We are shocked, shocked! how often people confuse Micronesia and Lichtenstein!
Perfectly understandable, of course, but let’s do a compare-and-contrast to help us remember in the future.
Lichtenstein is one of only two double-landlocked[1] countries.
Micronesia is a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific.
[1] Not only is Lichtenstein land-locked, but all the countries that border it are land-locked. The only other country to share this distinction is Uzbekistan.
Getting There
Use this handy map as a starting guide:
Once you get in the neighborhood, refer to these detailed maps:
Long and complicated, beginning about 4,000 years ago.
Long and complicated history, date back to the Middle Paleolithic era. Neolithic farming settlements appeared in the valleys around 5,300 BCE. (Wikipedia)
Participation in EuroVision
No
No [1]
Per Capita GDP
$4,768
$210,600
Free Beer?
Not to our knowledge
Yes. On the country’s national holiday, all subjects are invited to the castle of the head of state. A significant portion of the population attends the national celebration at the castle where speeches are made and complimentary beer is served. – Wikipedia The holiday is August 15th, so clear your calendar.
Total area (including waters)
1,200,000 sq mi
61.97 sq mi
[1]Elder G: No – Liechtenstein has never participated in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Here’s a quick breakdown of why:
Participation requires membership in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which Liechtenstein’s broadcasters have not yet achieved.
They made attempts (for example a broadcaster applied in 2010) but were unable to fulfil all requirements (including financial and infrastructural) to become EBU members.
As of the latest updates, their plans to debut are on hold.
Surfing in Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein, despite being doubly landlocked, has a vibrant surf club.
In turn, Micronesia supports cultural awareness with Lichtenstein, highlighted by a beach-side biergarten.
How About the Olympics?
Elder G: Both Liechtenstein and the Federated States of Micronesia have participated in the Olympic Games.
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein made its Olympic debut in 1936.
The country has won a total of 10 Olympic medals, all at the Winter Games, and none at the Summer Games.
It is the only country to have won medals at the Winter Olympics but not at the Summer Olympics.
Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesia’s national Olympic committee was recognized in the late 1990s, and the country’s athletes first competed at the Summer Olympics in 2000.
They have participated in multiple Summer Games since, but have not yet won an Olympic medal.
They have not participated in the Winter Olympic Games (as of now).
How High?
Country
Highest Point
Height (m/ft)
Geographic Context
Liechtenstein
Grauspitz
2,599 m / 8,527 ft
Alpine mountain peak
Micronesia (FSM)
Mount Nanlaud
782 m / 2,566 ft
Volcanic jungle-covered hill
Interesting CNN story about a picturesque flight route…..
Pacific Island Hopper: The world’s most scenic flight? That’s Honolulu – Majuro – Kwajalein – Kosrae – Pohnpei – Chuuk – Guam.
You’ll definitely want a window seat.
Aviation geeks call it “the holy grail of flight routes.” For contractors it’s one of the world’s most picturesque commutes, while for islanders across the region it’s a lifeline.
Welcome aboard United Airlines 154, the Island Hopper, a Boeing 737-800 from Honolulu to Guam (and vice versa) which connects seven islands in a truly unique 16-hour flight, four times weekly.
In 1929, 75-year-old Prince Franz I succeeded to the throne. He had just married Elisabeth von Gutmann, a wealthy woman from Vienna whose father was a Jewish businessman from Moravia. Although Liechtenstein had no official Nazi party, a Nazi sympathy movement arose within its National Union party. Local Liechtenstein Nazis identified Elisabeth as their Jewish “problem”.
Politics Liechtenstein has a somewhat enigmatic political system, which combines elements of absolute monarchy, representative democracy, and direct democracy. […] As of September 2019 the Prince of Liechtenstein is the world’s fifth wealthiest monarch, with an estimated wealth of US$3.5 billion.
Elisabeth Sarolta “Elsa” von Gutmann (6 January 1875 – 28 September 1947) was Princess of Liechtenstein from 1929 to 1938 as the wife of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein.
Second marriage and Princess of Liechtenstein
In 1914, Elisabeth met the future Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein at a relief fund for soldiers. Prince Franz’s brother Prince Johann II did not approve of this relationship. On 11 February 1929, Prince Franz succeeded his brother as Franz I, as his brother had died unmarried and childless. On 22 July 1929, Elisabeth and Franz married at the small parish church of Lainz near Vienna. The marriage remained childless. The couple were the first prince and princess of Liechtenstein to make proper contact with the public through active representation, and Princess Elsa was the first Princess of Liechtenstein in 70 years at that point.
As Princess of Liechtenstein, she became active within the population of the country. Under her initiative she founded the medical Princess Elsa Foundation, and when there was a polio outbreak in Vaduz in 1931 she obtained medicine from the United States at her own expense.
Historical images of Elisabeth von Gutmann, colorized by Elder G.
Elisabeth von Gutmann is buried in the Catholic Cathedral of St. Florin in Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Photo by A.Savin – Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129466630
Texas Towns with Populations Similar to Lichtenstein
City/Town
County
Population
Port Arthur
Jefferson
55,799
Fulshear
Fort Bend
54,629
Rockwall
Rockwall
53,547
Galveston
Galveston
53,538
Celina
Collin
51,661
Grapevine
Tarrant
51,320
Sherman
Grayson
50,229
Cedar Hill
Dallas
49,618
Huntsville
Walker
49,500
Bedford
Tarrant
48,728
Waxahachie
Ellis
48,617
Keller
Tarrant
46,643
The Colony
Denton
45,897
Haltom City
Tarrant
45,786
Prosper
Collin
44,503
Schertz
Guadalupe
44,428
Midlothian
Ellis
44,104
Weslaco
Hidalgo
43,864
Hutto
Williamson
42,661
Rosenberg
Fort Bend
42,571
Coppell
Dallas
41,785
Friendswood
Galveston
41,291
Lancaster
Dallas
40,780
Copperas Cove
Coryell
39,627
Imagine the city council of some Texas MAGAt hellhole city, with a population of 41,232 debating their participation in the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act.
“Non-proliferation? Not exactly sure what it means, but it sounds woke to me. Plus – 2nd Amendment.”
Semi-Sequitur: Uncertain
Uncertain is a city in Harrison County, Texas, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 94, down from 150 at the 2000 census. In 2020, it had a population of 85.
History The city of Uncertain was incorporated in 1961 as a Type B general law city, with a mayor and five aldermen on an at-large basis.
Uncertain has been noted for its unusual place name. According to tradition, the town derives its name from the original application for township where the name for it had not been decided. Therefore when the original residents filled out the application they put “Uncertain” in the blank for the name. When the township was given, it then became “Uncertain”.
Let’s let Elder G lift our spirits as we close out today’s blott. Elder G applied the same image prompt (“The women of Uncertain, Texas.”) to a variety of image engines. Some great results!
