About Switzerland

GEOGRAPHY

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation is a mountainous country in the centre of Europe. Switzerland is bordered by Germany in the north, France in the west, Italy in the south and Austria and Liechtenstein to its east. Almost 60% of the country's territory is covered by mountains, with some areas under perpetual snow and glaciers. The headwaters of several major European rivers, such as the Rhine and Rhone, take their beginnings from these mountains. In the central part of the country are many lakes, among them the largest Swiss lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich, Lake Neuchatel, and others.

Capital of Switzerland is Bern (128 thousand population).
The biggest cities are Zurich (371 767 thousand), Geneva (185 526 thousand), Basle (165 529 thousand) and Lozanna (128 302 thousand).
Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons.
Total country area - 41,3 thousand sq.km.
Population - 7,24 million (by 2007).

POLITICS

Switzerland is a federal parliamentary republic. Legislative power belongs to bicameral parliament, and executive - to Federal Council. Swiss Government is a collective body of seven members, elected for a four-year mandate by the Federal Assembly, joint session of both houses. The head of country is President of the Confederation, elected among the seven members, traditionally in rotation, for a one-year term, in order to chair the government and assume representative functions.

Switzerland has very well developed instrument of direct democracy - referendums, where citizens may challenge any law passed by parliament and introduce amendments to the federal constitution.

Switzerland has a long history of neutrality; it has not been at war since 1815. As a result Switzerland hosts many international organizations, including The Red Cross, the WTO, United Nations, etc.

Switzerland is not a member of European Union, as the Swiss people refused in a popular vote to start accession negotiations with the EU. As a consequence, Switzerland decided to suspend negotiations for EU accession until further notice and its application remains open.

ECONOMY

Switzerland is a highly technologically industrial country with an intense agricultural sector. The economy of Switzerland is one of the world's most stable, ranked in the world's top ten for economy competitiveness.

Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world and one of the most important banking and financial centres globally. Its policy of long-term monetary security and bank secrecy has made Switzerland a safe haven for investors, creating an economy that is increasingly dependent on a steady tide of foreign investment.

Because of the country's small size and high labour specialization, industry and trade are the keys to Switzerland's economic livelihood. Tourism is another very important economic sector in Switzerland with highly developed infrastructure, which can accept 6-8 million foreign tourists per year.

Switzerland has very high life standards. Inflation rate was 1.4% in 2006.

Swiss currency is the Swiss frank.