Learn About the Countries: Switzerland
Switzerland
was officially formed in 1648 when independent cantons joined together.
At first, only a few cantons joined Switzerland but over time more
joined. Today, Switzerland is made up of 26 cantons. In a way, each
canton is its own little country. Each canton has its own taxes, laws
and educational system. Cantons are made up of communes, which have
their own elected officials who decide on issues at a local level. As a
whole, the Swiss people are very active in their country’s politics. In
the majority of communes, individuals assemble once a year to vote on
important issues. Switzerland has been considered a neutral country
since 1815. As a result, Switzerland dodged the destruction of many
wars… Free of wars, Switzerland is an extremely stable country.
Stability has allowed Switzerland to develop a prosperous economy.
Despite popular belief, Switzerland’s wealth is not based on cuckoo
clocks, chocolate and banking. In fact, Switzerland’s prosperity is
predominantly a result of its high quality, high tech exports including
micro-technology, biotechnology, and the pharmaceutical industry. Swiss
products are internationally known for their superior quality. With four
official languages, German (74%), French (20%), Italian (4%), and
Romansh (1%) and many different cultures expressed, being Swiss can mean
many different things.
Country Officer
John Spilane
763-545-3495
Places of Interest in Switzerland
- The Alps- Skiing, Snowboarding, Hiking
- Zurich-over 30+ museums and the world’s 4th largest stock exchange.
- Bern- Capital City
- Lake Geneva- the sound of cow-bells in rolling pastureland, castles, cathedrals and the dreamily beautiful, cerulean blue lake itself.
- Geneva- UN Headquarters
Interesting Facts about Switzerland
- Euro (EUR) is not an official currency in Switzerland. Their official currency is the Swiss Franc (CHF).
- The 4th official language, Romansh, is a very different and also a very old language. It is considered a 'dead' language, because it does not change anymore.
- http://www.yoodle.ch/en is the Swiss form of the Yahoo search engine.
- The ‘Swiss-German’ language is only spoken and every state has its own dialect; there is no written ‘Swiss-German’!
- Zopf (tsopf) is a very special bread, typically served on Sunday for breakfast.
Switzerland Links of Interest
- Information about Switzerland
- Up to date Switzerland information
- Switzerland is yours (commercial site)
- My Switzerland
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