Switzerland

Full name of country: Swiss Confederation

Region: Europe

Official language: German, French, Italian, Romansh

Population: 8,860,574 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Swiss (singular and plural) (noun), Swiss (adjective)

Land area: 39,997 sq km (15,443 sq miles)

Water area: 1,280 sq km (494 sq miles)

Capital: Bern

National anthem: "Schweizerpsalm" [German] "Cantique Suisse" [French] "Salmo svizzero," [Italian] "Psalm svizzer" [Romansch] (Swiss Psalm), by Leonhard Widmer [German], Charles Chatelanat [French], Camillo Valsangiacomo [Italian], and Flurin Camathias [Romansh]/Alberik Zwyssig

National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation, August 1 (1291)

Population growth: 0.75% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +1

Flag: The flag of Switzerland is a red flag with a large, centered white cross. It is a square-shaped flag, one of only two officially used in the world (the other is the flag of the Vatican City).

Independence: August 1, 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

Government type: formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except for federal decrees of a general obligatory character

Switzerland is located in Central Europe, in the heart of the Alps. Officially known as the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica), Switzerland is one of the world's oldest democracies. The country is known both for its strong support of international cooperation and for its ideological and economic independence. It became a member of the United Nations in 2002.

Major industries in Switzerland include banking and other financial services, high-quality manufactured goods, pharmaceuticals, and tourism. Switzerland attracts many tourists because of its alpine scenery, quaint villages, and sophisticated cities such as Bern, Zurich, and Geneva.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Located in the middle of Europe, Switzerland is a mixture of many European peoples and languages.

Swiss culture is highly regional, focusing on the language zones of the country's four official languages. German (or Swiss German) speakers predominate, making up around 62.1 percent of the population; they live largely in the central and northern parts of the country. Swiss German (Schwyzerdütsch) as a spoken language differs markedly from the "High German" (Hochdeutsch) used in Germany, though the written forms are similar.

French speakers make up about 22.8 percent of the population, and live mostly in western Switzerland. Italian speakers comprise around 8 percent of the population, and live mostly in the south. Romansh is spoken by a small minority (less than 1 percent of the population), who live mostly in Canton Graubünden [Grisons], in southern Switzerland (2019 estimates). Unofficial languages spoken by significant percentages of the population include English, Portuguese, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, and Spanish.

Many communities are small due to the mountainous geography, though many large cities do exist. The largest is Zurich, the country's commercial center. Other large cities are Bern, Geneva, Basel, and Lausanne.

Switzerland has an extremely high standard of living, with a well-educated populace and high life expectancy. Average life expectancy is 83.9 years—82 for men and 85.8 for women (2024 estimates). The country ranked first (based on data for 2021) on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index.

Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are the predominant religious groups in Switzerland. Catholics outnumber Protestants 34.4 percent to 22.5 percent. There is a small Muslim minority, accounting for about 5.4 percent of the population. About 29.4 percent of the population reported no religious affiliation (2020 estimates).

Indigenous People: During the Stone and Bronze Ages, many peoples settled in what is now Switzerland. The Celts arrived around 1500 BCE. The dominant tribe was the Helvetii or Helvetians, from whom Switzerland takes its formal name of "Helvetic Confederation." The Raetians, another Celtic tribe, settled in the eastern lands now inhabited by Rhaeto-Romansch speakers.

The Romans arrived in the first century BCE, and developed the region extensively; the cities of Zurich, Geneva, and Basel were once Roman settlements. As Rome declined in the third and fourth centuries, Germanic tribes including the Alemanni and Burgundians settled Switzerland. The modern Swiss-German language is based on "Alemannic" dialects.

Education: The Swiss are highly educated; the country's literacy rate remains high. Education is handled largely at the local level, through organizations such as the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education Directors (Schweizerische Konferenz der kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren). There is no federal education agency, though the government does operate a few institutions of higher education. Children enter school at age four, and must attend for at least eleven years. Most children attend public schools.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Switzerland became one of the first countries to adopt the kindergarten model of early education. Primary and lower secondary school last until around age fifteen. There are two main types of upper secondary education: the general education program focuses on academic studies and prepares students for university, while other students take vocational courses and apprenticeships, to prepare for a career.

Post-secondary education is largely under the control of the cantons, or localities. Public universities are operated by the cantonal governments. Several Swiss universities date from the Renaissance; those at Basel and Geneva were founded in the fifteenth century. Most, however, were founded in the nineteenth century, including the universities of Bern, Lausanne, and Zurich. The federal government also operates technical institutes.

Health Care: Public health in Switzerland is handled entirely by the cantons. Most hospitals and health-care facilities are public, but dozens of private institutions exist as well. All Swiss citizens must have health insurance, though this is often publicly subsidized. Switzerland has an extensive social welfare system that provides medical care for impoverished people, people with disabilities, and older people.

Food: Swiss cuisine is strongly marked by regional specialties which reflect the country's multiple cultures (French, Italian, German), as well as the geographic isolation between neighboring communities. Swiss cheese and chocolate are world famous, and the global chocolate-maker Nestlé, which is also one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, is headquartered in Switzerland. Switzerland also has a thriving wine industry.

Arts & Entertainment: Swiss culture is part of the European mainstream, and has produced many leading authors, composers, and artists. There are many important arts events, such as the music festivals at Lucerne and Montreaux, held each year.

Famous Swiss authors include philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78), a major figure of the Enlightenment; political writer Benjamin Constant (1767–1830); novelist Johann David Wyss (1743–1818), author of The Swiss Family Robinson (1813); novelist Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), author of Heidi (1880); dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–90); and dramatist Max Frisch (1911–91). Switzerland has a thriving publishing industry, which includes much regional literature written in Swiss-German. Geneva hosts an international book fair each year.

The Swiss greatly enjoy sports, particularly alpine sports such as skiing and mountaineering. Marksmanship events are highly popular, in part because of the country's tradition of citizen-soldiers. Switzerland has produced some unique sports of its own: the wrestling style known as schwingen and the ball-game known as hornussen.

Holidays: Switzerland celebrates the major Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, as well as Christian festivals such as Fastnacht (Carnival), which celebrates the arrival of Lent. Switzerland's national holiday is August 1, commemorating the establishment of the Confederation in 1291.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Switzerland is very mountainous, with much of the country lying in the Alps. The many passes have made Switzerland an important stopover for travelers throughout history. The Jura Mountains to the northwest extend into France. The country's highest mountain is the Dufourspitze, at 15,203 feet (4,634 meters). Part of the Monte Rose massif, it is located near the Italian border.

Switzerland has several large rivers, including the Rhine and Rhone, which have their headwaters there. The largest lakes are Lake Geneva on the French border, Lake Constance (known in German as the Bodensee) on the German-Austrian border, and Lake Maggiore near the Italian border.

Natural Resources:Switzerland's natural resources include extensive forests, covering about one-third of the country. These are a mix of deciduous species such as beech and oak, as well as coniferous species such as fir and pine. Despite the presence of so many mountains, there are only a few mineral resources. The country's lakes and rivers are major sources of Switzerland's hydroelectric power.

Plants & Animals: In addition to its forests, Switzerland is noted for the wide variety of wildflowers that grow in the mountains. Among the most common varieties are edelweiss, columbine, and gentian.

Switzerland has few large carnivores; since the twentieth century, bears and wolves had mostly become extinct, due to the spread of human habitation; their populations had experienced some growth by the 2020s, however. Smaller mammals such as deer and fox are still plentiful, especially in the mountainous regions. Alpine species include the mountain goat species known as the ibex, and the horned antelope known as the chamois.

Climate: Switzerland's climate is largely "continental," experiencing cold winters and warm summers; however, effects of climate change indicated that the country's average temperature had continued increasing, with experts predicting hotter summers and milder winters. A Mediterranean climate prevails in the southern Ticino region, where palm trees grow. The Alpine region has snow and ice throughout the year, including over 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles) of glaciers.

Economy

Industry: Switzerland's economy is based largely on services and manufacturing. The service sector dominates, with a focus on banking and financial services, international commerce, and tourism. Swiss banks have become famous because of their stability and discretion.

Swiss manufacturing has a worldwide reputation for high quality, particularly for fine items such as clocks and watches, as well as for industrial parts. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries are also large.

Switzerland has refused to join the European Union (EU) to remain politically neutral, but the EU is a major trading partner. Switzerland belongs to international organizations such as the European Free Trade Association.

In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$733.779 billion. Switzerland has one of the highest per capita GDPs in the developed world, estimated at US$82,900 in 2023.

Agriculture: Switzerland's agricultural sector is very small, mostly due to the country's limited supply of arable land. Dairy and beef farming are the main activities. Other common livestock include pigs, goats, and sheep. Food crops include sugar beets, fruit, potatoes, and barley.

Most farms are small and run by their owners. The federal government closely controls agriculture to ensure that Switzerland always has a sufficient food supply, but since the 1990s has increased the role of the free-market system.

Tourism: The tourism industry comprises a major portion of the Swiss economy, employing several hundred thousand people. Tourists come to Switzerland to enjoy winter sports and mountaineering, the rustic charm of alpine villages, and to take part in the cosmopolitan cultural life of cities such as Geneva, Bern, and Zurich.

Government

The Swiss Confederation was established in the late thirteenth century when the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed a mutual aid pact, to maintain peace and protect their independence from aggression by the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1499, the Confederation achieved full independence from Austria. In 1515, the Swiss adopted their long-standing policy of strict neutrality after a severe defeat by the French and Venetians.

Switzerland was sharply divided between Catholics and Protestants during the sixteenth century Reformation and the religious wars that followed.

The modern federal system was established in 1848, following a short civil war (the 1847 Sonderbundskrieg) between Catholics and Protestants. The constitution was revised in 1874, 1891, and 1999.

Because of its neutrality, Switzerland has generally refused to join international alliances, though it participates in many other international groups. It does not belong to the European Union (EU), and it did not become a full member of the United Nations until 2002.

Swiss federalism is modeled partly on that of the United States, with its three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial) and the doctrine that all powers not specifically given to the federal government are retained by the cantons. Switzerland is famous for its direct democracy, making frequent use of the initiative and the referendum. Despite Switzerland's long democratic tradition, women gained the right to vote in federal elections only in 1971.

The legislative branch is the most powerful of the three. It is composed of a two-house parliament known as the Federal Assembly, consisting of the 46-member Council of States (Ständerat) and the 200-member National Council (Nationalrat). Unlike many other national legislatures, the two houses are equal in power.

Switzerland's unusual executive branch consists of the seven-member Federal Council (Bundesrat), which constitutes the federal government. The members are elected by and responsible to the Federal Assembly. Although all Federal Council members share power equally, each year one member is elected to serve as president of the Confederation; this official represents Switzerland internationally and has other administrative and ceremonial functions. The council members also serve as heads of the various government departments.

The Federal Supreme Court comprises the highest court in the judiciary. The Federal Criminal Court, located in Bellinzona, Canton Tessin, was established in 2004, the Federal Administrative Court was established in 2007, and the Federal Patent Court began in 2012.

Switzerland has no standing army, but all male adult citizens generally between the ages of eighteen to thirty serve in the militia.

Switzerland is a confederation (German: Eidgenossenschaft) of twenty-six "cantons," or member localities, which are considered sovereign states and which retain a high level of autonomy. The cantons are divided into districts (Bezirke). These handle the local educational system and courts. The districts are divided into municipalities (Gemeinden), which administer local services, schools, mass transit, and taxation. A larger municipality (one with more than 10,000 people) is called a town (Stadt), while a smaller one is known as a village (Dorf).

The main political parties in Switzerland include the Center, the Social Democrats, and the Swiss People's Party. From the late 1950s until 2003, four parties had an informal agreement for allocating seats on the Federal Council, based on their strength in the National Assembly. Other parties include the Green Liberal Party.

Interesting Facts

• The Swiss Guards that defend the Pope in Vatican City are the last of the Swiss mercenaries who served in European armies centuries ago.
• The wildflower edelweiss is an unofficial national symbol of Switzerland.
• In 1999, Switzerland celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the modern federal state.
• Wilhelm (William) Tell, the legendary Swiss hero, reportedly fought in the fourteenth century to gain Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire. Many modern historians, however, doubt that Tell ever existed.
• In May 2017, the world's first commercial carbon-capture plant, designed to remove carbon dioxide from the air produced by burning fossil fuels, opened in Zurich.
• The year 2023 marked the first time that a Swiss defense minister participated in the North Atlantic Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Bibliography

Human Development Report 2021/2022. United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"Switzerland." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/switzerland. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"Switzerland." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 15 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/switzerland/#economy. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"Switzerland." World Health Organization, 2023, www.who.int/countries/che/en/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.