Switzerland vs. Liechtenstein
Geography
| Switzerland | Liechtenstein | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy | Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland |
| Geographic coordinates | 47 00 N, 8 00 E | 47 16 N, 9 32 E |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 41,277 sq km land: 39,997 sq km water: 1,280 sq km | total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,770 km border countries (5): Austria 158 km, France 525 km, Italy 698 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 348 km | total: 75 km border countries (2): Austria 34 km, Switzerland 41 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (doubly landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers | continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers |
| Terrain | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes | mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m mean elevation: 1,350 m | highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower potential, timber, salt | hydroelectric potential, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.) forest: 31.5% (2018 est.) other: 29.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 37.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 18.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.) forest: 43.1% (2018 est.) other: 19.3% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 630 sq km (2012) | 0 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | avalanches, landslides; flash floods | avalanches, landslides |
| Environment - current issues | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from agricultural fertilizers; chemical contaminants and erosion damage the soil and limit productivity; loss of biodiversity | some air pollution generated locally, some transfered from surrounding countries |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps | along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation |
| Total renewable water resources | 53.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 0 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement | most of the population is found in the western half of the country along the Rhine River |
Source: CIA Factbook
