| SWITZERLAND Updated 31 October 2012 |
Swiss Confederation is located in the center of the European Continent, with a population of 7,925,517, making it the
95th largest national population. Its capital is Bern and its largest city is Zurich with a total population of 376,008. The
country encompasses 41,290 square kilometers making it the 134th largest country in total area. It shares boundaries
with Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy and France.
President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is recognized as the Chief of State and Head of Government and achieves that
status through a vote of the Federal Assembly and along with Vice-President Ueli Maurer hold that position for one
year and is ineligible for consecutive terms. Its form of government is a Confederation and they celebrate the revision
of their 1874 constitution, which went into effect on 1 July 2000.
The languages commonly or officially spoken are German, French, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Albanian, Portuguese,
Spanish, English, Romansch and other languages. It counts among its major religions Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Orthodox, other Christian, Muslim, other and unspecified faiths and no religion. As sources of mass communication it
has 4 AM, 113 FM, 2 Short Wave and 115 Television stations.
Major geographical features are Dufourspitze, its highest point at 4,634 meters and Lake Maggiore, its lowest point at
195 meters. Its principal waterways are the Rhine River, Lake Neuchatel and Lake Zurich, which measure about 365
kilometers.
Major industries providing for the bulk of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are machinery, chemicals, watches,
textiles and precision instruments. Its official currency is the Swiss Franc.
Here’s something you may not know about Switzerland. The village of Busingen is part of Germany but totally
surrounded by Swiss territory and the only way to get there from Germany is to cross into Switzerland- likewise,
Campione, in Italy is surrounded by Switzerland.
95th largest national population. Its capital is Bern and its largest city is Zurich with a total population of 376,008. The
country encompasses 41,290 square kilometers making it the 134th largest country in total area. It shares boundaries
with Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy and France.
President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf is recognized as the Chief of State and Head of Government and achieves that
status through a vote of the Federal Assembly and along with Vice-President Ueli Maurer hold that position for one
year and is ineligible for consecutive terms. Its form of government is a Confederation and they celebrate the revision
of their 1874 constitution, which went into effect on 1 July 2000.
The languages commonly or officially spoken are German, French, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Albanian, Portuguese,
Spanish, English, Romansch and other languages. It counts among its major religions Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Orthodox, other Christian, Muslim, other and unspecified faiths and no religion. As sources of mass communication it
has 4 AM, 113 FM, 2 Short Wave and 115 Television stations.
Major geographical features are Dufourspitze, its highest point at 4,634 meters and Lake Maggiore, its lowest point at
195 meters. Its principal waterways are the Rhine River, Lake Neuchatel and Lake Zurich, which measure about 365
kilometers.
Major industries providing for the bulk of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are machinery, chemicals, watches,
textiles and precision instruments. Its official currency is the Swiss Franc.
Here’s something you may not know about Switzerland. The village of Busingen is part of Germany but totally
surrounded by Swiss territory and the only way to get there from Germany is to cross into Switzerland- likewise,
Campione, in Italy is surrounded by Switzerland.
| Bern- Switzerland's capital city |
| Family of Swiss people |
| End of the Rhine River as it empties into Lake Constance |
| The Glacier Express on one of the route's 291 bridges |
| Jungfraujoch in Bernese Oberland |
| Kandersteg in Bernese Oberland |
| Lake Neuchatel- one of Switzerland's principle waterways |
| Montreux on Lake Geneva- home to the Montreux Jazz Festival |
| Lake Maggiore- Switzerland's lowest point |
| Abi's Home Page |
| Back to |
| NEWSPAPERS Cash Neue Zurcher Zeitung Tages Anzeiger |
| Murren rotating restaurant |
| Sauerkraut- a traditional Switzerland dish |
| Steinbok |
| Swiss wildflowers |
| Zermatt, also known as The Matterhorn- Switzerland's most famous landmark |
| Zurich- Switzerland's largest city on Lake Zurich and the Limmat River |
Read about human rights in Pax
Gaea World Post Report!
Gaea World Post Report!
| Dufourspitze- Switzerland's highest point on the border with Italy |
| Mossettes- on Switzerland's border with France |
| Rheinfelder- a town on both sides of the Swiss/German border |
| Rhine River border of Switzerland and Austria |
| Sargans on Switzerland's border with Liechtenstein |
| Adult Prevalence Rate: People Living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS Deaths: |
0.4% (2009 est.)
18,000
less than 100
18,000
less than 100
| Chiasso- Switzerland's southernmost point on the border with Italy |
| Lake Geneva- Switzerland's westernmost point on the border with France |
| S-charl which is Switzerland's most isolated and easternmost point on the border with Austria |
| Schaffhausen- Switzerland's northernmost point on the border with Germany |
