The
Swiss Confederation or
Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in
Europe, which borders
Germany,
France,
Italy,
Austria and
Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of
political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, and is home to many international organisations.
Confderatio Helvetica (CH), the
Latin version of the official name, avoids choosing one of the four official languages. The abbreviation is similarly used; for example, it is used as Switzerland's
ccTLD,
.ch.
History
Main article: History of Switzerland
Switzerland is a federation of relatively autonomous
cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the world's oldest surviving
republics.
According to the popular legend, in 1291, representatives of the
three forest cantons of Uri,
Schwyz, and
Unterwalden signed the
Federal Charter. The charter united the involved parties in the struggle against foreign rule by the
Habsburgs, who then held the German imperial throne of the
Holy Roman Empire. At the
Battle of Morgarten in 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured quasi-independence as the Swiss Confederation. The authenticity of the Federal Charter is disputed with many historians agreeing that it is in fact a forgery of the
14th century.
By 1353, the three original cantons had been joined by the cantons of
Glarus and
Zug and the city states of
Lucerne,
Zürich and Berne, forming the "Old Federation" of eight states that persisted during much of the
15th century (although Zürich was expelled from the confederation during the
1440s due to a territorial conflict) and led to a significant increase of power and wealth of the federation, in particular due to the victories over Charles the Bold of
Burgundy during the
1470s, and the success of the Swiss
mercenaries. The traditional listing order of the
cantons of Switzerland reflects this state, listing the eight "Old Cantons" first, with the city states preceding the founding cantons, followed by cantons that joined the federation after 1481, in historical order. The Swiss victory in a war against the
Swabian League in 1499 amounted to de facto independence from the
Holy Roman Empire.
In 1506, pope Julius II engaged the
Swiss Guard that continues to serve the
Vatican to the present day. The expansion of the federation, and the reputation of invincibility acquired during the earlier wars, suffered a first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the
Battle of Marignano.
The success of Zwingli's Reformation in some cantons led to inter-cantonal wars in 1529 and 1531 (''Kappeler Kriege''). The conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712.
1548 view of [[Zug]]
Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its
neutrality (''ancien régime''). In 1798, armies of the
French Revolution conquered Switzerland and in 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a new constitution, largely restoring Swiss autonomy.
The
Congress of Vienna in 1815 fully re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise the Swiss neutrality. At this time, the territory of Switzerland was increased for the last time, by the new cantons of
Valais,
Neuchatel and
Geneva.
In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (''Sonderbundskrieg''). Its immediate cause was a
special treaty (''
Sonderbund) of the Catholic cantons. The war lasted for less than a month, causing fewer than 100 casualties. Apart from small riots, this was the latest armed conflict on Swiss territory.
As a consequence of the civil war, Switzerland adopted a federal
constitution in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing federal responsibility for defence, trade, and legal matters. In 1891, the constitution was revised with unusually strong elements of
direct democracy, which remain unique even today. Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised Swiss history.
In 1920, Switzerland joined the
League of Nations, and in 1963 the
Council of Europe.
Switzerland proclaimed neutrality in
World War I and was not involved militarily in the conflict. Neutrality was again proclaimed in
World War II, and although a German intervention was both planned and anticipated, it ultimately didn't occur. The massive mobilization of Swiss armed forces under the leadership of General
Henri Guisan is often cited as a decisive factor that the German invasion was never initiated. Modern historical findings, such as the research done by the Bergier commission, indicate that another major factor was the continued trade by Swiss banks with Nazi Germany.
Women were granted the right to vote in the first cantons in 1959, at the federal level in 1971, in the last canton only in 1990. In 1979, parts of the canton of Berne attained independence, forming the new
canton of Jura. On April 18, 1999 the Swiss population and the cantons voted in favor of a completely revised federal
constitution.
In 2002 Switzerland became a full member of the
United Nations, leaving the
Vatican as the last widely recognized state without full UN membership. Switzerland is not a member state of the
EU but applied for membership therein in May 1992. Switzerland has not advanced this application since the rejection, by referendum, of the
European Economic Area in December 1992. However, Swiss law is gradually being adjusted to that of the EU and the government has signed a number of bilateral agreements with the European Union. Switzerland (together with
Liechtenstein) has been surrounded by the EU since
Austria's membership in 1995. On June 5, 2005, Swiss voters agreed, by a 55% majority, to join the
Schengen treaty, a result that was welcomed by EU commentators as a sign of goodwill by a Switzerland that is traditionally perceived as isolationist.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Switzerland
[[Curia Confoederationis Helveticae in
Bern]]
Switzerland features a system of government unlike any other seen in
Europe, or indeed much of the world.
The bicameral Swiss
parliament, the Federal Assembly, is the primary seat of power, apart from the Federal Council. Both houses, the
Council of States and the
National Council, have equal powers in all respects, including the right to introduce legislation.
Under the 1999
constitution, cantons hold all powers not specifically delegated to the federation.
The 46 members of the Council of States (two from each canton and one from former half cantons) are directly elected in each canton, whereas the 200 members of the National Council are elected directly under a system of
proportional representation. Members of both houses serve for 4 years. Through referenda citizens may challenge any law voted by federal parliament and through
initiatives introduce amendments to the federal constitution, making Switzerland a semi-direct democracy.
The top
executive body and collective
Head of State is the
Federal Council, a collegial body of seven members. Although the constitution provides that the Assembly elects and supervises the members of the Council, the latter (and its administration) has gradually assumed a preeminent role in directing the legislative process as well as executing federal laws. The President of the Confederation is elected from the seven. During a one year term, she assumes special representative functions.
From 1959 to December 2003, the four major parties were represented in the Federal Council according to the "magic formula", proportional to their representation in federal parliament: 2
Christian Democrats (CVP/PDC), 2 from the
Social Democrats (SPS/PSS), 2 Free Democrats (FDP/PRD), and 1 from the
Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC). This traditional distribution of seats, however, is not backed up by any law, and in the 2003 elections to the Federal Council the CVP/PDC lost their second seat to the SVP/UDC.
The function of the
Federal Supreme Court is to hear appeals of cantonal courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration. The judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for six-year terms.
See also:
- International relations of Switzerland
Cantons (states)
Main article: Cantons of Switzerland
Wintertime view of [[Sent, in the eastern canton of Graubünden.]]
The Swiss Confederation consists of 26
cantons:
[
The population varies between 15,000 (Appenzell Innerrhoden) and 1,253,500 (Zürich), area between 37 km² (Basel-Stadt) and 7,105 km² (Grisons). Cantons are divided in a total of 2,889 municipalities.
The following are enclaves within Switzerland: Büsingen is territory of Germany, Campione d'Italia is territory of Italy.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Switzerland
Map of Switzerland (overview)
With an area of 41,000 square kilometers, Switzerland is a small country. The population is around 7.4 million, resulting in a population density of 184 people per km² (roughly comparable to the U. S. state of Maryland).
The Swiss landscape is characterised by the Alps, a high mountain range running across the central-south of the country. Amongst the high peaks of the Swiss Alps, the highest of which is the Dufour Peak at 4,634 m, are found countless valleys, some with glaciers. From these the headwaters of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Inn, the Aare or the Ticino, flow down into lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zürich, Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance and farther down.
Switzerland is made up of the Swiss Alps, Mittelland, and Jura.
Map of Switzerland (detailed)
The northern, more populous part of the country is more open, but can still be fairly mountainous such as with the Jura Mountains, a smaller range in the northwest. The Swiss climate is generally temperate, but it can vary greatly locally, from the harsh conditions on the high mountains to the pleasant Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip.
A zoomable map of Switzerland is available at either www.swissinfo-geo.org or www.swissgeo.ch, a zoomable satellite picture at map.search.ch.
See also: Swisstopo topographical survey, List of lakes of Switzerland, List of rivers of Switzerland, List of mountain passes in Switzerland.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Switzerland
Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita GDP higher than that of the big western European economies. Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the European Unions to enhance their international competitiveness. Full EU membership is a long-term objective of the Swiss government, but there is considerable popular sentiment against this. To this end, it has established an Integration Office under the Department of Foreign and Economic Affairs. In order to minimise the negative consequences of Switzerlands isolation from the rest of Europe, Bern and Brussels signed seven agreements, called Bilateral Agreements I, to further liberalise trade ties in 1999 and entering into force in 2001. This first series of bilateral agreements included the free movement of persons. A second series covering nine areas was signed in 2004 and is waiting ratification. The second series includes the Schengen treaty and the Dublin Convention. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland voted against membership in the European Economic Area in December 1992 and has since maintained and developed its relationships with the European Union and European countries via bilateral agreements.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Switzerland
German (63.7%; yellow),
French (19.2%; purple),
Italian (7.6%; green),
Romansh (0.6%; red)]]
Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures, which have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural practices. Switzerland has four official languages: German (64%; yellow) in the north and centre, French (19%; purple) to the west, Italian (8%; green) in the south, and finally Romansh, a Romance language spoken by a small minority (<1%; red) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden and parts of Ticino. There is no obligation for the state to translate its communication in all four languages, so most communication is in three languages and only some very important documents are translated to Romansh. Indeed, in the parliament, German, French and Italian are the official languages and simultaneous translation is provided. The German spoken in Switzerland is predominantly a group of dialects that are almost unintelligible to Germans and are collectively known as Swiss German, but newspapers and some broadcasts use High German, which is also the predominant language in the German part for any written communication. Swiss French and Swiss Italian differ far less from their counterparts spoken in France and Italy. Learning one of the other national languages is obligatory for all Swiss, so most Swiss speak two or more languages. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population.
The largest religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholicism, to which some 43% of the population adhere. Various Protestant faiths number some 35% of the population, and immigration has established Islam (4%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (2%) as sizable minority religions. The remainder belongs to very small minorities or is unaffiliated. The stability and prosperity of Switzerland, combined with a linguistically and religiously diverse population has led some to describe the country as a consensus state or a consociational state.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Switzerland
The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours, but over the years a distinctive culture with strong regional differences has developed. Traditionally Switzerland is not considered one of the centres of European culture, but this conception might be deceptive.
A number of culturally active Swiss have chosen to move abroad, probably given the limited opportunities in their homeland. At the same time, the neutrality of Switzerland has attracted many creative people from all over the world. In war times the tradition of political asylum helped to attract artists, whilst recently low taxes seem predominant.
Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogenous Swiss culture. The influence of German, French and Italian culture on their neighbouring parts and the influence of Anglo-American culture cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is robust.
The Swiss are noted for their banks, their chocolate, their cheese, their pocket knives, their watches, their private boarding schools, and their strengths in engineering and the sciences.
The tallest building in Switzerland is the Basler Messeturm.
Miscellaneous topics
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