Compare Liechtenstein (2008) - Christmas Island (2008)

Compare Liechtenstein (2008) z Christmas Island (2008)

	Liechtenstein (2008)	Christmas Island (2008)

Administrative divisions	11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz	none (territory of Australia)
Age structure	0-14 years: 17.1% (male 2,902/female 2,963) 15-64 years: 70% (male 11,887/female 12,101) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 1,862/female 2,532) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products	NA
Airports	-	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money-laundering legislation over the past several years and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US went into effect in 2003.	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.
Birth rate	10.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Budget	revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million (1998 est.)	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Capital	name: Vaduz geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers	tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Coastline	0 km (doubly landlocked)	138.9 km
Constitution	5 October 1921	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Country name	conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island
Death rate	7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Debt - external	$0 (2001)	-
Dependency status	-	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein; the US Ambassador to Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590 FAX: [1] (202) 331-3221	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA
Economy - overview	Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe.	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Environment - current issues	NA	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	-
Ethnic groups	Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14%	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)
Exchange rates	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007), 1.2539 (2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government Otmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001); Deputy Head of Government Klaus TSCHUETSCHER (since 21 April 2005) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch if there is a coalition government	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia
Exports	$2.47 billion (1996)	$NA
Exports - commodities	small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products	phosphate
Exports - partners	EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% (2006)	Australia, NZ (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6% industry: 39% services: 55% (2001)	-
GDP - real growth rate	11% (1999 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	47 16 N, 9 32 E	10 30 S, 105 40 E
Geography - note	along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Illicit drugs	has strengthened money laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated offshore financial services sector	-
Imports	$917.3 million (1996)	$NA
Imports - commodities	agricultural products, raw materials, energy products, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles	consumer goods
Imports - partners	EU, Switzerland (2006)	principally Australia (2006)
Independence	23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)	none (territory of Australia)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Infant mortality rate	total: 4.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1% (2001)	-
International organization participation	CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO	none
Irrigated land	NA	NA
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force	29,500 of whom 13,900 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)	NA
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 2% industry: 47% services: 51% (31 December 2001)	-
Land boundaries	total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)
Languages	German (official), Alemannic dialect	English (official), Chinese, Malay
Legal system	local civil and penal codes based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
Legislative branch	unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL 13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.81 years male: 76.24 years female: 83.4 years (2007 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%	NA
Location	Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Map references	Europe	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Switzerland	defense is the responsibility of Australia
National holiday	Assumption Day, 15 August	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality	noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island
Natural hazards	NA	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Natural resources	hydroelectric potential, arable land	phosphate, beaches
Net migration rate	4.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Pipelines	gas 20 km (2007)	-
Political parties and leaders	Patriotic Union or VU [Adolf HEEB] (was Fatherland Union); Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Marcus VOGT]; The Free List or FL [Claudia HEEB-FLECK and Egon MATT]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	34,247 (July 2007 est.)	1,402 (July 2006 est.) (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.745% (2007 est.)	0% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)
Railways	9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified) note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland (2006)	-
Religions	Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002)	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.979 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.982 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.735 male(s)/female total population: 0.946 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - 1 INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use	20,000 (2005)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	27,500 (2005)	-
Television broadcast stations	NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)	0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)
Terrain	mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Total fertility rate	1.51 children born/woman (2007 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	1.3% (September 2002)	-
Waterways	28 km (2006)	-

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