SWITZERLAND

Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansch: Svizra, Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica) 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 (The alps in the south, Jura in the northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. The highest point is Damourite at 4,634m while Lake Maggiore is only 195m above sea level.

Economy

Switzerland is a peaceful, 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 EUs to enhance their international competitiveness. 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%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004-05. Even so, unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.

MAJOR ATTRACTION  

Aigle, Château d'Oex, Coppet, Geneva, Lausanne, Les Diablerets, Leysin, Montreux, Nyon, Pompaples, Vevey, Villars-sur-Ollon, Saint-Cergue 

The Location

Switzerland is a small mountainous country located in central Europe. This landlocked country is about the size of New Jersey and is between France and Italy. It is also bordered by Austria, Germany, and Liechtenstein

Capital City
Bern

Many people are surprised when they hear that pretty little Bern is the Swiss capital. Surely industrial Zurich or international Geneva would be more logical, they say.

Main Airport

Zurich Airport

Switzerland's seven busiest airports by passenger traffic are Zurich Airport, Geneva Airport, Basel Airport, Bern Airport, St Gallen Airport, Lugano Airport, and Sion Airport. Only Zurich, Geneva, and Basle exceed one million passengers per annum.

Language Spoken

The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh.[3] German, French, and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it. [4] In some situations, Latin is used, particularly as a single language to denote the country.

Currency

Please note that Switzerland remains with the Swiss franc, usually indicated as CHF. While Switzerland is not part of the European Union and thus is not obliged to convert to the Euro, many prices are nonetheless indicated in euros so that visitors may compare prices.

Emergency calls

The most important emergency number in Switzerland and in Europe is 112. If you dial 112, you will be connected to the police emergency control center.

Peak season 

The high season is July to August when the weather in Switzerland is the warmest it is in the entire year, but you will have to face a lot of tourists and an over 50% increase in prices. Winter (between December and March) is the low season in most parts of the country, as there will be intense snowstorms.

Low season 

There are two especially low seasons in Switzerland where not so many tourists can be found: April and October/November.