Official Name: Swiss Confederation; popularly known as : Switzerland
Capital: Berne
Brief Background
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovreignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Geography:
Switzerland takes up an area of 41,295 square kilometers and is home to 7.4 million people. More than 60 percent of the country is mountainous and a quarter of it is covered with forests. Our country boasts breathtaking mountains, picturesque lakes and charming cities and towns that are full of culture and history. Switzerland is landlocked and situated on the crossroads of northern and southern Europe. Along with southeastern France and northern Italy, Switzerland contains the highest elevations in Europe.
Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Land Boundaries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Climate: t emperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain : mostly mountains ( Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Elevation Extremes: lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m ; highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Natural resources : hydropower potential, timber
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
Population:
Population: |
7,489,370 (July 2005 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 16.6% (male 643,497/female 597,565)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,570,544/female 2,522,365)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 472,769/female 682,630) (2005 est.) |
Median age: |
total: 39.77 years
male: 38.75 years
female: 40.81 years (2005 est.) |
Population growth rate: |
0.49% (2005 est.) |
Birth rate: |
9.77 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Death rate: |
8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Ethnic groups:
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
People
The renowned Swiss obsessiveness with cleanliness, punctuality and hard work, coupled with the highest standard of living in Europe, make Switzerland one of the most desirable and least problematic of countries in which to travel. The tourist infrastructure is highly developed, and the Swiss themselves are unfailingly courteous and proud of the beauty of Switzerland. Together with a longstanding tourist tradition, you will leave Switzerland with lasting memories of a great vacation. Most Swiss speak English, and at least one of the other Swiss languages - French, German, Italian, or, in the extreme southeast, Romansch.
There is a lot of untouched nature and in general people are careful with it with many efforts being undertaken to protecting the environment. As a result, Switzerland is far advanced in recycling waste material. Chemicals, paper, carton, glass, plastic, cans, textile, oil and cooking fat are all collected separately. For most tourists, our recycling measures are relatively drastic. However, you will get used to it quickly and the advantages are clear: Switzerland is a very clean country. You will not find a lot of street litter along your way.
Government
The capital of Switzerland is Berne. The Swiss Confederation (conventional name of Switzerland) is a federal republic divided into Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch. The country is split into 26 administrative divisions (cantons). The Swiss Confederation was found on August 1, 1291 and the Swiss celebrate this 1 of August as their National holiday.
Religion: Catholic 46 %; Protestant 40 %; None 9 %, Other 5 %
Language
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census)
Note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages.
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
1 Swiss Franc = 6.32857 Chinese Yuan Renminbi
International Airports: Zurich-Kloten; Geneva - Cointrin; Basel - Mulhouse
Transportation:
Railways: |
total: 4,527 km
standard gauge: 3,232 km 1.435-m gauge ( 3,211 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,285 km 1.000-m gauge ( 1,273 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge ( 10 km electrified) (2004) |
Highways: |
total: 71,212 km
paved: 71,212 km (including 1,706 of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
Waterways: |
65 km
note: Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee, some canals, and 12 navigable lakes (2003) |
Pipelines: |
gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2004) |
Ports and harbors: |
Basel |
Merchant marine: |
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 604,843 GRT/1,050,914 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, container 3
foreign-owned: 6 (United Kingdom 6)
registered in other countries: 291 (2005) |
Airports: |
65 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 23
under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.) |
Heliports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
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future plans? Let Gypsy
