Confoederatio Helvetica (Latin) Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confédération suisse (French) Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) Confederaziun svizra (Romansh) Swiss Confederation
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1] "One for all, all for one"
Anthem: "Swiss Psalm"
Location of  Switzerland  (orange) on the European continent  (white)
Capital		Berne (federal capital) 46°57′N 7°27′E / 46.95, 7.45
Largest city		Zürich
Official languages		German, French, Italian, Romansh[2]
Demonym		Swiss
Government		Direct democracy Federal parliamentary republic
-	Federal Council	M. Leuenberger P. Couchepin (Pres. 08) S. Schmid M. Calmy-Rey H.-R. Merz (VP 08) D. Leuthard E. Widmer-Schlumpf
Independence
-	Foundation date	1 August[3] 1291
-	de facto	22 September 1499
-	Recognized	24 October 1648
-	Restored	7 August 1815
-	Federal state	12 September 1848
Area
-	Total	41,285 km² (135th) 15,940 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4. The Flag of Switzerland consists of a red square with a bold equilateral white cross in the center The Coat of Arms of Switzerland shows the same white cross as the Flag of Switzerland, but on a red shield A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Unus pro omnibus omnes pro uno is a Latin phrase that means " One for all all for one " in English. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's The "Swiss Psalm" is the National anthem of Switzerland. The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures which have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural practices Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(ch or Romanche) is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government The Swiss Federal Council (Schweizerischer Bundesrat Conseil fédéral suisse Consiglio federale svizzero Cussegl federal Moritz Leuenberger (born 21 September 1946 is a Swiss Politician, Lawyer, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1995 and President Pascal Couchepin (born April 5, 1942) is a Swiss Politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council since 1998 and President of The President of the Confederation (Bundespräsident Président de la Confédération Presidente della Confederazione President da la Confederaziun is the presiding member Samuel Schmid (born January 8, 1947) has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2000. Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945) is a Swiss politician member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2002 Hans-Rudolf Merz (born 10 November 1942 is a Swiss politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD and Member of the Swiss Federal Council (since 2003 __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States. The President of the Confederation (Bundespräsident Président de la Confédération Presidente della Confederazione President da la Confederaziun is the presiding member Doris Leuthard (born 10 April 1963) is a Swiss politician and lawyer Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (born 16 March 1956) is a Swiss lawyer politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2008 Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a Federal state of relatively autonomous cantons some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman The Treaty of Basel of 22 September 1499 was an armistice following the Battle of Dornach, concluding the Swabian War, fought between the Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, signed on May 15 and October 24 of Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat The periods of Restoration and Regeneration in Swiss history last from 1814 to 1847 Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12 1848 with the creation of a federal constitution which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions  Areas between 10000 km² and 100000 km² are listed here This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 2
Population
-	2007[4] estimate	7,591,400 (95th)
-	2000 census	7,288,010
-	Density	181. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 4/km² (61st) 479. List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² 8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$296. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 2 billion (38th)
-	Per capita	$38,706 (6th)
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$388 billion (19th)
-	Per capita	$56,711 (7th)
Gini (2000)		33. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 7 (medium)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 955 (high) (7th)
Currency		Swiss franc (CHF)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.ch
Calling code		+41

Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansh: Svizra), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a landlocked alpine country of roughly 7. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The franc ( German: Franken, French and Romansh: franc, Italian: franco; code: CHF ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(ch or Romanche) is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. These are data codes for Switzerland. Country These are codes for the country itself A landlocked country is commonly defined as one enclosed or nearly enclosed by land The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within 5 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km². Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states. A federal republic is a Federation of States with a republican form of government These states are called cantons. The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the states of the Federal state of Switzerland. Berne is the seat of the federation and de facto capital,^[5] while the country's economic centres are its two global cities, Geneva and especially Zürich. The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Switzerland has high degrees of economic freedom, immigrants, and globally-oriented business. Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the

It is bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein and has a long history of neutrality — it has not been at war since 1815 — and hosts many international organizations, including the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and one of the U.N.'s two European offices. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland For other uses of Neutral and Neutrality see Neutral A neutral country takes no side in a War between other parties "ICRC" redirects here For other uses see ICRC (disambiguation. The United Nations Office at Geneva ( UNOG) is the second-biggest of the four major office sites of the United Nations Switzerland is multilingual and has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(ch or Romanche) is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, The country's Latin formal name, Confoederatio Helvetica is derived from the Helvetii, an ancient Celtic people in the Alpine region. The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe and the main occupants of the Swiss plateau in the 1st century BC Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts It is rendered in German as Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, in French as Confédération suisse, in Italian as Confederazione Svizzera and in Romansh as Confederaziun svizra. The establishment of Switzerland is traditionally dated to August 1, 1291; the first of August is the national holiday. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.2 Old Swiss Confederacy 1.3 Napoleonic era 1.4 Federal state 1.5 Modern history 2 Politics 2.1 Direct democracy 2.2 Cantons 2.3 International institutions in Switzerland 3 Geography 4 Economy 4.1 Science, technology, and education 4.2 Switzerland and the European Union 4.3 Infrastructure and environment 5 Demographics 6 Religion 7 Culture 7.1 Sport 8 Notes 9 References 10 See also 11 External links

History

Main article: History of Switzerland

Early history

Main article: Early history of Switzerland

Further information: History of the Alps, Alemannia, and Upper Burgundy

In 15 BC, Tiberius and Drusus conquered the Alps, integrating them into the Roman Empire: the Helvetii area first became part of Gallia Belgica and then of the Germania Superior province, while the eastern portion was integrated to the province of Raetia. Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a Federal state of relatively autonomous cantons some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back The early history of Switzerland begins with the earliest settlements up to the beginning of Habsburg rule which in 1291 gave rise to the independence movement in The Valleys of the Alps have been inhabited since prehistoric times Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 Upper Burgundy (also Transjurane Burgundy fr Bourgogne transjurane, also Transjurania) is the part of Burgundy west of the Jura mountains Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (or Tiberius I) born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16 42 BC – March 16 AD 37) was the second Roman The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe and the main occupants of the Swiss plateau in the 1st century BC Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Raetia (so always in inscriptions classical manuscripts usually use the form Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, bounded on the west by the country In the Early Middle Ages, the Alemanni settled the Swiss plateau and the valleys of the Alps. The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany The Swiss Plateau ( plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in The main valleys of the Alps, orographically by Drainage basin. The area of Switzerland proper was incorporated to the Frankish Empire in the 530s, and, when part of the Holy Roman Empire, was divided between Alemannia and Upper Burgundy; by AD 1200, the Swiss plateau comprised the dominions of the houses of Savoy, Zähringer, Habsburg and Kyburg. Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Alamannia or Alemannia was the territory inhabited by the Alamanni after they broke through the Roman limes in 213 Upper Burgundy (also Transjurane Burgundy fr Bourgogne transjurane, also Transjurania) is the part of Burgundy west of the Jura mountains The House of Savoy (Casa Savoia was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical Savoy region Zähringen is the name of an old and influential German noble family taken from the castle and village of that name The palace of Kyburg is a mediaeval castle south of Winterthur. When the Kyburg dynasty fell in 1264, the Habsburgs under King Rudolph I (Emperor in 1273) extended its territory to the eastern Swiss plateau. Rudolph I, also known as Rudolph of Habsburg ( German: Rudolf von Habsburg, Latin Rudolfus) May 1, 1218 &ndash

Old Swiss Confederacy

Main article: Old Swiss Confederacy

Further information: Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Reformation in Switzerland, and Early Modern Switzerland

The Old Swiss Confederacy was an alliance among the communities of the central Alps valleys facilitating management of common interests (free trade) and ensure peace on the important mountain trade routess. The House of Savoy (Casa Savoia was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical Savoy region Zähringen is the name of an old and influential German noble family taken from the castle and village of that name The palace of Kyburg is a mediaeval castle south of Winterthur. The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. The growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate (Mark Reust and population of The Early Modern period of Swiss history lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as The main valleys of the Alps, orographically by Drainage basin. The Federal Charter of 1291 among the rural communes of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden traditionally is the confederacy's founding document; even though similar alliances are likely to have existed decades earlier. The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance (Bundesbrief documents the Eternal Alliance or League Of The Three Forest Cantons (Ewiger Bund der Drei Waldstätten Communes in Europe in the Middle Ages were sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms among community members of a town or city Uri (German) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. It is located in Central Switzerland. Schwyz ( German) is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich Unterwalden is the old name for what is now two cantons in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne. ^[6]

By 1353 the three original cantons had joined with the cantons of Glarus and Zug and the Lucerne, Zürich and Berne city states, forming the "Old Confederacy" of eight states that existed most of the 15th century, leading to increased power and wealth for the federation, particularly because of victories against the Habsburgs (Battle of Sempach, Battle of Näfels), over Charles the Bold of Burgundy during the 1470s, and the success of the Swiss mercenaries. The Canton of Glarus ( German:) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The Canton of Zug ( German Kanton) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. Lucerne ( Italian Lucerna) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal The Battle of Sempach was fought on July 9, 1386 between Leopold III Duke of Austria, and the Old Swiss Confederacy. Charles the Bold or Charles the Rash (Charles le Téméraire ( 21 November 1433 &ndash 5 January 1477) baptised Charles Martin Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European The Swiss victory in the Swabian War against the Swabian League of Emperor Maximilian I in 1499 amounted to de facto independence within the Holy Roman Empire. The Swabian War of 1499 ( Schwabenkrieg, also called Schweizerkrieg War" in Germany and Engadiner Krieg of the [[Engadin]"] in The Swabian League was an association of German cities principalities and knights principally in the territory which had The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in

The expansion of the federation, and the reputation of being invincible acquired during the earlier wars, suffered a first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the Battle of Marignano, which ended the so-called "heroic" epoch of Swiss history. The growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such The Battle of Marignano was a battle fought during the phase of the Italian Wars (1494&ndash1559 called the War of the League of Cambrai, that took place on The success of Zwingli's Reformation in some cantons led to inter-cantonal wars in 1529 and 1531 (Kappeler Kriege). Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (1 January 1484 &ndash 11 October 1531 was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate (Mark Reust and population of Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its neutrality (ancien régime). The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, signed on May 15 and October 24 of For other uses of Neutral and Neutrality see Neutral A neutral country takes no side in a War between other parties In Early Modern Switzerland, the conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712, and the growing authoritarianism of the patriciate families combined with a financial crisis in the wake of the Thirty Years' War led to the Swiss peasant war of 1653. The Early Modern period of Swiss history lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Battles of Villmergen ( Canton of Aargau,) were two battles between Reformed and Catholic cantons. Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. The Swiss peasant war of 1653 was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime.

Napoleonic era

Main articles: Switzerland in the Napoleonic era, Helvetic Republic, and Act of Mediation

In 1798 the armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland and imposed a new unified constitution. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an This centralised the government of the country and effectively abolished the cantons. The new regime, known as the Helvetic Republic, was highly unpopular. The word regime (occasionally spelled " régime " particularly in older texts refers to a set of conditions most often of a Political nature In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic ( 1798 &ndash 1803) represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, It had been imposed by a foreign invading army and destroyed centuries of tradition, making Switzerland nothing more than a French satellite state. The fierce French suppression of the Nidwalden Revolt in September of 1798 is an example of the suppressing presence of the French army and the local population's resistance to the occupation.

When war broke out between France and its rivals, Russian and Austrian forces invaded Switzerland. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor In 1803 Napoleon organised a meeting of the leading Swiss politicians from both sides in Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The result was the Act of Mediation which largely restored Swiss autonomy and introduced a Confederation of 19 cantons. The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February, 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. Henceforth much of Swiss politics would concern balancing the cantons' tradition of self-rule with the need for a central government.

In 1815 the Congress of Vienna fully re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise Swiss neutrality. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich The treaty marked the last time that Switzerland fought in an international conflict. The treaty also allowed Switzerland to increase its territory, with the admission of the cantons of Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva – this was also the last time Switzerland's territory expanded. The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its Neuchâtel (Canton de Neuchâtel Kanton Neuenburg is a canton of western Switzerland. The Canton of Geneva is the westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France and centered around the city of Geneva

Federal state

Main articles: Restauration (Switzerland) and Switzerland as a federal state

The restoration of the power to the patriciate was only temporary. The periods of Restoration and Regeneration in Swiss history last from 1814 to 1847 The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12 1848 with the creation of a federal constitution which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland The periods of Restoration and Regeneration in Swiss history last from 1814 to 1847 After a period of unrest with repeated violent clashes such as the Züriputsch of 1839, civil war broke out between some of the Catholic and most of the other cantons in 1847 (the Sonderbundskrieg). The Züriputsch of 6 September 1839 was a Putsch of the rural conservative population against the liberal The Sonderbund Swiss civil war of November 1847 ensued after the Sonderbund (meaning "separate alliance" in German) was created in 1845 The war lasted for less than a month, causing fewer than 100 casualties; most of which were through friendly fire. However minor the Sonderbundskrieg seems to be when compared with other European riots and wars in the 19th century, it nevertheless had a major impact on both the psychology and the society of the Swiss and of Switzerland. The war made all Swiss understand the need for unity and strength towards its European neighbours. Swiss people from all strata of society, whether Catholic, Protestant, or from the liberal or conservative current, realised that the cantons would profit more if their economic and religious interest were merged. Credit to those who favored the power of the cantons (the Sonderbund Kantone), the national assembly was divided among an upper house (the Swiss Council of States) and a lower house (the National Council of Switzerland). An upper house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Lower house. The Council of States of Switzerland (Ständerat Conseil des Etats Consiglio degli Stati Cussegl dals Stadis is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. The National Council of Switzerland (Nationalrat Conseil National Consiglio Nazionale Cussegl Naziunal is the larger Chamber of the parliament with 200 seats Thus, the interests of the Federationalists were accounted for. Switzerland adopted a federal constitution and the use of referenda (mandatory for any amendment of this constitution) in 1848. The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 (Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse Constituzione federale della Confederazione A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita This constitution provided for a central authority while leaving the cantons the right to self-government on local issues. In 1850 the Swiss franc became the Swiss single currency. The franc ( German: Franken, French and Romansh: franc, Italian: franco; code: CHF In economics a monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency (also known as a unitary or common currency The constitution was amended extensively in 1874 in order to take into account the rise in population and the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the It introduced the facultative referendum for laws at the federal level. It also established federal responsibility for defence, trade, and legal matters.

In 1891, the constitution was revised with unusually strong elements of direct democracy, which remain unique even today. Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised Swiss history.

Modern history

Main articles: Switzerland during the World Wars and Modern history of Switzerland

Switzerland was not invaded during either of the World Wars. During World War I, Switzerland was home to Vladimir Illych Ulyanov (Lenin) and he remained there until 1917. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All ^[7] Swiss neutrality was seriously questioned by the Grimm-Hoffmann Affair in 1917, but it was short-lived. The Grimm-Hoffmann Affair was a short-lived scandal that seriously brought into question Switzerland 's neutrality during World War One. In 1920, Switzerland joined the League of Nations, and in 1963 the Council of Europe. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949

During World War II, detailed invasion plans were drawn up by the Germans,^[8] but Switzerland was never attacked. During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily Switzerland was able to remain independent through a combination of military deterrence, economic concessions to Germany, and good fortune as larger events during the war delayed an invasion. Attempts by Switzerland's small Nazi party to cause an Anschluss with Germany failed miserably. The ( German: "link-up" also known as the, was the 1938 Annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi The Swiss press vigorously criticised the Third Reich, often infuriating its leadership. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Under General Henri Guisan, a massive mobilisation of militia forces was ordered. Henri Guisan ( 21 October, 1874 - 7 April, 1960) was Commander in Chief of the Swiss The Swiss military strategy was changed from one of static defence at the borders to protect the economic heartland, to a strategy of organised long-term attrition and withdrawal to strong, well-stockpiled positions high in the Alps known as the Réduit. Switzerland was an important base for espionage by both sides in the conflict and often mediated communications between the Axis and Allied powers.

Switzerland's trade was blockaded by both the Allies and by the Axis. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries Economic cooperation and extension of credit to the Third Reich varied according to the perceived likelihood of invasion, and the availability of other trading partners. Concessions reached an apex after a crucial rail link through Vichy France was severed in 1942, leaving Switzerland completely surrounded by the Axis. Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 Over the course of the war, Switzerland interned over 300,000 refugees, 104,000 of which were foreign troops, interned according to the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers outlined in the Hague Conventions. The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and 60,000 of the refugees were civilians escaping persecution by the Nazis. Of these, 26,000 to 27,000 were Jews. However, strict immigration and asylum policies as well as the financial relationships with Nazi Germany raised controversy. ^[9]

Women were granted the right to vote in the first Swiss cantons in 1959, at the federal level in 1971, and after resistance, in the last canton Appenzell Innerrhoden in 1990. Appenzell Innerrhoden (German; in English sometimes Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest After suffrage at the federal level women quickly rose in political significance, with the first woman on the seven member high council being Elisabeth Kopp from 1984–1989. Elisabeth Kopp (born December 16, 1936 in Zürich) is a Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council The first female president was Ruth Dreifuss, elected in 1998 to become president during 1999. Ruth Dreifuss (born January 9, 1940 in St Gallen) is a Swiss politician affiliated to the Social Democratic Party. (The Swiss president is elected every year from those among the seven member high council). The second female president is Micheline Calmy-Rey who held the 2007 Swiss high office. Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945) is a Swiss politician member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2002 She is originally from the French-speaking western area of canton Valais (Wallis in German). The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its She is presently joined on the seven member cabinet/high council by two other women, Doris Leuthard, from the canton of Aargau and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, from the canton of Graubünden. Doris Leuthard (born 10 April 1963) is a Swiss politician and lawyer Aargau ( German; rarely anglicized Argovia) is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (born 16 March 1956) is a Swiss lawyer politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2008 Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost

In 1979 areas from inside the previous borders in the canton of Bern attained independence from the Bernese, forming the new canton of Jura. The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal The Republic and Canton of the Jura (République et Canton du Jura also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland On April 18, 1999 the Swiss population and the cantons voted in favour of a completely revised federal constitution. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 (Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse Constituzione federale della Confederazione

In 2002 Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations, leaving the Vatican as the last widely recognized state without full UN membership. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Switzerland is a founding member of the EFTA, but is not a member of the European Economic Area. The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) is a European Trade bloc which was established on 3 May 1960 as an alternative for European states who were either The European Economic Area ( EEA) came into being on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between member states of European Free Trade Association (EFTAthe An application for membership in the European Union was sent in May 1992, but not advanced since the EEA was rejected in December 1992 when Switzerland was the only country to launch a referendum on the EEA. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in There have since been several referenda on the EU issue, with a mixed reaction to these from the population, the membership application has been frozen. Nonetheless, Swiss law is gradually being adjusted to conform with that of the EU and the government has signed a number of bilateral agreements with the European Union. This article is about the political term for the term as used in Biology, see symmetry (biology. Switzerland, together with Liechtenstein, has been completely surrounded by the EU since Austria's membership in 1995. The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich On 5 June 2005, Swiss voters agreed by a 55% majority to join the Schengen treaty, a result that was regarded by EU commentators as a sign of support by Switzerland, a country that is traditionally perceived as independent, neutral, or isolationist. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The term Schengen Agreement is used for two agreements concluded among European states in 1985 and 1990 which deal with the abolition of systematic Border controls Isolationism is a Foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of Economic nationalism ( Protectionism

Politics

Main article: Politics of Switzerland

See also: International relations of Switzerland and Voting in Switzerland

The Federal Constitution adopted in 1848 is the legal foundation of the modern federal state. The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 (Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse Constituzione federale della Confederazione A new Constitution was adopted in 1999, but did not introduce notable changes to the federal structure. It outlines basic and political rights of individuals and citizen participation in public affairs, and divides the powers between the Confederation and the cantons and defines federal jurisdictions and authorities. There are three main governing bodies on the federal level:^[10] the bicameral parliament (legislative), the Federal Council (executive) and the Federal Court (judicial). In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The Swiss Federal Council (Schweizerischer Bundesrat Conseil fédéral suisse Consiglio federale svizzero Cussegl federal The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland (Bundesgericht Tribunal fédéral Tribunale federale Tribunal federal is the Supreme court of Switzerland.

The Swiss Parliament consists of two houses: the Council of States which has 46 representatives (two from each canton and one from each half-canton) who are elected under a system determined by each canton, and the National Council, which consists of 200 members who are elected under a system of proportional representation, depending on the population of each canton. The Council of States of Switzerland (Ständerat Conseil des Etats Consiglio degli Stati Cussegl dals Stadis is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland The National Council of Switzerland (Nationalrat Conseil National Consiglio Nazionale Cussegl Naziunal is the larger Chamber of the parliament with 200 seats Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes Members of both houses serve for 4 years. When both houses are in joint session, they are known collectively as the Federal Assembly. The Federal Assembly (in German, Bundesversammlung; in French, Assemblée fédérale; in Italian, Assemblea federale Through referendums, citizens may challenge any law passed by parliament and through initiatives, introduce amendments to the federal constitution, making Switzerland a direct democracy. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita In Political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a Petition signed by a certain Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public

The Federal Council constitutes the federal government, directs the federal administration and serves as collective Head of State. The Swiss Federal Council (Schweizerischer Bundesrat Conseil fédéral suisse Consiglio federale svizzero Cussegl federal For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The federal administration of Switzerland (Bundesverwaltung Administration fédérale Amministrazione federale is the ensemble of agencies that constitute together with the Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state It is a collegial body of seven members, elected for a four-year mandate by the Federal Assembly which also exercises oversight over the Council. The President of the Confederation is elected by the Assembly from among the seven members, traditionally in rotation, for a one-year term, in order to chair the government and assume representative functions. The President of the Confederation (Bundespräsident Président de la Confédération Presidente della Confederazione President da la Confederaziun is the presiding member However, the president is a primus inter pares with no additional powers, and remains the head of a department of the administration. Primus inter pares ( Latin) or First among equals is a phrase which indicates that a person is the most senior of a group of people

The Swiss government has been a coalition of the four major political parties since 1959, each party having a number of seats that roughly reflects its share of electorate and representation in the federal parliament: currently there are 1 Christian Democrat (CVP/PDC), 2 Social Democrats (SPS/PSS), 2 Liberal Democrats (FDP/PRD), and 2 representatives of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) in the government. The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (Also called Christian-Democratic Party Christlich Demokratische Volkspartei (CVP Parti Démocrate-Chrétien Suisse The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (also rendered as Socialist Party of Switzerland Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz (SP Parti socialiste suisse (PS Partito Socialista The Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz (FDP Parti radical-démocratique suisse (PRD Partito liberale radicale svizzero (PLR Partida The Swiss People's Party (SVP also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC is a Political party in Switzerland. This traditional distribution of seats is called the "magic formula", and is not backed up by any law. The original distribution of 2 CVP/PDC, 2 SPS/PSS, 2 FDP/PRD and 1 SVP/UDC lasted from 1959 to 2003, until the CVP/PDC lost their second seat to the SVP/UDC, which had become the strongest party in Switzerland's legislative following the 2003 parliamentary elections.

The function of the Federal Supreme Court is to hear appeals against rulings of cantonal or federal courts. The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland (Bundesgericht Tribunal fédéral Tribunale federale Tribunal federal is the Supreme court of Switzerland. The judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for six-year terms.

Direct democracy

Swiss citizens are subject to three legal jurisdictions: the commune, canton and federal levels. The 1848 federal constitution defines a system of direct democracy (sometimes called half-direct democracy since it is added by the more commonplace institutions of a parliamentary democracy). Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which The instruments of Swiss direct democracy at the federal level, known as civil rights (Volksrechte, droits civiques), include the right to submit a constitutional initiative and a referendum, both of which may overturn parliamentary decisions.

By calling a federal referendum a group of citizens may challenge a law that has been passed by Parliament, if they can gather 50,000 signatures against the law within 100 days. If so, a national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law. Eight cantons together can also call a referendum on a federal law.

Similarly, the federal constitutional initiative allows citizens to put a constitutional amendment to a national vote, if they can get 100,000 voters to sign the proposed amendment within 18 months. ^[11] Parliament can supplement the proposed amendment with a counter-proposal, with voters having to indicate a preference on the ballot in case both proposals are accepted. Constitutional amendments, whether introduced by initiative or in Parliament, must be accepted by a double majority of both the national popular vote and a majority of the cantonal popular votes. This article is about voting with two criteria of majority needing to be satisfied ^{[12][13][14][15]}

Cantons

Main article: Cantons of Switzerland

The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons:

Aargau Appenzell Innerrhoden* Appenzell Ausserrhoden* Basel-Stadt* Basel-Landschaft* Bern Fribourg Genève Glarus Graubünden Jura Lucerne Neuchâtel

Nidwalden* Obwalden* Schaffhausen Schwyz Solothurn St. Gallen Thurgau Ticino Uri Valais Vaud Zug Zürich

*These cantons, called half-cantons, are represented by one councillor (instead of two) in the Council of States and only count half (instead of one) in national votes on constitutional amendments. A canton is an Administrative division of a country eg a region or state Aargau ( German; rarely anglicized Argovia) is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. Appenzell Innerrhoden (German; in English sometimes Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest Appenzell Ausserrhoden (German; in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes) is a canton of Switzerland. Basel-City (in German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. Basel-Country ( German:; Swiss German: Basel-Land / Baselbiet) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. The Swiss Canton of Berne is Bilingual (Kanton Bern Canton de Berne and has a population of about 958000 The Canton of Fribourg is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the west of the country The Canton of Geneva is the westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France and centered around the city of Geneva The Canton of Glarus ( German:) is a canton in east central Switzerland. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost The Republic and Canton of the Jura (République et Canton du Jura also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland Lucerne (Luzern is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland Neuchâtel (Canton de Neuchâtel Kanton Neuenburg is a canton of western Switzerland. Nidwalden (German) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland Obwalden (German) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland The Canton of is a canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen. Schwyz ( German) is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich Solothurn (German) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland The Canton of St Gallen (German Kanton) is a canton of Switzerland. Thurgau (German, anglicized as Thurgovia) is a northeast canton of Switzerland. Canton Ticino or Ticino ( Italian: tiˈtʃiːno French and German: Tessin and) is the southernmost canton of Uri (German) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. It is located in Central Switzerland. The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its The Canton of Vaud ( French pronunciation) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the southwestern part of the The Canton of Zug ( German Kanton) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. The Canton of Zürich (German Kanton) has a population of about 1 The Council of States of Switzerland (Ständerat Conseil des Etats Consiglio degli Stati Cussegl dals Stadis is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland

Their populations vary between 15,000 (Appenzell Innerrhoden) and 1,253,500 (Zürich), and their area between 37 km² (Basel-Stadt) and 7,105 km² (Graubünden). The Cantons comprise a total of 2,889 municipalities. Municipalities (sometimes called communities or communes, after the French/Italian names are the smallest government division in Switzerland and are called Within Switzerland there are two enclaves: Büsingen belongs to Germany, Campione d'Italia belongs to Italy. Büsingen am Hochrhein is a German town (762 km² entirely surrounded by the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen and south across the Rhine by Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Campione redirects here For the football song see Campione 2000 Campione d'Italia is an Italian Comune (municipality Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

In a referendum held in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg on 11 May 1919 over 80% of those voting supported a proposal that the state should join the Swiss Confederation. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Vorarlberg is the westernmost state ( Land) of Austria. Though it is the second smallest in terms of area ( Vienna is the smallest it borders Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common However, this was prevented by the opposition of the Austrian Government, the Allies, Swiss liberals, the Swiss-Italians (persons of Swiss nationality who live in Italian Switzerland – see map) and the Romands (Swiss nationals living in the French-speaking regions of Switzerland – see map). In Austrian history the First Republic encompasses the period following the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy at the end of World War I, up The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Switzerland. The Linguistic geography of Switzerland is on the main tripartite with the Swiss German region ( Deutschschweiz) in the northeast The Linguistic geography of Switzerland is on the main tripartite with the Swiss German region ( Deutschschweiz) in the northeast ^[16]

International institutions in Switzerland

An unusual number of international institutions have their seats in Switzerland, in part due to its policy of neutrality. The Red Cross was founded there in 1863 and still has its institutional centre in the country. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated Switzerland is not a member of the European Union; the Swiss people rejected membership in a referendum in the early 1990s. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Switzerland is one of the most recent countries to have joined the United Nations, in 2002, even though Geneva is the second biggest centre for the United Nations after New York, and Switzerland was a founding member of the League of Nations. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The City of New York The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920

Geography

Main article: Geography of Switzerland

See also: Swiss Alps, Swisstopo, List of lakes of Switzerland, List of rivers of Switzerland, and List of mountain passes in Switzerland. Switzerland is a small generally mountainous and landlocked country located in the center of Europe. The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within Swisstopo is the common name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (in German: Bundesamt für Landestopografie. Largest lakes in Switzerland There are 16 Lakes in Switzerland with a surface area larger than 10 km² Lake Geneva (Lac Léman Lac de The following is a list of rivers in Switzerland: The longest Swiss Rivers (> 100 km, only the length in Switzerland Rhine This is a list of Mountain passes in Switzerland. They are generally situated in the Jura Mountains or in the Swiss Alps.

With an area of 41,285 square kilometres (15,940 sq mi), Switzerland is a relatively small country. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The population is about 7. 5 million, resulting in an average population density of 182 people per square kilometer (472/sq mi). Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume ^[17] However, the more mountainous southern half of the country is far more sparsely populated than this average, while the northern half has a somewhat greater density, as it comprises more hospitable hilly terrain, partly forested and partly cleared, as well as several large lakes.

Switzerland comprises three basic topographical areas: the Swiss Alps, the Swiss plateau or "middleland", and the Jura mountains along the northwestern border with France. The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within The Swiss Plateau ( plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in The Jura Mountains are a small Mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of The Alps are a high mountain range running across the central-south of the country, comprising about 60 % of the country's total area. Among the high peaks of the Swiss Alps, the highest of which is the Dufourspitze at 4,634 metres (15,203 ft), countless valleys are found, many with waterfalls and glaciers. The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within Dufourspitze (4634m (in German, lit Point of Dufour Pointe Dufour (in French) Punta Dufour (in Italian) or Piz da A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. From these the headwaters of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, Rhône, Inn, Aare, and Ticino flow finally into the largest Swiss lakes such as Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), Lake Zürich, Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. The Inn is a River in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right Tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km The Aar ( German Aare) a tributary of the Rhine, is the longest River that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. The River Ticino (Tessin Latin: Ticinus) is a Tributary of the Po. Lake Geneva or Lake Léman (Lac Léman Léman Lac de Genève is the second largest freshwater Lake in Central Europe in terms of surface area (after Lake Zurich ( Swiss German / Alemannic: Zürisee; German: Zürichsee) is a Lake in Switzerland, extending Lake Neuchâtel ( French: Lac de Neuchâtel; German: Neuenburgersee) is a Lake in Western Switzerland (French-speaking Under the designation Lake Constance or Lake of Constance ( German Bodensee) one summarizes the three independent bodies of water Obersee

The most famous mountain is the Matterhorn (4,478 m) in Valais and Pennine Alps bordering Italy. "Cervino" redirects here For the Italian town see Cervino (CE. The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its The Pennine Alps (also Valais Alps) are a Mountain range in the western part of the Alps. The highest mountain, the Dufourspitze (4,634 m) of Monte Rosa, is close to the Matterhorn. Dufourspitze (4634m (in German, lit Point of Dufour Pointe Dufour (in French) Punta Dufour (in Italian) or Piz da Monte Rosa is a mountain Massif located in the Italian regions Piedmont and Aosta Valley and in the canton of Valais ( Wallis) The section of the Bernese Alps above the deep glacial Lauterbrunnen Valley containing 72 waterfalls is also well known for the Jungfrau (4,158 m), Mönch, Eiger group of peaks, and the many picturesque valleys in the region. The Bernese Alps are a group of Mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Lauterbrunnen is a municipality in the district of Interlaken in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. In the southeast the long Engadin Valley, encompassing the St Moritz area in canton Graubünden, is also well known; the highest peak in the neighbouring Bernina Alps is Piz Bernina (4,049 m). Etymology In Romansch which is the indigenous language of the region the "Engadin" literally translates as the garden of the Inn River (Romansch En Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost The Bernina Range is a Mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. Piz Bernina (4049 m is the highest Mountain of the Eastern Alps. ^[18]

The more populous northern part of the country, comprising about 30 % of the country's total area, is called the Middle Land. It has greater open and hilly landscapes, partly forested, partly open pastures, usually with grazing herds, or vegetables and fruit fields, but it is still hilly. There are large lakes found here and the biggest Swiss cities are in this area of the country. ^[18] This region, particularly the west, is also referred to as the "Seeland" (the land of lakes) and the largest lake is Lake Geneva (also called Lac Léman), in the West of Switzerland. Lake Geneva or Lake Léman (Lac Léman Léman Lac de Genève is the second largest freshwater Lake in Central Europe in terms of surface area (after The Rhone River is the main tributary to Lac Léman. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France.

The Swiss climate is generally temperate, but can vary greatly between the localities, from glacial conditions on the mountaintops to the often pleasant Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide Summers tend to be warm and humid at times with periodic rainfall so they are ideal for pastures and grazing. The winters in the mountains alternate with sun and snow, while the lower lands tend to be more cloudy and foggy in winter. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. A weather phenomenon known as the Föhn can occur at all times of the year, even in winter, and is characterized by a wind with warm Mediterranean air crossing the Alps from Italy. The driest conditions persist in the southern valleys of the Wallis/Valais above which valuable saffron is harvested and many wine grapes are grown, Graubünden also tends to be drier in climate and slightly colder, yet with plentiful snow in winter. Saffron ( Kurdish/Persian زَعْفَرَان is a Spice derived from the dried Stigma of the Flower of the saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus The wettest conditions persist in the high Alps and in the Ticino canton which has much sun yet heavy bursts of rain from time to time. The east tends to be colder than the west of Switzerland, yet anywhere up high in the mountains can experience a cold spell at any time of the year. Precipitation tends to be spread moderately throughout the year, with minor variations across the seasons depending on locale. Autumn frequently tends to be the driest season, yet the weather patterns in Switzerland can be highly variable from year to year, and difficult to predict.

Switzerland's eco-systems can be particularly vulnerable, due to the many delicate valleys separated by high mountains, often forming unique ecologies. The mountainous regions themselves are also vulnerable, with a rich range of plants not found at other altitudes, and experience some pressure from visitors and grazing. The tree line in the mountains of Switzerland has advanced down 1000 ft over the years, largely due to the increasing absence of herding and grazing pressures.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Switzerland

See also: List of Swiss companies, Swiss bank, and Merchant Marine of Switzerland

Switzerland has a stable, modern, and some of the most capitalist economies in the world, having the 2nd highest European rating (after Ireland) in the Index of Economic Freedom 2008 edition. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Index of Economic Freedom is a series of 10 economic measurements created by the Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation to measure the degree of Economic freedom Public sector has always been minimal and overall taxation amounted to just 29. 2% of GDP in 2007, about the same as United States, Ireland, or Estonia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The nominal per capita GDP that is higher than those of the larger western European economies, Japan ranking 6th behind Luxembourg, Norway, Qatar, Iceland and Ireland. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. If adjusted for purchasing power parity it ranks 15th. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. ^[19] The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report currently ranks Switzerland's economy as the second most competitive in the world. ^[20] For much of the 20th century, Switzerland was the wealthiest country in Europe by a considerable margin. ^[21] In 2005 the median household income in Switzerland was an estimated 95,000 CHF, the equivalent of roughly 55,000 USD in purchasing power parity, which is similar to wealthy American states like California and Vermont^[22]. The median household income is commonly used to provide data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of Households earning less The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power.

Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations. Notable among these are Nestlé, UBS AG, Zurich Financial Services, Credit Suisse, Novartis, Roche, ABB, Swiss Re, and The Swatch Group. Nestlé is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland UBS AG ( SWX: UBSN) is a diversified global financial services company with its main headquarters in Basel & Zürich, Switzerland Zurich Financial Services Group is a major Financial services group based in Zürich, Switzerland. The Credit Suisse Group () is a Financial services company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Novartis International AG is a multinational Pharmaceutical company based in Basel Switzerland that manufactures drugs such as Clozapine } ABB, formerly Asea Brown Boveri, is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, operating mainly in the power For the Swiss Re Tower London see 30 St Mary Axe Swiss Re ( is the world’s largest reinsurer, now that it has acquired GE Insurance The Swatch Group Ltd ( and) is a Swiss company and the biggest watch Manufacturer in the world (about 25% of the sales Switzerland is ranked as one of the most powerful economies in the world. ^[21]

Chemicals, health and pharmaceuticals, instruments, real estate, banking and insurance, and tourism are important industries in Switzerland. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel The manufacturing of precision instruments for engineering is important, as is watch-making, and the biological sciences industries all enjoy a high place in the Swiss economy. The many international organizations in Switzerland contribute to the Swiss economy and labour market. The largest exported goods are chemicals (34% of exported goods or 62 billion USD in 2006), machines/electronics (20. 9%), and precision instruments/watches (16. 9%). ^[24] Pharmaceuticals are the largest high-technology export category at around 30 billion USD in 2006, followed by instruments at around 20 billion USD. ^[24] Exported services amount to a third of exported goods. ^[24]

Switzerland has relatively free labor market compared to neighboring countries. Switzerland's unemployment rate increased from a low of 1. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. 7% in June 2000 to a peak of 3. 9% in September 2004. Partly due to the economic upturn which started in mid-2003, the unemployment rate is currently 2. 8% as of February 2008. Average household size is a typical 2. 2 persons. ^[24] Net immigration is quite high at 0. 52% of population in 2004, compared to 0. 76% in Austria, 0. 34% in UK and 0. 1% in Germany. ^[24] 21. 8% of residents were foreigners in 2004^[24], higher than any major Western country. According to Credit Suisse, only about 37 percent of residents own their own homes. The Credit Suisse Group () is a Financial services company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Ownership rates are among the lowest in Europe. Housing and food price levels were 171% and 145% of the EU-25 index in 2007, compared to 113% and 104% in Germany. ^[24] Food prices are particularly affected by agricultural protectionism, which keeps more competitive imports outside and swallows comparatively a lot resources.

Switzerland is relatively easy place to do business, ranking 16th in the Ease of Doing Business Index. The Ease of Doing Business Index is an index created by the World Bank. Among others, Switzerland has relatively low taxation and relatively free job market. However, OECD argues that the product market reform is still lagging behind most OECD countries. ^[25] The slow growth Switzerland experienced in the 1990s and the early 2000s has brought greater support for liberalization and harmonization with the European Union. In 2004, the government launched a “growth package”, including a series of measures aimed at boosting productivity, and legislative changes are slowly taking place. ^[25][26]

Science, technology, and education

Main articles: Education in Switzerland and Science and technology in Switzerland

Education in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons. The Education system in Switzerland is very diverse because the Constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons Science and technology in Switzerland play an important role in economy as very few natural ressources are available in the country The Education system in Switzerland is very diverse because the Constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 (Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse Constituzione federale della Confederazione The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the states of the Federal state of Switzerland. There are both public and private schools, including many private international schools.

The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons. Typically children choose their school depending on whether they want to speak French, German or Italian. Primary school continues until grade four or five, depending on the school. At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated according to their capacities in several (often three) sections. The fastest learners are taught advanced classes to be prepared for further studies and the matura, while students who assimilate a little bit more slowly receive an education more adapted to their needs. Matura (Matur Maturita Maturità Maturität матура is the word commonly used in Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria

The first university in Switzerland was founded in 1460 in Basel, with a faculty of medicine. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. This place has a long tradition of chemical and medical research in Switzerland. Other large universities are the ETHZ in Zürich and the EPFL in Lausanne. Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Lausanne ( pronounced, Losanna is a city in Romandy, the French -speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva There are 14 Universities in Switzerland, 10 of which are maintained at cantonal level and usually offer a range of non-technical subjects. This article lists Universities in Switzerland. Official higher education institution According with the Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities Switzerland has the second highest rate of foreign students in tertiary education, after Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. ^[27]

Many Nobel prizes were awarded to Swiss scientists, for example to the world-famous physicist Albert Einstein or more recently to Heinrich Rohrer also in the field of physics. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical Heinrich Rohrer (born June 6, 1933) is a Swiss Physicist and Nobel laureate. Geneva host the world's largest particle physics laboratory, the CERN. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Particle physics is a branch of Physics that studies the elementary constituents of Matter and Radiation, and the interactions between them The European Organization for Nuclear Research (Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire known as CERN An other important research center is the Paul Scherrer Institute which belongs to the ETHZ. The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI is a multi-disciplinary research institute which belongs to the Swiss ETH-Komplex covering also the ETH Zurich and EPFL

Switzerland and the European Union

Main article: Switzerland and the European Union

See also: Enlargement of the European Union - Switzerland

In recent years, the Swiss have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with those of the European Union in many ways, in an effort to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland took part in negotiating the European Economic Area agreement with the European Union. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. The economy has been growing most recently at around 3% per year. Full EU membership is a long-term objective of some in the Swiss government, but there is considerable popular sentiment against this supported by the conservative SVP party. The western French-speaking areas and the urban regions of the rest of the country tend to be more pro-EU.

The government has established an Integration Office under the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Economic Affairs. To minimise the negative consequences of Switzerland's isolation from the rest of Europe, Bern and Brussels signed seven bilateral agreements to further liberalise trade ties. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is These agreements were signed in 1999 and took effect in 2001. This first series of bilateral agreements included the free movement of persons. A second series covering nine areas was signed in 2004 and has since been ratified. The second series includes the Schengen treaty and the Dublin Convention. The term Schengen Agreement is used for two agreements concluded among European states in 1985 and 1990 which deal with the abolition of systematic Border controls The Dublin Convention (sometimes the Dublin accords or Dublin system) is a European Union (EU law to streamline the application process for Refugees They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland most recently (2006) approved a billion francs supportive investment in the poorer eastern European countries in support of cooperation and positive ties to the EU as a whole. A further referendum will be needed to approve 300 million francs to support Romania and Bulgaria and their recent admission. The Swiss have also been under EU and sometimes international pressure to reduce banking secrecy and to raise tax rates to parity with the European Union. Preparatory discussions are being opened in four new areas: opening up the electricity market, participation in the European GNSS project Galileo, cooperating with the European centre for disease prevention and recognising certificates of origin for food products. Galileo is a Global navigation satellite system currently being built by the European Union (EU and European Space Agency (ESA Switzerland voted against membership in the European Economic Area in December 1992 and has since maintained and developed its relationships with the European Union and European countries through bilateral agreements. The European Economic Area ( EEA) came into being on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between member states of European Free Trade Association (EFTAthe In March 2001, the Swiss people refused in a popular vote to start accession negotiations with the EU. ^[28]

Infrastructure and environment

See also: Transport in Switzerland, Nuclear power in Switzerland, and Waste management in Switzerland

Electricity generated in Switzerland is 53% from hydroelectricity and 42% from nuclear power, with 5% of the electricity generated from conventional power sources (thermal etc. Being in the center of Europe, Switzerland has a dense network of roads and railways Switzerland has four nuclear power plants, with five reactors in operation as of 2008 Switzerland is highly active on the recycling and anti-littering front and is one of the top Recyclers in the world with a mean of 76% of all currently recyclable items being Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions ) resulting in a nearly CO₂-free electricity-generating network.

On 18 May 2003, two anti-nuclear initiatives were turned down: Moratorium Plus, aimed at forbidding the building of new nuclear power plants (41. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions 6% supported and 58. 4% opposed),^[29] and Electricity Without Nuclear (33. 7% supported and 66. 3% opposed). ^[30] The former ten-year moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants was the result of a citizens' initiative voted on in 1990 which had passed with 54. In Political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a Petition signed by a certain 5% Yes vs. 45. 5% No votes. A new nuclear plant in the Canton of Bern is presently planned. The Swiss Canton of Berne is Bilingual (Kanton Bern Canton de Berne and has a population of about 958000 The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is the office responsible for all questions relating to energy supply and energy use within the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). The Federal Department of Environment Transport Energy and Communications ( Italian: Dipartimento federale dell'ambiente dei trasporti dell'energia e delle comunicazioni The agency is supporting the 2000-watt society initiative to cut the nation's energy use by more than half by the year 2050. The 2000-watt society (2000-Watt Society is a vision originated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich at the end of 1998 in which each person in the 2050 ( MML) will be a Common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[31] See also SwissEnergy.

Swiss private-public managed road network is funded by road tolls and vehicle taxes. Road toll is the term used in some countries for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents. The Swiss autobahn/autoroute system requires the purchase of a vignette (toll sticker) - which costs 40 Swiss francs - for one calendar year in order to use its roadways, for both passenger cars and trucks. Vignette is a word used in several non-English speaking European countries for toll stickers The franc ( German: Franken, French and Romansh: franc, Italian: franco; code: CHF The Swiss autobahn/autoroute network has a total length of 1,638 km (as of 2000) and has, by an area of 41,290 km², also the one of the highest motorway densities in the world. Motorway is a term for both a type of Road and a classification or designation Zürich Airport, managed by Unique Airport, is Switzerland's largest international flight gateway, which handled 20. Zürich Airport also called Kloten Airport, is located in Kloten, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland and managed by Unique Airport 7 million passengers in 2007. The second largest Geneva Cointrin International Airport handled 10. Geneva Cointrin International Airport is an Airport in Geneva, Switzerland. 8 million passengers and the third largest EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg 4. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport near Basel ( Switzerland) Mulhouse ( France) and Freiburg ( 3 million passengers, both airports being shared with France.

Switzerland is heavily active in recycling and anti-littering regulations and is one of the top recyclers in the world with 66% to 96% of the different recyclable materials being recycled. ^[32] In many places in Switzerland, household rubbish disposal is charged for. Garbage (except dangerous items, batteries etc. ) will only be collected if it is in bags which either have a payment sticker attached, or in official bags with the surcharge paid when the bags are purchased. ^[33] This gives a financial incentive to recycle as much as possible, since recycling is free. ^[34] Swiss health officials and police often open up garbage for which the disposal charge has not been paid. They search for evidence such as old bills which connect the bag to the household/person they originated from. Fines for not paying the disposal fee range from CHF 200–500. The franc ( German: Franken, French and Romansh: franc, Italian: franco; code: CHF ^[35]

Demographics

Main articles: Swiss (people), Demographics of Switzerland, and Linguistic geography of Switzerland

Further information: List of Swiss people

Switzerland lies at the crossroads of several major European cultures that have heavily influenced the country's languages and culture. Switzerland has four official languages: German (63. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. 7% total population share, with foreign residents; 72. 5% of residents with Swiss citizenship, in 2000) in the north, east and centre of the country; French (20. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people 4%; 21. 0%) to the west; Italian (6. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. 5%; 4. 3%) in the south. ^[36] Romansh, a Romance language spoken locally by a small minority (0. Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(ch or Romanche) is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all 5%; 0. 6%) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden, is designated by the Federal Constitution as a national language along with German, French and Italian (Article 4 of the Constitution), and as official language if the authorities communicate with persons of Romansh language (Article 70), but federal laws and other official acts do not need to be decreed in this language. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost The federal government is obliged to communicate in the official languages, and in the federal parliament simultaneous translation is provided from and into German, French and Italian. The German spoken in Switzerland is predominantly a group of Alemannic dialects collectively known as Swiss German, but written communication typically use Swiss Standard German, whilst a the majority of radio and TV broadcast is (nowadays) in Swiss German as well. Alemannic German ( Alemannisch) is a group of Dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. Swiss German ( Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch) is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken Swiss Standard German is one out of four official languages in Switzerland, besides Romansh, French and Italian. Swiss German ( Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch) is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken Similarly, there are some dialects of Franco-Provençal in rural communities in the French speaking part, known as "Suisse romande", called Vaudois, Gruérien, Jurassien, Empro, Fribourgeois, Neuchâtelois, and in the Italian speaking area, Ticinese (a dialect of Lombard). Franco-Provençal ( Francoprovençal) or Arpitan ( Vernacular: frp francoprovençâl arpitan patouès; francoprovenzale arpitano dialetto Ticinese ( ticines, ticinées) is a comprehensive denomination for the varieties of Western Lombard language spoken in Canton Lombard is a language spoken mainly in Northern Italy (most of Lombardy and some areas of neighbouring regions notably the eastern side of Piedmont Also the official languages (German, French and Italian) borrow some terms not understood outside of Switzerland, i. e. terms from other languages (German Billette^[37] from French), from similar term in another language (Italian azione used not as act but as discount from German Aktion). Learning one of the other national languages at school is obligatory for all Swiss, so most Swiss are supposed to be at least bilingual.

Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 21% of the population. ^[38] Most of these are from European Union and EFTA countries. The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) is a European Trade bloc which was established on 3 May 1960 as an alternative for European states who were either ^[39] Italians are the largest single group of foreigners with 18,9% of total foreign population, while people from the various nations of former Yugoslavia make up 21%, there are also many ethnic Albanians. The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language Immigrants from Sri Lanka, most of them former Tamil refugees, are the largest group among people of Asian origin. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island ^[40]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Switzerland

Switzerland has no official state religion, though most of the cantons (except Geneva and Neuchâtel) recognise official churches, in all cases including the Catholic Church and the Swiss Reformed Church. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the states of the Federal state of Switzerland. The Canton of Geneva is the westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France and centered around the city of Geneva Neuchâtel (Canton de Neuchâtel Kanton Neuenburg is a canton of western Switzerland. The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zurich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel ( Johannes Oecolampadius) Berne These churches, and in some cantons also the Old Catholic Church and Jewish congregations, are financed by official taxation of adherents. The Old Catholic Church is a Christian denomination originating with churches (many of them German -speaking that split from the Roman Catholic Church in ^[41]

Christianity is the predominant religion of Switzerland, divided between various Protestant denominations (42. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. 5% of the population) and the Catholic Church (41%). Immigration has brought Islam (4. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 3%, predominantly Albanians mostly from Kosovo) and Eastern Orthodoxy (1. } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world 8%) as sizeable minority religions. ^[42] The 2005 Eurobarometer poll^[43] found 48% to be theist, 39% expressing belief in "a spirit or life force", 9% atheist and 4% agnostic. Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. Atheism Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the

The country is historically about evenly balanced between Catholic and Protestant, with a complex patchwork of majorities over most of the country. One canton, Appenzell, was officially divided into Catholic and Protestant sections in 1597. ^[44] The larger cities (Bern, Zürich and Basel) are predominantly Protestant. Central Switzerland, as well as the Ticino, is traditionally Catholic. The Swiss constitution of 1848, under the recent impression of the clashes of Catholic vs. The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 (Bundesverfassung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft Constitution fédérale de la Confédération suisse Constituzione federale della Confederazione Protestant cantons that culminated in the Sonderbundskrieg, consciously defines a consociational state, allowing the peaceful co-existence of Catholics and Protestants. The Sonderbund Swiss civil war of November 1847 ensued after the Sonderbund (meaning "separate alliance" in German) was created in 1845 Political scientists define a consociational state as a State which has major internal divisions along ethnic religious or linguistic lines with none of the divisions A 1980 initiative calling for the complete separation of church and state was clearly rejected, with only 21. Separation of church and state is a Political and Legal Doctrine that Government and religious institutions are to be kept separate 1% voting in support.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Switzerland

See also: Music of Switzerland, Swiss folklore, Alpine culture, Swiss cuisine, Swiss literature, and Swiss media

The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours and its international sentiment, but over the years a distinctive culture with some regional differences and an independent streak has developed. Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogeneous Swiss culture Switzerland has long had a distinct cultural identity despite its diversity of German, French and other ethnicities Swiss folklore is used to describe a collection of local stories celebrations and customs of the alpine and sub-alpine peoples that occupy Switzerland. The Valleys of the Alps have been inhabited since prehistoric times The Swiss cuisine is unique in its many regional influences from its neighbors' cuisine including Italian, French, and German cuisine. There is no such thing as a Swiss national Vernacular literature, properly speaking Media in Switzerland. Print See also List of newspapers in Switzerland Major Swiss newspapers with circulation as of 2005/6 In particular, French-speaking regions have tended to orient themselves slightly more on French culture and tend to be more pro EU. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in In general, the Swiss are known for their long standing humanitarian tradition as Switzerland is the birth place of the Red Cross Movement and hosts the United Nations Human Rights Council. Humanitarianism is an active belief in Humanism (the idea of the value of human life whereby Humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated The United Nations Human Rights Council is an international body within the United Nations System. Swiss German speaking areas may perhaps be seen more oriented on German culture, although German-speaking Swiss people identify strictly as Swiss because of the difference between High German, and the Swiss German dialects. Swiss German ( Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch) is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken Italian-speaking areas can have more of an Italian culture. A region may be in some ways strongly culturally connected to the neighbouring country that shares its language. The linguistically isolated Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is also robust and strives to maintain its rare linguistic tradition. Romansh or Romansch may refer to Romansh language Romansh people Switzerland's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest of 1989 was in Romansh. The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Romansh or Romansch may refer to Romansh language Romansh people

Many mountain areas have a strong highly energetic ski town culture in winter, and a hiking/wandering culture in summer. Some areas throughout the year have a recreational culture that caters to tourism, yet the quieter seasons are spring and autumn when there are fewer visitors and a higher ratio of Swiss. A traditional farmer and herder culture also predominates in many areas, and this connection to the land and agriculture is a strong glue holding all the Swiss together. Even though most no longer actually farm themselves, the small farms are omnipresent outside the cities, and as well many Swiss at least have a small garden plot or many window boxes with geraniums and other flowers. Gardeners often use the name "geranium" to mean Pelargonium: see below.

Sport

Like many European nations the Swiss are big fans of football and the national team or 'Nati' is widely supported. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Swiss national football team (also known as the Schweizer Nati in German La Nati in French is the national football team of Switzerland Switzerland's most well known football clubs include Grasshoppers Zurich, Neuchatel Xamax and Basle. Grasshopper-Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss Multisports club based in Zürich Neuchâtel Xamax Football Club is a Swiss football club based in Neuchâtel. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly.

Swiss wrestling or "Schwingen" is an old tradition from the rural central cantons and considered the national sport. Swiss wrestling ( German de Schwingen, colloquially gsw Hoselupf) is the Swiss variant of Folk wrestling.

Hornussen is another indigenous Swiss sport, which is like a cross between baseball and golf. Hornussen is an indigenous Swiss sport and is like a cross between Baseball and Golf. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each

Steinstossen is the Swiss variant of stone put, a competition in throwing a heavy stone. Steinstossen is the Swiss variant of Stone put, a competition in throwing a heavy stone Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The stone put is one of the main Scottish heavy athletic events at modern-day Highland games gatherings Practiced among the alpine population since prehistoric times, it is recorded to have taken place in Basel in the 13th century. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. It is also central to the Unspunnenfest, first held in 1805, with its symbol the 83. Unspunnenfest is a festival held in the town of Interlaken, Switzerland, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle, in the Bernese Alps, approximately 5 kg Unspunnenstein. The Unspunnen Stone (Unspunnenstein has been a symbol of the Unspunnenfest since 1805.

Floorball is a new sport in Switzerland that grows every year in popularity. Floorball is an indoor Team sport that was developed in Sweden in the late 1970's A main factor is the professional league called Nationalliga A that draws many famous players from other countries.

Over the last few years several Swiss tennis players, like Roger Federer and Martina Hingis, have been multiple Grand Slam singles champions. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No Martina Hingis (born September 30, 1980 in Košice, Czechoslovakia) is a retired professional Tennis player who spent a total of 209 One of the world's best current ice skaters is Swiss Stéphane Lambiel. Stéphane Lambiel (born April 2, 1985 in Martigny Switzerland) is a Swiss figure skater known for his creative and beautiful Many Swiss also follow hockey and support one of the 12 clubs in the league A. Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck Two clubs are from the French speaking part, and two other from the Italian part. The canton Graubünden has HC Davos as its own club which won the 2006–2007 Swiss championship. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost History HC Davos was founded in 1921 and was quite successful dominating the Eastern Swiss championship for over three decades from 1926 to 1960 The German speaking part of Switzerland has 7 clubs. The most known Swiss club is SCBerne. Switzerland is also the home of the successful sailing team Alinghi. Alinghi is a Coined name of the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli to challenge for the America's Cup. Other sports where the Swiss have been successful include fencing (Marcel Fischer), whitewater slalom (Ronnie Dürrenmatt – canoe, Mathias Röthenmund – kayak), ice hockey (Swiss National League), beach volleyball (Sascha Heyer, Markus Egger, Paul and Martin Laciga), and skiing (Bernhard Russi, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Didier Cuche). Marcel Fischer (born August 14, 1978 in Biel) is a Swiss fencer who competed in the Men's Épée Individual at the Sascha Heyer (born July 21, 1972 in Zürich) is a Beach volleyball player from Switzerland, who won the silver medal in the men's Paul Laciga (born November 24, 1970 in Bern) is a Beach volleyball player from Switzerland, who won the silver medal in the men's Martin Laciga (born January 25, 1975 in Aarberg) is a Beach volleyball player from Switzerland, who won the silver medal in the Pirmin Zurbriggen (born February 4, 1963 in Saas-Almagell, Kanton Wallis) is a Swiss former alpine skier, one of the Didier Cuche (born 16 August 1974 in Le Pâquier Neuchâtel) is a Swiss Alpine skier. Motorsport racecourses were banned in Switzerland following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, however the country has produced successful racers such as Clay Regazzoni and Jo Siffert, and leading drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso and now Lewis Hamilton all live there^[45]. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans when a racing car involved in an accident flew into the crowd killing the driver ( Pierre Levegh Personal and early life Gianclaudio Regazzoni was born in Mendrisio, Switzerland on September 5 1939 a few days after the start of the Second World War Joseph Siffert ( July 7, 1936 – October 24, 1971) was a Swiss Racing driver. Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation;) (born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikkønen born October 17, 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish Formula One race car driver currently Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born Stevenage, 7 January 1985 Switzerland is also the joint venue following Austria in the Euro 2008 football tournament. The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football

Notes

References

• Clive H. Church (2004) The Politics and Government of Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-69277-2.
• Dieter Fahrni (2003) An Outline History of Switzerland. From the Origins to the Present Day. 8th enlarged edition. Pro Helvetia, Zürich. ISBN 3-908102-61-8
• Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (2002-). The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland is an Encyclopedia on the History of Switzerland that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research Published electronically and in print simultaneously in three national languages of Switzerland.

See also

• Swiss Alps
• 2004 in Switzerland, 2005 in Switzerland
• Switzerland and the European Union
• Enlargement of the European Union - Switzerland
• Foreign relations of Switzerland
• List of cities in Switzerland
• List of Swiss people
• Swiss citizenship
• Swiss National Day
• Communications in Switzerland
• Data codes for Switzerland
• Education in Switzerland
• Gun politics in Switzerland
• Military of Switzerland
• Public holidays in Switzerland
• Transport in Switzerland
• List of Swiss companies
• List of Switzerland-related topics
• Swiss folklore
• Visitor attractions in Switzerland

External links

Official

• The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation
• Presence Switzerland
  • Your Gateway to Switzerland
• Swiss Statistics, official website of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within See also 2003 in Switzerland, other events of 2004, 2005 in Switzerland. See also 2004 in Switzerland, other events of 2005, 2006 in Switzerland Public holidays in Switzerland Events Switzerland took part in negotiating the European Economic Area agreement with the European Union. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. The foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA These are lists of cities in Switzerland. Municipalities with more than 10000 inhabitants are considered to be "cities" (in German Städte This is a list of notable Swiss people See also Swiss (people Architecture Francesco Borromini (1599-1667 architect in Italy Swiss citizenship is the status of being a citizen of Switzerland and it can be obtained by birth marriage or Naturalisation. The Swiss National Day ( German: Schweizer Bundesfeier French: Fête nationale Suisse Italian: Festa nazionale Svizzera Romansh Telephones - main lines in use 482 million (1998 Telephones - mobile cellular 810170 (1999 Telephone system excellent domestic and international These are data codes for Switzerland. Country These are codes for the country itself The Education system in Switzerland is very diverse because the Constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons The gun policy in Switzerland is unique in Europe The personal weapon of militia personnel is kept at home as part of the military obligations The military of Switzerland, officially known as the Swiss Armed Forces, is a unique institution somewhere between a Militia and a regular army. In Switzerland, holidays — with the exception of August 1 — are defined on a cantonal basis Being in the center of Europe, Switzerland has a dense network of roads and railways This is a list of Swiss companies, currently active and former ones A Adriatica PR&A Watch Co Sagl ABB Asea This is a list of articles related to Switzerland. For articles about Cities please check List of cities in Switzerland Swiss folklore is used to describe a collection of local stories celebrations and customs of the alpine and sub-alpine peoples that occupy Switzerland.

Reference

• CIA World Factbook - Switzerland

Geography

• Federal Office of Topography
• searchable interactive map (search.ch)

History

• Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (German) (French) (Italian)
• history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch

Media

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung (German), a Swiss daily newspaper
• Le Temps (French), a Swiss daily newspaper
• Corriere Del Ticino (Italian), a Swiss daily newspaper
• swissinfo - News + Infos in 9 languages

Education

• The Swiss School System
• Universities in Switzerland

Science, Research and Technology

• The Swiss Portal for Research and Innovation
• State Scretariat for Education and Research, SER
• The Swiss National Science Foundation
• CTI, Commission for Technology and Innovation

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic