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COUNTRY - SWITZERLAND

 

 
Switzerland is located in central Europe. Switzerland is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria to the east, and Italy to the south. Switzerland is located in central Europe. Switzerland is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria to the east, and Italy to the south.

 Zürich, largest city of Switzerland and capital of the canton of Zürich. Located in an Alpine setting at the northwestern end of Lake Zürich, this financial, cultural, and industrial centre stretches out between two forested chains of hills, about 40 miles (60 km) from the northern foothills of the Alps.

 

Bern
 Geneva is the capital of the Swiss Canton of Geneva located in the south-westernmost corner of Switzerland. The city is situated along the banks of Europe's largest lake, Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), at the mouth of the Rhone River and is bordered by the Jury Mountains to the west and the French Alps in the east.
Many people are surprised when they hear that pretty little Bern is the Swiss capital.

The climate is moderate with no excessive heat, cold or humidity. From July to August the daytime temperature range is 18 to 28 °C (65° - 82° F) and from January to February the range is -2 to 7 °C (28° - 45° F). In spring and autumn, the daytime temperature range is 8 to 15 °C (46° - 59° F).

 Switzerland is a Christian country. Around two-thirds of the population are either Roman Catholic or Protestant (Reformed-Evangelical).

 The best month to visit Switzerland is September. The weather is generally pleasant and allows for all activities except winter sports. It's just after the summer high season, so it's no longer crowded

 The amazing mountains, heaps of lakes and beautiful villages make for the most beautiful scenery in Switzerland. These landscapes are considered to be what makes Switzerland the perfect destination for vacationing and exploring new cultures. The high-peak Alps and mountains make up to 62% of the country's territory.

 As a rule Swiss do not like noise and dislike others make jokes about them. Do not address someone by their first name until invited to do so. Use surnames and titles instead. Do not give expensive or extravagant gifts which can be viewed as tacky or bribery.

 Swiss watches are famous?

Solid steel links and cases – the reason Swiss made watches have that impressive, heavy feeling on the wrist - keep the watch in great shape for a long time. The movement of Swiss made watches are hand-assembled. This ensures, combined with the use of metal gears, great quality internal mechanisms.

 

 

 Switzerland is famous for quite a few things.

Chocolate

Whether you eat Lindt chocolate in your country, or just know Switzerland’s fame for chocolate production, there is no going past it. Switzerland is one of the most famous producers of chocolate in the world.

Although to be fair, within Europe there is one other – Belgium, although you will never hear a Swiss admit that there is an alternative to Swiss chocolate.

From supermarket level with Frey, Lindt, Callier and even local brands, to famous chocolatiers like Läderach and Stettler,  Switzerland has it all. In fact, if you want to indulge your chocolate passion, you can even sign up for a local swiss chocolate making course!

 


 

 

Cheese


Most of you will have seen or had a type of “swiss” cheese at home, but you are certainly not prepared for hthe variety and quality of cheeses you can get in Switzerland.

If you love cheese, this is one of the best places to eat!

And on top of the cheese, which you can generally just grab in the supermarket, the swiss have also put it to good use with Raclette (squares of cheese you melt and eat with potatoes) and Fondue (a pot of melted, alcohol-filled cheese, you eat with bread).

 



Banking

Swiss banking secrecy  has become famous in the last few years because of complaints about tax evasion from the EU and the USA!

If you happen to walk down the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich and look at some of the name plates on the doors, you will see just how many lucrative, small and semi-secret banks there are. And to top that off, it is rumored that there are vaults filled with Nazi gold under the street!

The banking industry is not what it used to be though. The laws protecting secrecy, and tax evasion have changed a lot lately, meaning lots of people have pulled their money out of Switzerland. And the big banks here are far below their lofty heights of pre-2009.

 

Neutrality

Switzerland has been neutral (and not involved in any wars) since 1815! Now that is amazing for a country right in the center of two world wars.

But neutrality is not a guarantee of staying out of wars either.   National Redoubt), have allowed Switzerland to remain neutral. And with such a small population too (8.5 million)!

It might also surprise you to learn that Switzerland is not involved in any UN peace-keeping missions and was not even a part of the UN until 2002.

 


 

 

Swiss Army Knives

What about the hugely famous Swiss Army Knife? You might even have one. Actual Swiss Army Knife

Most people know this handy survival knife from the picture above, but the army do not use that version. They don’t need all those fancy tools and prefer a simple and light weight version . This is what theirs looked like until more recently when they totally redesigned it with the one-handed system.

Watches

With the Apple watch becoming trendy and the Fitbit on everyone’s wrists Swiss watches are not as popular as they once were. But Swiss watches are still leaving this country by the bucket load. Every tourist wants to take home some chocolate, and if they can afford it, a watch too. Wouldn’t you love to own a Rolex?

There are so many watch brands in Switzerland. Most you will know, some you will be surprised are swiss. Most of the famous brands are swiss, and many are owned by Swatch.

Here are a few of them:

 

  • Rolex
  • Cartier
  • Omega
  • Longines
  • Tissot
  • TAG Heuer
  • Swatch

And a final surprise  most of the watches in Switzerland are made in a very small area, in the French-speaking part of the country, often in very small towns.

 Trains

Public transport system and the trains in particular are amazing in Switzerland. On time, going almost everywhere, with connections that are within minutes. And most of the time, you can just sit and stare at the stunning scenery.

And most of the time, you can just sit and stare at the stunning scenery.

Getting the trains to travel from one end, and height, of the country to another is no easy task.  But the swiss have managed to produce and maintain this marvel for over a century. You can even take a train nearly 45 degrees straight up mountains.


 

 

The Alps


Being smack bang in the center of the Alps, Switzerland is approximately 60% mountains. So, if you love great scenery, the outdoors or outdoor sports, this is the place to come.

There are some amazing mountains in Switzerland including the Matterhorn, Jungfrau and the Eiger, both you may have heard of. But there are so many more.

So whether you come to ski, to hike, or just take a gondola up to see the view. Switzerland has it all.

 


Helvetica Font – It’s Everywhere

One of the most famous, used and perhaps standard fonts in the world is Helvetica. It’s one of the standard web fonts, so it’s on a whole lot of websites even as you browse around right now.

It was originally developed way back in 1957 by Max Miedinger, who is a renowned Swiss typeface designer. 



Muesli – It’s Healthy & Swiss

If you have ever had Muesli for breakfast, then you are partaking in a very old Swiss tradition. They have been eating it for decades and even have an old favorite called Bircher Muesli which is a soaked muesli (oats and the like) with yogurt and fruit.

If you are in Switzerland, you will find it everywhere at brunch, in a hotel, or even in takeaways. If you aren’t just do a quick search on good old Google and you will come up with dozens of healthy recipes.

 

The Swiss Guard

If you have ever been to Rome and the Vatican you have seen the guards wearing those costumes. That is the Swiss Guard.

 Switzerland maintains a large military force of all able-bodied men until they are around 35 (depending on weeks served). So, taking the Swiss Guard from these super-qualified guys makes sense.

They actually Catholic, single males who have at least completed basic training and have a certificate of good conduct. There are plans to allow females at some point, but for the moment, it’s all male.


 

 

Direct Democracy

Switzerland has implemented more or less the original Greek Democracy which is now actually known as Direct Democracy.  Swiss have implemented it nation-wide.

Swiss citizens actually vote four times a year on various issues that are usually suggested by the people themselves. By collecting enough signatures, 100,000 to be exact, the parliament can consider and then put to the vote changes that the people suggest.

Try that in most countries and it just ain’t gonna work!

 

The Red Cross

You seem them everywhere around the world helping out in difficult, often war torn countries. The   the Red Cross was founded by five men, including the famous Henri Dunant, in Geneva Switzerland in 1863?

And of course, today the headquarters and a museum are in Geneva.

 


 

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