BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Name: SWITZERLAND
Capital
Bern
Largest city Zürich
Official language
German, French, Italian, Romansh[2]
Government
Direct democracy, Federal republic
Area 41,285 km²
Population
7,252,000
Currency Swiss
franc (CHF)
Time
zone (UTC +1)
Internet
TLD .ch
Calling
code +41
|
|
GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
Switzerland
(German: die Schweiz, French: la Suisse,
Italian: Svizzera and Romansh: Svizra),
officially the Swiss Confederation, is a
landlocked Alpine country in Central Europe.
A male native of Switzerland is said to
be a Schweizer and a female is a Schweizerin
in German; Suisse (male) or Suissesse (female)
in Swiss French and svizzero (male) or svizzera
(female) in Italian.
The
country, which borders Germany to the north,
France to the west, Italy to the south,
and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east,
was historically a confederation, and has
been a federation since 1848. Switzerland
has a strong economy in finance and banking,
and a long and strong tradition of political
and military neutrality. This background
allows Switzerland to host various international
co-operations and organisations.
Confoederatio
Helvetica, the country's official Latin
name, means Helvetic Confederation. The
use of Latin avoids having to favour one
of the four national languages. The abbreviation
(CH) is used for the same reason. The titles
commonly used in French (Confédération
suisse), Italian (Confederazione Svizzera)
and Romansh (Confederaziun svizra) translate
as "Swiss Confederation", while
the German name of Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
translates literally as "Swiss Oath
Fellowship" or "Swiss Commonwealth
of the Covenant".
With
an area of 41,285 square kilometres (15,940
sq mi), Switzerland is a relatively small
country. The population is about 7.4 million,
resulting in a population density of 182
people per square kilometre (472/sq mi).
Switzerland
comprises three basic topographical areas:
the Swiss Alps, the Swiss plateau, and the
Jura mountains.The Alps are a high mountain
range running across the central-south of
the country. Among the high peaks of the
Swiss Alps, the highest of which is the
Dufour Peak at 4,634 metres (15,203 ft),
are found countless valleys, some with glaciers.
From these the headwaters of several major
European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône,
the Inn, the Aare or the Ticino, flow down
into lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zürich,
Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance.
Map of Switzerland (detailed)The northern,
more populous part of the country is more
open, but can still be mountainous, for
example, in the Jura Mountains, a smaller
range in the northwest. The Swiss climate
is generally temperate, but can vary greatly
between the localities, from harsh conditions
on the high mountains to the often pleasant
Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern
tip.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
