Settlement area 11% - Liechtenstein 2017 - 150 Rappen

With its 160 square kilometres, the Principality of Liechtenstein is the world’s sixth smallest state in terms of size. In Europe, only San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City are smaller. The population needs space, i.e. a settlement area, for living, consumption, mobility and leisure time. In Liechtenstein, this settlement area makes up only 11% of the total area while 33% is agricultural land, 41% forested area and 15% is designated as an unproductive area. Since 1984 the settlement area has grown by an average of 16.8 hectares per year, which is equivalent to around 24 football fields, with 1,762 hectares designated as such in 2014. The settlement area per inhabitant has remained roughly the same at 472 square metres since 1984. Particularly in a small country like Liechtenstein, it is important to use the available land as economically as possible for sustainable development. The Philately is drawing attention to this issue with its new special stamp entitled “Settlement area” (face value: CHF 1.50). The graphically designed and UV lacquered stamp depicts the size of the country’s settlement area in different coloured pixels in relation to the other areas.