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SwitzerlandSwitzerland<!-- begin quick bar --> <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"> <table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 1px solid #9866FF; background-color: #f3f3ff" width="200"> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:ch-flag.png</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick info</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Bern</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>Federal Republic<br/></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Money'''</td><td>Swiss Franc </td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>41 285 km²</tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>7 261 200</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>German, French, Italian, Romansh</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>Protestant and Roman Catholic in pretty equal shares</td></tr> </table> </div> <!-- end quick bar --> '''Switzerland''' is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It has borders with France to the west, Italy to the south, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east and Germany to the north. The climate is temperate, but varies with altitude. Switzerland has cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters and cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers. Switzerland is known for its mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. The highest point is Dufourspitze at 4,634 m while Lake Maggiore is only 195 m above sea level. ==Regions== Image:Sz-map.png|thumb|315px|Map of Switzerland *Lake Geneva - A tourist region surrounding ''Lac Léman'' *Jura Mountains and Fribourg - Hiking, lakes, watch-making *Bernese Lowlands - The core region of Traditional Bernese influence *Bernese Highlands - The Bern alps *Central Switzerland - The Swiss homeland, William Tell, etc. *Basel (region)|Basel -- Industrial city, with countryside *Zurich (region)|Zurich -- A tourist region in its own right *Northeastern Switzerland -- not so mountainous, but it's nice *Valais -- A skiing/hiking oriented tourist region *Graubunden -- region which is the same as canton Graubunden *Ticino -- region which is the same as canton Ticino ==Cities== *Basel *Bern *Davos *Fribourg *Geneva *Interlaken *Lausanne *Leysin *Locarno *Lucerne *Lugano *Montreux *Saas-Fee *Schaffhausen *St. Gallen *Verbier *Winterthur *Zermatt *Zurich ==Understand== Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. France might have the real Magic Kingdom, but the true Disneyland of Europe belongs to the Swiss. Switzerland is a natural theme park showcasing three of Europe's most distinct cultures. To the north is the beer-drinking, sausage-eating stepchild of Germany; to the south-west the wine drinking and shopping spills effortlessly into France; in the south-east the sun warms cappuccino-sippers loitering in Italian-style plazas. And binding it all together is a distinct, and sometimes bizarre Swiss mentality. Switzerland can be a glorious whirlwind trip whether you've packed your hiking boots, snowboard, or just a good book and a pair of sunglasses. A country that looks on a map like it could comfortably fit into a National Park, Switzerland packs into it a continent worth of natural wonders and a culture and history rich enough to provide five museums for every rainy day of the year. ===People=== ; '''Language groups''' : German speaking 65%, French speaking 18%, Italian speaking 10%, Romansh speaking 1%, other languages 6% ===Government=== ; '''Government type''' : federal republic ; '''Administrative divisions''' : 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zürich ; '''National holiday''' : Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) ===Economy=== Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8% and to about 0% in 2002. ===Transportation=== ; '''Ports and harbors''' : Basel ; '''Airports''' : 66 (2001) ==Talk== No, there is no "Swiss Language" per se. Depending on where you are in the country (or what street you're on in some cities) the locals might speak Schwizerdüütsch, parler le Français, parlare Italiano, or be confusing everyone with a little-known language called Romansh, which is closely related to Latin. English and German are your best bets for general use, but with a mostly multi-lingual population, it shouldn't be hard to find someone who can talk your talk. German, French, Italian, and Romansh are the four official languages. If you should speak some German, don't be surprised if you don't understand Schwizerdüütsch. There are a number of different Swiss German dialects, all of which are rather unique. But don't be worried, all German Swiss speak and write standard ("High") German (with a more or less strong accent), too. See: French phrasebook, German phrasebook, Italian phrasebook, Romansh phrasebook ==Get in== Major international '''airports''' are in Zurich and Geneva, with smaller airports in Lugano and Basel. Flying into nearby Lyon or even Paris (France) are other options though rather expensive and time-consuming (5h Paris-Bern) by train. '''Trains''' arrive from all parts of Europe. Some major routes include: *The TGV, with several trains daily from Paris, Avignon, Dijon, and Nice. *Almost hourly trains to/from Milan with connections to all parts of Italy. *Hourly trains from Zurich to Munich and other parts of Germany. *Every night trains form Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Rome and Venice to Basel, Geneva and Zurich ==Get around== ===Public Transport=== The Swiss will ruin you with fantastic transportation - swift, disturbingly punctual trains, clean buses, and a half dozen different kinds of mountain transport systems. The Swiss rail system offers a multitude of discount options, from half fare cards to multi-day, multi-use tickets good for buses, boats, trains, and even bike rentals. More information can be found at www.rail.ch (for rail) and www.gare-routiere.ch (for buses). Note with all trains busses the "halbtax" option ('1/2' button on the machines) is only for people who have spent 150CHF on an annual half fair pass. Using the trains is quite easy, although the number of different kinds of trains can be a bit confusing unless you know that the schedules at a Swiss train station are color coded. The yellow sheet is for departures and the white sheet is for arrivals. Faster trains appear on both of these sheets in red, while the trains in black stop at more stations. If there is an ICN train for your destination it's a good choice because the dining cars have ''huge'' windows, and only require a second class ticket, and the purchase of a coffee or beer. ===Car=== Driving on small mountain roads can be nerve-tearing if you come from a flat country. But beside this, swiss roads are in general safe and very well maintained. Four tips for mountain roads:<br> 1. Honk if you're on a small road and you don't see around the bend. <br> 2. The bus always has priority. <br> 3. The car driving uphill has priority over the car driving downhill. <br> 4. Don't even think about driving as fast as the locals, they know every bend, you don't. For using the motorways you need to buy a "Vignette", a sticker costing 40.- CHF that allows you to use the motorways as much as you like for the entire year. Avoiding the motorways in order to save there 40.- is being greedy in the wrong place. These 40.- are well worth it, even if you are only on transit. Speed limits: 120 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h on normal roads and 50 km/h inside villages. Whilst driving "a wee bit too fast" is common on motorways people tend to stick pretty closely to the other two limits. Fines are hefty and traffic rules are strictly enforced. D.U.I.: 0.5 promille is the limit. We suggest not to drink and drive as you will lose your license for several months if you get caught. (And there will be a fine too.) Use public transportation instead. ===Bicycle=== Switzerland is a cyclists place! ''Veloland Schweiz'' has build up a grid of long distance cycle paths all across the country. Check their website for more details. http://www.cycling-in-switzerland.ch/ Cycling in cities is pretty safe, at least compared to other countries. ==Buy== Switzerland is not part of the European Union and thus the Euro is not legal tender. However, many places - such as supermarkets and the railways - accept Euro and will give you change in Swiss Francs. Changing some money to Swiss Francs (CHF) is essential. Money can be exchanged at all train stations and most banks throughout the country. As the banking capital of the world, you can get by almost anywhere on credit cards but ATMs that accept foreign cards (even Visa and Mastercard) can be a little harder to find than you'd think. ===Supermarket Chains=== For the "self catering": *''Migros'' - This chain of supermarkets (in fact a cooperative) provides pretty good price/quality but be aware that Migros does not sell cigarettes or alcoholic beverages. Brand name products are rare as the chain does their own brands (quality is good, so you don't have to mind) *''Coop'' - Also a cooperative, but a bit more expensive than Migros. Sells all major brands, as well as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. As of March 2005, both cooperatives launched low-price-lines (Migros Budget and Coop Prix-Garantie). The German discounter, ''Aldi'' was also expected to start in Switzerland too. ==Learn== ==Work== ==Stay Safe== Switzerland is not surprisingly one of the safest countries in Europe, but anywhere that attracts Rolex-wearing bankers and crowds of distracted tourists will also bring out a few pickpockets. Obviously, keep an eye on belongings, especially in the midst of summer crowds. In most cities the area around the train stations tend to be the seediest, and there is always some sort of 'red light district', though it may only be a block or two long. Women travelling alone should have no problems, though the men in the Italian regions occasionally act a bit like, well, Italian men. The younger Swiss tend to be very open with public displays of affection - sometimes too open, and some women may find people getting too friendly especially in the wee hours of the club & bar scene. Usually the international language of brush-offs or just walking away is enough. ==Respect== Learning the mother tongue of the area you will be staying in is a great sign of respect. English is widely spoken in Switzerland, but any attempt to speak the local language is always appreciated, even if you're replied to in English. German, French, and Italian all have formal and informal forms of the word you, which changes the conjugation of verb you use, and sometimes phrases. For example, the informal phrase ''don't worry about it'' in French is ''ne t'en fais pas'' and the formal is ''ne vous en faites pas.'' The formal is used to show respect to someone who is older than you, who you consider to be a superior, someone who has a greater rank than you at work, or simply a stranger in the street. The informal is used with close friends, relatives, and peers. As a general rule, you shouldn't use the informal with someone you don't know well, someone who is your superior in rank, or an elder. Use the informal with your close friends and younger people. Peers can be a gray area, and it is advisable to use the formal at first until they ask you to use the informal. Oh... and DON'T LITTER! It's not Singapore where you get fined for it but it's definitely seen as bad behaviour in this country. ==Contact== Many of the internet cafes that have emerged in the 1990's have closed since, probably because Switzerland has one of the highest rate of high-speed internet connections in homes in the world, but almost any video rental shop and most train stations will have a few internet terminals. The tourist office should be able to direct you to the nearest one. The going rate is 5 CHF for 20 minutes. Also, you can send email, SMS (text messages to cell phones) or short text faxes from just about every public phone booth for less that 1 CHF. Some public phone booths allow you to browse the internet. If you stay for some time, it may be advisable to buy a pre-paid cell phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard on the 900/1800 Mhz bands - they usually cost around 40 CHF and are obtainable in the shops of the mobile service providers Swisscom, Orange or Sunrise in most cities. Mobile network coverage is close to 100% by area, even in the mountainous, non-populated areas. ==External Links== * [http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/roughguide.html Switzerland is Yours] - A guide published by the relocation firm of [http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/ Micheloud & Cie] * [http://www.myswitzerland.com/ Switzerland Tourism] * http://map.search.ch/ - An interactive map of switzerland de:Schweiz fr:Suisse ro:Elvetia WikiPedia:Switzerland {{msg:stub}} First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
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