On a minimal surface Switzerland manages among high mountains, to squeeze in southern European landscapes, innovative cities and charming villages. Add to that four languages, several religions, 26 local political systems and committed citizens; all linked by a first class transport system.
The language communities eat different things and have different traditions and customs. Even their shared history only goes back about two centuries.
The Swiss themselves are sometimes puzzled about what they have in common apart from their passport, what it is that makes them Swiss.
The Swiss say they are held together by the desire to stay united.
The general attitude is summed up in the formula “unity, but not uniformity.”
The Swiss have always maintained and nurtured their own local customs, and because of this, Switzerland is a country with an enormous wealth of cultural activity and living tradition.

Switzerland at a glance

The Jura, the Plateau and the Alps form the three main geographic regions of the country.

Capital: Bern
Cantons: 26
Area: 41’200 km2
Distance North to Souths: 220 km (137 miles)
Distance East to West: 346 km (216 miles)
Highest point: Dufour Peak, in the Monte Rosa mountain range, 4,634 m (15,203 feet)
Lowest point: Lake Maggiore (Ticino) 193 m (633 feet)
Lakes: 1’484
Glaciers: 140
Population: 8 million

Population in larger cities (2018): 
Zürich: 415’367
Geneva: 201’818
Basel: 177’654
Lausanne: 139’111
Bern: 133’883
Winterthur: 111’851
Lucerne: 81’891
St. Gallen: 75’833
Lugano: 63’185

Politics

1848: The founding of Switzerland
The establishment of the modern state of Switzerland dates back to 1848. Prior to this, Switzerland consisted of a loose alliance of independent cantons.
In 1848 Switzerland formed a modern constitution which made a federal state of the confederation. A central government took over certain areas such as the foreign and financial policy responsibilities of the cantons. The Constitution had to link the various interests of the individual cantons with the overall interests of the federal state.

Form of government and system of government
Switzerland is a parliamentary democracy with a direct democracy.
The Federal Assembly of Switzerland has a bicameral parliament: This consists of the National Council of the representatives of the people (200 members) and the Council of States representing the cantons (46 members). The Federal Assembly elects the Federal Council – the collective head of state, consisting of 7 members.

Federalism and direct democracy
Unique to this small country is its strong federalism. This is expressed in two ways: In the strong autonomy of the 26 cantons and their municipalities, as well as in their direct participation in political decision-making.
It is not only the cantons that have a major influence – the individual citizens also do. This is the result of the country’s direct democracy: People’s initiatives and referendums (polls held every quarter) give citizens the chance to influence the government.

The Climat

The seasons are clearly distinguishable.
In autumn (September to November), the fruit ripens and the leaves of deciduous trees change colour.
The winters were formerly generally cold and snowy, but now freezing temperatures and snow are no longer the rule, especially in the lowlands. Nowadays, many ski resorts could hardly survive without artificial snow.
In spring (March to May) the trees blossom and the meadows turn green. Sometimes in April the winter returns for a short period and sometimes there are summer conditions as early as May.
Summer temperatures rise to 25 to 30°C, with temperatures exceeding the 30°C mark during hot summers.

The languages

Switzerland has four unevenly distributed languages and a wealth of dialects. 

German (63.5 %)
German is by far the most widely spoken language in Switzerland: 19 of the country’s 26 cantons are predominantly (Swiss) German-speaking.

French (22.5 %)
French is spoken in the western part of the country, the “Suisse Romande.” Four cantons are French-speaking: Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud. Three cantons are bilingual: in Bern, Fribourg and Valais both French and German are spoken. 

Italian (8.1 %)
Italian is spoken in Ticino and four southern valleys of Canton Graubünden. 

Rhaeto-Rumantsch (0.5 %)
Rumantsch is spoken in the only trilingual canton, Graubünden. The other two languages spoken there are German and Italian. Rumantsch, like Italian and French, is a language with Latin roots. It is spoken by just 0.5% of the total Swiss population. 

Other languages (6.6 %)
The many foreigners resident in Switzerland have brought with them their own languages.