around 1.5 times its population in tourists each year.

Liechtenstein grows barley, wheat, potatoes and corn; they also rear livestock and produce dairy products.

Despite its small size, Liechtenstein is home to an exceptionally wide range of animals. Around 55 mammals are native to Liechtenstein (Switzerland has 83), including 17 species of bat, 140 species of bird, 7 species of reptile, 10 species of amphibian and 24 species of fish.

The tiny nation has only a single lake. It is the Gampriner Seele that was created in 1927 when the Rhine River flooded a large area. Dense forests surround this lake. Oxygen and fresh water are added to the lake via a pipeline to a near inland canal.

The country’s national anthem, the "Oben am jungen Rhein” shares the same melody as the national anthem of the UK which is "God Save the Queen”. The “Kongesangen” which is the royal anthem of Norway also has this melody.

Millions of false teeth are produced in Liechtenstein. About 40% of all false teeth sold in Europe and 20% of the product worldwide are sourced from the country. 

In 2011 Liechtenstein partnered with a marketing company and AirBnB to offer the entire country for rent at 70,000 euros per night. Quite a bargain given that you were awarded a symbolic key to the state, a wine tasting with the prince, customized street signs and currency, and up to 150 guests for an overnight stay. Surprisingly, no one took advantage of the opportunity.

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about Liechtenstein... The literacy rate of Liechtenstein is 100 percent.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamps: Stampabilities Bedtime Story and sentiment from MFT Pure Innocence Bedtime Story stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Paper: Cougar 110# White and SU Granny Apple Green CS and DP from my scap file

Dies/Punch: MFT Stitched Rectangle Die, SU Circle Die, and SU Banner Punch

Embellishments: Echo Park Enamel Dots