Switzerland’s official name is the Swiss Confederation. It is a small, landlocked country in Central Europe. It has a total area of 15,941 square miles, and in comparative land area is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, or about twice the size of New Jersey.
Although the present confederation dates only to 1848, the first Swiss confederation was founded in August 1291 as a defensive alliance of three cantons. In its present form, the Swiss confederation is a federal state having 26 cantons, or states. Of these, 20 are “full cantons” and six are “half cantons” for the purpose of representation in the federal legislature. These cantons have fiscal autonomy, and can manage their own internal affairs. There are three branches of the federal government, the Federal Assembly, the Federal Council, and the Federal Tribunal. The capital is Bern. Switzerland is a neutral country, though it has a strong military capability for its own defense.
The terrain is 40% mountains, with the remainder being hills and plateaus. Switzerland straddles the Alps and the Jura Mountains, and 75% of the population lives in the central plain, or plateau, between these two great mountain ranges. Several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhone, the Inn, the Aare, and the Ticino flow into some of the largest Swiss lakes, such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich, Lake Neuchatel and Lake Constance. The Matterhorn, location in the Swiss Alps bordering Italy, is perhaps the most well-known mountain in the Alps. The climate varies, but is mostly temperate.
The population of Switzerland is 7.7 million, estimated as of the end of 2008. There are four official languages, German, French, Italian, and Romansch (based on Latin and spoken in the Canton Graubunden). Religions are Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. Most children attend public schools, and nearly all Swiss are literate.
Switzerland is a member of the European Union. Its currency is the Swiss franc. Although it has few natural resources, Switzerland has a very high standard of living. Only about 26% of the land is arable, but dairy, livestock, grains, fruits and vegetables and wine are major products for domestic use and import. Major industries are machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, time pieces, precision instruments, textiles and clothing, pigment, and transportation equipment. Switzerland is also known for finance and banking and for tourism.
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