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Switzerland - History
Switzerland developed slowly over many centuries. This country shares a lot of its history and of its culture with its neighbors Germany, France, Italy and Austria. Switzerland in 1291 was a league of cantons in the Holy Roman Empire. French revolutionary troops occupied the country in 1798 and named it the Helvetic Republic, but Napoleon in 1803 restored its federal government. It was only in 1848 that Switzerland became a more centralized federal state. This favored its economic development.
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General Information
Official name
Swiss Confederation
Geographic Location
Western Europe
Capital and largest city
Bern (capital city, 128 041 inhabitants), Zürich (largest city, 376,815 inhabitants)
Largest cities
Bern, Zurich, Lausanne, Geneva, Basel, Lucerne
Area
41,284 km²
Population
7,7 Million
Time Zone
GMT +1 (UTC+2 From the last Sunday in March at 01:00 to the last Sunday in October at 02:00)
Currency
Swiss franc (CHF)
Official language
Four national languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh)
Neighbouring countries
Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east
Highest point
Dufourspitze (4634 m)
Lowest point
Lake Maggiore (195 m)
Longest rivers
Rhine (375 km)
Landing place
Basel, Zürich, Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano
Electricity
220-240 volts AC, 50 Hz, with round-prong European-style plugs
Ethnic groups
Germans 64%, French 19%, Italians 8%, Yugoslav 3%, Spaniards 2%
Religion
Roman Catholic 45%, Protestant 40%