Two centuries ago, there were dozens of independent states in the part of Europe that was German-speaking. Today, there are only four: Germany, Austria, Switzerland ... and Liechtenstein.
I like the way tiny countries are defined so clearly by geography. Liechtenstein is a bowl in the mountains—high ridges on the east, milky baby Rhine River still giddy from its tumble out of the Alps running south to north on its west, and the stout and classic Gutenberg Castle guarding the entry to the valley on the south. About the size of Manhattan, Liechtenstein is truly landlocked: no seaport, no airport, not even a train station.
