Geography and Climate
Landlocked Switzerland is a mountainous country in Western Europe surrounded by Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, France and Italy. Officially the Swiss Confederation, it is a federal republic divided into 26 cantons.
The country is about twice the size of New Jersey or nearly 16,000 square miles, making it the one hundred thirty-sixth largest country in the world. Tiny Switzerland is only 137 miles long from north to south and 217 miles at its widest point from east to west. The Jura Mountains, the central plateau and the Alps Mountains form the three main geographic regions of the country. The Jura’s are located north of the western Alps and separate the mighty Rhine and Rhone Rivers. The Alps, the great mountain range of Europe, stretches nearly 750 miles across eight European countries. The highest alpine peak, Mont Blanc, is Western Europe’s highest at nearly 16,000 feet. The central plateau occupies about 30 percent of Switzerland and holds the major population centers. Lake Geneva in the southwest and Lake Constance in the northeast are two of Europe’s largest lakes. Switzerland is in the Central European time zone, which makes it six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone. The country observes daylight saving time from the end of March until the end of October.
The climate of Switzerland is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The predominantly westerly winds bring moist and mild maritime air into Switzerland, which has a cooling effect in summer, a warming effect in winter and ensures there is enough precipitation in most regions throughout the year. The Alps, however, provide a climate barrier between the north and south of the country. The south is mainly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, which produces much milder winters than northern Switzerland. Winters can be cloudy with rain and snow and the summers warm or cool with rain and humidity. In the more populated central plateau, the weather is generally moderate. Freezing temperatures generally occur from December until early March. Precipitation averages around 39 inches annually in the central plateau. In the country’s capital, Bern, for example, July’s daytime high temperature averages 76 F and January’s low temperature averages 25 F. The city also receives an average of nearly 42 inches of precipitation each year. Switzerland is relatively free of natural disasters, suffering mainly from avalanches, flash floods and landslides, which occur mainly in the winter months.
People and Culture
Switzerland’s population is just over 8 million with a population density of about 190 people per square kilometer. It is the ninety-fifth largest country in the world and is growing slowly, about 1 percent a year. Foreigners represent almost 23 percent of the population. The average age is increasing as people live longer and have fewer children.
The country has four official languages, primarily reflecting the languages of the large, contiguous countries that border Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Rumantsch. German is by far the most widely spoken language in Switzerland, with 19 of the country’s 26 cantons predominantly German-speaking. French is spoken in the western part of the country. The four cantons that are French-speaking are: Geneva, Jura, Neuch‰tel and Vaud. The cantons of Bern, Fribourg and Valais speak both French and German. Italian is spoken in the southern canton of Ticino andÊfour southern valleys of Canton GraubŸnden. Rumantsch is spoken in the only trilingual canton, GraubŸnden. 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 percent of the total Swiss population. Interestingly, the many foreign residents who call Switzerland home have brought with them their own languages, which taken as a whole, now outnumber both Rumantsch and Italian.
Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, which are political and administrative subdivisions of the Swiss Confederation. The country’s major regions are: Zurich, Bernese Oberland, Basel, Valais, Lake Geneva, Lucerne, Graubunden, Eastern Switzerland, Bern, Saas-Fee, Geneva, Jura, Fribourg, Davos and Ticino. Nearly 75 percent of the population lives in cities. Switzerland’s capital city, Bern, has a metropolitan area population of over 600,000 people. Financial center Zurich is the largest city in the country with a metro area population of nearly 2 million. Geneva and Basel are the second and third largest cities in Switzerland.
Originally inhabited by the Helvetians, modern Switzerland came under Roman rule during the Gallic wars in the first century B.C. and remained a Roman province until the fourth century A.D. Under Roman influence, Switzerland reached a high level of civilization and flourishing commerce as a European crossroads. The country was invaded by Germanic tribes from the north and west following the decline of the Roman Empire and in 800 A.D. became part of Charlemagne’s empire. With the opening of an important north-south trade route across the Alps in the early thirteenth century, Switzerland gained more importance and was granted some autonomy.
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. The constitution of 1848, which was 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. The country was not involved in either of the two world wars in the twentieth century. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half-century, as well as Switzerland’s role in many U.N. and international organizations, has strengthened the country’s ties with its neighbors. Switzerland, however, did not officially become a U.N. member until 2002. It remains active in many U.N. and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
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