SWITZERLANDMore about Switzerland Information about travelling to SwitzerlandSwitzerland is located in Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
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Facts about Switzerland
General info about Switzerland
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Languages spoken German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census)
note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch What about drugs? a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and limited ecstasy production Ethnic division German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate 0.4% (2001 est.) Climate temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers Resources hydropower potential, timber, salt Economy Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP among the highest in the world. Switzerland's economy benefits from a highly developed service sector led by financial services and a manufacturing industry that specializes in high-technology, knowledge-based prodution. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness, but some trade protectionism remains, particularly for its small agricultural sector. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. The global financial crisis and resulting economic downturn could, however, put Switzerland in a recession in 2009, particularly as global export demand stalls. Switzerland's largest banks suffered significant losses in 2008 and the country's largest bank accepted a government rescue deal in late 2008. The Swiss National Bank, beginning in Ocober 2008, cut interest rates on several consecutive occasions, effectively instituting a zero-rate policy in a bid to boost the economy. Environment air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity Cities in Switzerlandaadorf aarau aarburg adliswil aesch affoltern aigle allschwil alpnach altdorf altstatten amriswil appenzell arbon arlesheim arosa arth ascona au baar bad ragaz baden bagnes balsthal basel bassersdorf bellinzona belp bern bernex bex biasca biberist biel binningen birmensdorf birsfelden blonay bolligen bottmingen boudry bremgarten brugg bubikon buchrain buchs bulach bulle buochs burgdorf bussigny carouge cham chavannes chene-bougeries chene-bourg chiasso chur colombier conthey crissier delemont derendingen diepoldsau dietikon dietlikon domat dornach dubendorf dudingen durnten ebikon ebnat-kappel ecublens egg einsiedeln embrach emmen epalinges eschenbach ettingen fallanden flawil flums frauenfeld freienbach frenkendorf fribourg frutigen fully gelterkinden geneva gerlafingen giubiasco gland glarus gossau grabs granichen greifensee grenchen heimberg hergiswil herisau herrliberg herzogenbuchsee hinwil hochdorf hombrechtikon horgen horw hunenberg huttwil igis ingenbohl interlaken jona kerns kilchberg kirchberg kloten koniz konolfingen kreuzlingen kriens kusnacht kussnacht kuttigen la chaux-de-fonds la tour-de-peilz lachen langenthal langnau laufen lausanne lausen le grand-saconnex le locle le mont-sur-lausanne lengnau lenzburg liestal littau locarno losone lugano lutry luzern lyss malters mannedorf martigny massagno maur meggen meilen meiringen mendrisio menziken meyrin minusio mohlin monthey montreux morges moutier munchenbuchsee munchenstein munsingen muri murten muttenz naters nendaz neuchatel neuenhof neuenkirch nidau nyon oberengstringen oberentfelden oberglatt oberriet obersiggenthal oberuzwil oberwil oftringen ollon olten onex opfikon orbe payerne peseux pfaffikon plan-les-ouates porrentruy pratteln pregassona prilly pully rapperswil regensdorf reinach renens rheinfelden richterswil risch romanshorn rothrist rumlang ruschlikon ruswil ruti saanen saint-imier sankt margrethen sankt moritz sargans sarnen saviese schaffhausen schattdorf schlieren schonenwerd schubelbach schwyz seon seuzach sevelen sierre sion sirnach sissach solothurn spiez spreitenbach stafa stans steffisburg steinhausen suhr sulgen sumiswald sursee teufen thalwil therwil thonex thun trimbach uetendorf unterageri unterseen untersiggenthal urdorf urtenen uster uznach uzwil vernier versoix vevey veyrier viganello villars-sur-glane villmergen visp volketswil wadenswil wahlern wald wallisellen wattwil weinfelden wettingen wetzikon wil windisch winterthur wittenbach wohlen wollerau worb yverdon zermatt zofingen zollikofen zollikon zuchwil zug zumikon zurich |
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