Switzerland Facts

When we talk about Switzerland, what is the first thing that comes in your mind? Wait! Don't tell me because I know what you are thinking...Swiss chocolates! Try and think beyond that. There is more to this country that just chocolates. From the tropical Alps to the Swiss National Park, from Lake Geneva to the 2000 year old town of Zurich, the number of places one can visit in the landlocked, breathtaking country of Switzerland, is endless. No matter what, in my opinion, one should visit this place at least once in their lifetime. But before visiting any places, one should first learn some facts about the country or place of visit. In case you are planning to visit the Swiss this year or sometime in the future, here are some interesting Switzerland facts and information that are sure to help you learn more about this country.

Interesting Facts about Switzerland

It's always interesting to learn about the culture, the government policies, the history, the geography and various other interesting facts about other lands. You get to know new things which probably is not there in your country, you get to learn about the ways and lives of the people of that country, the customs that they follow, the language that they speak, the clothes that they wear, the food that they eat, the places that are worth visiting and so on. Here are some such facts and figures which will be useful for you when you visit this country or when you want to know more about this country.

• The history of Switzerland goes back to around 150,000 years. The oldest farming settlements that were found here, are said to have belonged to the 5300 BC.
• The La Tene culture was one of the first culture to flourish in this area. This culture developed during the Iron Age, i.e. around the 5th century BC.
• The Helvetiis were the most important tribe during this period, but in the battle of Bibracte, the Roman army, led by Julius Caesar, defeated this tribe and later, around 15 BC, the Roman Emperor, Tiberius and his brother, Drusus, made Switzerland a part of the Roman Empire.
• Did you know that the official name of Switzerland is "Switzerland and Confoederatio Helvetica" and that it was founded in the year 1292. Besides this Switzerland is also called Schweiz in German, as Svizzera in Italian, as Suisse in French and as Svizra in Romansch.
• In 1292, it was a union of three main cantons who were against the Habsburg rule. This country became free in the year 1815.
• The capital is Berne and it's official currency is Swiss Francs.
• Nearly 70% of this land is covered in mountains with the Swiss Alps covering around 60% of the total mountainous area, thus making Switzerland the second most alpine country after Austria.
• Compared to the rest of the countries, Switzerland is smaller with an area of 41,283 square kilometers.
• Switzerland is surrounded by 5 countries; France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
• The 5 main cities of Switzerland are Basle, Geneva, Berne, Lausamme, and Zurich.
• It has 26 cantons, and out of these German is spoken in 17 countries, while French is spoken in the Western part of the country, in 4 cantons; Geneva, Neuchatel, Jura and Vaud. Italian, on the other hand, is spoken in the four southern valleys in Canton Graubunden and Ticino, and Romansch, a language which has its roots in the Latin language, is spoken only in Graubunden.
• The Swiss climate varies from place to place. It has a temperate climate, with warm and humid summer seasons and snowy and foggy winters. This country also experiences a few spells of rain from time to time.
• The longest glacier (14 miles) in Alps, can be found here in Switzerland and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Switzerland has the highest train station (11,330 feet) as well as the highest subterranean station (11,482 feet) in the whole of Europe; Jungfraujoch and Mittelallalin Fee, respectively. It also has the only revolving aerial cableway in the whole of Europe and the steepest cogwheel station in the world (48% incline). It also has the highest man-made cement dam, the Grande Dixence (height of 935 feet), in the world and the longest pedestrian stairs in Niesen (11674 stairs) in the world.
• The seat of the European Headquarters of the United Nation (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), World Economic Forum (WEF), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Airports Council International (ACI) and World Wide Web Virtual Library, is Geneva, in Switzerland.
• After Sweden, this country has the highest life expectancy in Europe.
• This country has a long history of political and military neutrality but finally it joined the UN in the year 2002 and also the Schengen Agreement in the year 2005.
• Switzerland is the only country in the world to have hiking trails which are more than 1 km for each square km of area. It also has the most famous and beautiful World Cup Downhill Racing slope in Lauberhorn and also the best place to sail in the world, Alinghi.
• Good news for the golfers who are visiting Switzerland! This country has around 18 hole Golf course which has the highest elevation in the whole of Europe.
• The Swiss people are either Roman Catholics or Protestants and one will also not find any mosques in this country.
• If you are a foodie, then good news for you, because you will find food here which are completely of Swiss origin. Besides this, you will also come across some mouth-watering Italian, German as well as French cuisine.
• Football and ice hockey, are highly popular in here and so is tennis. Two of my favorite tennis players, Roger Federer and Martina Hingis, are from Switzerland.
• This is the only country, in fact the first country to implement direct democracy which involves the public petitions and referendum.
• Nestle, the world's largest food and beverage company, has its headquarters in Vevey in Switzerland. The first bar of chocolate was produced here in the year 1819 by Francois Cailler and that the average Swiss people eat about 22lbs of chocolates per year, while the Americans eats around 11.5 lbs.
• Farming and agriculture occupies an important place in this country and people still have gardens as a part of the landscape.

These facts are surely to help you know more about this country other than just about chocolates. Next time you plan to visit this garden of Europe, keep these facts in mind.