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Switzerland »

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The Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica) was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland’s sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country 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.

Capital: Bern

Population: 7,996,026 (July 2013 est.)

Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF)

Official Languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch

Ethnicity/ race: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Religions: Roman Catholic 38.2%, Protestant 26.9%, Muslim 4.9%, other Christian 5.7%, other 1.6%, none 21.4%, unspecified 1.3% (2012 est.)

*Source: CIA Factbook

3 Interesting Facts:

  1. There are large differences between men and women in the labour market. As at 2013, 85 percent of men and only 41 percent of women work full-time. Once married, many women do not work: childcare is not readily available, children come home from school for lunch, shops close at 6 pm, and in 2013, voters rejected an amendment which would make it easier for parents to combine work and family.
  2. Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates of all industrialized countries, despite having liberal gun laws (2.3–4.5 million guns in a population of 8 million).
  3. In 2007 Switzerland accidentally invaded Liechtenstein, realized their mistake and apologized! Apparently, Swiss soldiers got lost in the middle of the night during a training exercise and crossed over into foreign territory.

See more on Switzerland from Cris2Travel:

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