Switzerland

Switzerland (German: die Schweiz^[8] French: la 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 7.7 million people (2009) in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km². Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states, called cantons. Bern is the seat of the federal authorities, while the country's economic centres are its three global cities, Geneva, Basel and especially Zürich. Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product, with a nominal per capita GDP of $67,384.^[6] Zürich and Geneva have respectively been ranked as having the second and third highest quality of life in the world.^[9]

Switzerland is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. The country has a long history of neutrality—it has not been at war internationally 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. It is not a member of the European Union, but it is part of the Schengen Agreement.

Switzerland is multilingual and has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The country's formal name is Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft in German, Confédération suisse in French, Confederazione Svizzera in Italian and Confederaziun svizra in Romansh. The establishment of Switzerland is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291; Swiss National Day is celebrated on the anniversary.

Contents

• 1 Etymology
• 2 History
  • 2.1 Early history
  • 2.2 Old Swiss Confederacy
  • 2.3 Napoleonic era
  • 2.4 Federal state
  • 2.5 Modern history
• 3 Politics
  • 3.1 Direct democracy
  • 3.2 Cantons
  • 3.3 Foreign relations and international institutions
  • 3.4 Military
• 4 Geography
• 5 Economy
  • 5.1 Education, science and technology
  • 5.2 Switzerland and the European Union
  • 5.3 Infrastructure and environment
• 6 Demographics
  • 6.1 Health
  • 6.2 Urbanization
  • 6.3 Religion
• 7 Culture
  • 7.1 Literature
  • 7.2 Media
  • 7.3 Sports
  • 7.4 Food
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 References
• 11 External links

Swiss Confederation Confoederatio Helvetica (Latin) Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confédération suisse (French) Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) Confederaziun svizra (Raeto-Romance)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: (unofficial) "One for all, all for one" German: Einer für alle, alle für einen French: Un pour tous, tous pour un Italian: Uno per tutti, tutti per uno
Anthem: "Schweizerpsalm" (German) "Swiss Psalm"
Location of Switzerland (green) on the European continent (dark grey) — [Legend]
Capital		Bern[1] 46°57′N 7°27′E / 46.95°N 7.45°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 M. Calmy-Rey H.-R. Merz (Pres. 09) D. Leuthard (VP 09) E. Widmer-Schlumpf U. Maurer
-	Federal Chancellor	C. Casanova
Legislature		Federal Assembly
-	Upper House	Council of States
-	Lower House	National Council
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[4]
Area
-	Total	41,284 km2 (136th) 15,940 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4.2
Population
-	2009 estimate	7,725,200[5] (94th)
-	2007 census	7,593,500
-	Density	186.5/km2 (65st) 477.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$312.753 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$42,783[6] (7th)
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$492.595 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$67,384[6] (4th)
Gini (2000)		33.7 (medium)
HDI (2006)		▲ 0.955[7] (high) (10th)
Currency		Swiss franc (CHF)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.ch
Calling code		+41