Switzerland

📖 In short

Switzerland is a small landlocked country in central Europe, but it has the magnificent snow-capped Alps and clear blue lakes. Its capital is Bern, and its official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh.

🤩 Did you know?

Switzerland's oldest university is in Basel, founded in 1460.
Above 1800 meters, snow covers the ground for at least six months a year.
The currency is the Swiss franc.
Switzerland's capital is Bern.

🗂️ Fact file

Switzerland is a country in western Europe surrounded by Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy and France.

The Swiss flag: an earlier form of it was used in 1240 in the Schwyz region. The cross is a Christian symbol. The Swiss coat of arms, similar to the flag, has been used in its present proportions since 1889.

Capital: Bern.
Official language: German, French and Italian.
Official name: Schweiz (in German), Suisse (in French) and Svizzera (in Italian).
Currency: The franc.
Area: 41,248 km², including 1,355 km² of inland water.
Population: Approximate population in 2000: 7,494,000; 1990 census: 6,873,687 people.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 The Alps

Mountains cover more than half of Switzerland, and one of the most famous is the Matterhorn with its pointed peak. People come from all over the world to ski on its snow.

🔍 Watches and chocolate

Switzerland is famous for beautiful, precise watches, milk chocolate, cheese with holes and the red Swiss army knife with its many tools.

💡 Amazing tunnels

The Swiss have dug very long tunnels under the mountains for trains and cars, like the Gotthard rail tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world.

🎯 A neutral country

Switzerland is known for staying out of wars, and it has Geneva, home to many international organizations like the Red Cross.

📸 More pictures

The Federal Palace in Bern, where the Council of States and the National Council meet.

People and languages. This map shows how Switzerland's population is spread and its big cities, as well as where the national languages are spoken. Most Swiss speak a form of German called Swiss German.

Open-air flower markets brighten many of Switzerland's busy towns. This market is in Geneva, Switzerland's third-largest city.

🧩 Test yourself

1 What is Switzerland famous for?

2 Which mountains cover most of Switzerland?

3 Which picture shows “Switzerland”?