Switzerland

What is it like in Switzerland?

Switzerland has a good economy. "Switzerland is a prosperous country with one of the world's highest standards of living." (Switzerland World Book). The population here was estimated in 2007. "The population of Switzerland in 2007 was estimated by the US Census Bureau at 7,554,661.." (Switzerland Worldmark). In this country, there are many different languages that people speak. The majority of them speak German, and also, "most Swiss literature has been written in German." (Switzerland Worldmark). "Switzerland is a multilingual state with four national languages - German, French, Italian, and Rhaeto Romansch." (Switzerland Worldbook). The climate in Switzerland is different all the time, but "the average annual temperature is 9 degrees C (48 degrees F)." (Switzerland Worldmark). The temperature is good for doing a lot of different outdoor activities that you might like.

What is the land like?

Switzerland is a good size country for the population. "Switzerland has an area of 41,290 square km (15,942 sq. mi), extending 348 km (216 mi) E-W and 220 km (137 mi) N-S." (Switzerland Worldmark). The land is one of the reasons that most people would like to visit in this country. "Switzerland has three main land regions: (1) the Jura Mountains, (2) the Swiss Plateau, and (3) the Swiss Alps." (Switzerland World Book). Most people hear about the Alps, because its one of the biggest Mountain Ranges. "The Alps cover 60% of the land area;.." (Switzerland Swiss Confederation). "The two mountain regions make up about 65 percent of Switzerland's area. But the plateau between them has about four-fifths of the country's population." (Switzerland World Book). This country also has a lot of lakes to visit, "Switzerland has 1,484 lakes, more than 12,900 smaller bodies of water, and many waterfalls." (Switzerland Worldmark). Switzerland has one of the longest railroad tunnels in the world. "The 21.5 mile Lotschburg Base Tunnel is one of the world's longest railroad tunnels." (Switzerland World Book). Switzerland has four neighboring countries. "France on W, Italy on S, Austria on E, Germany on N." (Switzerland Swiss Confederation).

What is it like to visit?

Switzerland gets a lot of tourists each year. "Today, about 11 million tourists visit yearly." (Switzerland World Book). Tourists visit this country because there is a lot to do there, and a lot to visit. The land in this country is something good to see, the climate is good to do some outdoor activities, and you can also do some sports. "The mountains of Switzerland provide grand opportunities for a variety of sports." (Switzerland World Book).

What is the economy like?

This country has a good economy. The main industries of Switzerland are "Machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, and precision instruments" (Switzerland Swiss Confederation). They have a lot of resources, but the main ones are "hydropower, timber, and salt." (Switzerland Swiss Confederation). The soil in Switzerland isn't very good, so the agriculture doesn't have enough to provide certain food needs. Three of the crops are "Grains, fruits, and vegetables." (Switzerland Swiss Confederation). Some more crops grown in this country are potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, apples and grapes.

How is the government in Switzerland?

The government started in 1848 from the Constitution. "The government is based on the Swiss Constitution, which was created in 1848 and revised in 1874 and 1999." (Switzerland World Book). That is one of the more important dates in this country. "The executive branch of Switzerland's government is a seven-member cabinet called the Federal Council." (Switzerland World Book). Two more important dates are 1963, and 2002. "1963. Switzerland joined the Council of Europe." (Switzerland). "2002. Switzerland joined the United Nations." (Switzerland World Book). These are two important dates, because they were joined and became part of the nation.

Citations


 * "Switzerland." __Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.__ Timothey L. Gall and Susan Bevan Gall. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. __Student Resource Center - Gold.__ Gale. SDLN, South Dakota State Library. 6 May 2009 [].
 * "Switzerland." __World Book Advanced.__ 2009. South Dakota State Library. 12 May 2009 [].
 * "Switzerland." __Swiss Confederation.__ 2007. South Dakota State Library. 14 May 2009 [].