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SCHWEIZ

Switzerland, at a glance

  • Name: Switzerland and Confoederatio Helvetica (abbreviation CH)

  • Founded in 1848

  • Flag: white cross on the red back

  • Capital: Bern + 26 cantons

  • Currency: Swiss Francs (CHF)

  • Form of government: parliamentary democracy 

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Political system

Switzerland has a strong direct democracy. Swiss citizens have quite a lot of influence in daily political decisions. They are entitled to vote 3 to 4 times a year and they elect the Parliament (2 chambers) directly every 4 years. 

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Geography

Switzerland lies at the centre of Western Europe. It borders Germany in the north, Austria and Liechtenstein in the east, Italy in the south and France in the west. With a surface area of 41'285 km², Switzerland is one of the smallest countries in the world. Switzerland has three main geographic regions: the Jura, the Plateau and the Alps (occupy 60%, 30% and 10% of Switzerland's surface area respectively) . 

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Population

Switzerland has a permanent resident population of some 8,2 million, 22.8% of whom are foreign nationals. It has a relative low birth rate compared  to other European countries, with the number of births averaging 1.5 per woman. 

Switzerland is a densely populated country, which most people living on Central Plateau. However, some parts of the country are sparsely populated, or have no human population at all. One-third of the population live in or around Switzerland's five major cities - Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Bern and Lausanne. One-third live in other urban centers, while the remaining their live in rural area. 

Switzerland is a multicultural and multilingual country. This is due, in no small part, to geography, as Switzerlands its borders with three major Europeans cultures: Germany, France and Italy. Switzerland has 4 official national languages, some of which are spoken more widely than others -  German (64%)​, French (23%), Italian (8%) and 

Romansh (0,5%). 

Switzerland is a predominantly Christian state: 38.6% of the Swiss population are Roman Catholics and 28% Protestants.  

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For more information, click here

Source: The Swiss Confederation - MySwitzerland

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