Liechtenstein 🇱🇮
Liechtenstein is a country in Europe with a population of 39,327. Its capital is Vaduz. The official currency is CHF, and the main languages are German.
Quick facts
- Capital: Vaduz
- Continent: Europe
- Population: 39,327
- Area: 160 km²
- Density: 246 people per km²
- Currency: CHF
- Languages: German
- ISO code: LI
Where Liechtenstein sits
Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 is one of 46 countries in Europe, with its capital at Vaduz. It covers 160 square kilometres — 192nd in the world — and is home to about 39,327 people, 191st globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Italy. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Liechtenstein compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Liechtenstein sits closest to Marshall Islands and Monaco. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Marshall Islands and San Marino.
At 246 people per square kilometre it is about 4.1 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
German is an official language in 6 countries here, among them Austria, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, and 1 other. The CHF is shared with 1 other country, including Switzerland.
To see Liechtenstein next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Liechtenstein
Vaduz is the capital, but Schaan is the largest municipality. Vaduz Castle, high on a hill above the town, is home to the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. For the flag, the crown is your clue: it is a principality with a prince.
The flag of Liechtenstein: blue and red, with a gold crown
🇱🇮 The flag is two horizontal stripes, blue on top and red below, with a gold crown in the top left corner. The crown was added in 1937, after Liechtenstein discovered at the 1936 Olympic Games that its plain blue-and-red flag was identical to the civil flag of Haiti.
Region and neighbours
Liechtenstein is a tiny landlocked principality in the Alps of Central Europe, along the Rhine, between Switzerland and Austria. It shares land borders with 2 countries: Switzerland and Austria. Liechtenstein is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- Switzerland 🇨🇠— capital Bern
- Austria 🇦🇹 — capital Vienna
Three facts about Liechtenstein
- Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, which means it is surrounded only by other landlocked countries. The other is Uzbekistan.
- Liechtenstein is the fourth-smallest country in Europe and the smallest country in the world to border two countries.
- Liechtenstein uses the Swiss franc as its currency.
Sources: Wikipedia: Liechtenstein, Wikipedia: Flag of Liechtenstein, Wikipedia: Vaduz, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Liechtenstein
- European capitals quiz — match Liechtenstein to Vaduz
- European flags quiz — spot the Liechtenstein flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Liechtenstein has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Liechtenstein
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Liechtenstein those are:
- Europe map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Europe flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Europe capitals quiz — match it to Vaduz
- Liechtenstein capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Liechtenstein
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Liechtenstein
- Capital of Liechtenstein: Vaduz — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 46 countries of Europe
Nearby countries
- Albania 🇦🇱 — capital Tirana
- Andorra 🇦🇩 — capital Andorra la Vella
- Austria 🇦🇹 — capital Vienna
- Belarus 🇧🇾 — capital Minsk
- Belgium 🇧🇪 — capital Brussels
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 — capital Sarajevo
- Bulgaria 🇧🇬 — capital Sofia
- Croatia ðŸ‡ðŸ‡· — capital Zagreb
- Cyprus 🇨🇾 — capital Nicosia
- Czechia 🇨🇿 — capital Prague
- Denmark 🇩🇰 — capital Copenhagen
- Estonia 🇪🇪 — capital Tallinn
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Liechtenstein flag?
The flag of Liechtenstein is two horizontal stripes, blue on top and red below, with a gold crown in the top left corner. The crown was added in 1937, after Liechtenstein discovered at the 1936 Olympic Games that its plain blue-and-red flag was identical to the civil flag of Haiti.
Which countries border Liechtenstein?
Liechtenstein shares land borders with Switzerland and Austria.
How can I remember the capital of Liechtenstein?
Vaduz is the capital, but Schaan is the largest municipality. Vaduz Castle, high on a hill above the town, is home to the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. For the flag, the crown is your clue: it is a principality with a prince.