| Swiss Confederation Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft Timeline: DifferentlyConfédération suisse Confederazione Svizzera Confederaziun svizra | ||||||
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| Anthem: "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" |
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 Switzerland (green)
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| Capital | Bern (de-facto) | |||||
| Largest city | Zurich | |||||
| Official languages | German Italian French Romansh Teedish |
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| Demonym(s) | Swiss | |||||
| Government | Federal assembly-independent directorial republic under a semi-direct democracy | |||||
| - | Federal Council | |||||
| - | Prime Minister | Ueli Maurer | ||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Traditional foundation | 1 August 1291 | ||||
| - | Federal state | 12 September 1848 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 41,285 km2 15,940 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 8.57 million (92nd) | ||||
| Currency | Krona (SEK) | |||||
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in central Europe. It borders France to the east, Germany to the north, Danubia and Liechtenstein to the east and Italy to the south. It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps, and the Jura. While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are located, among them the two global cities and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva.
Its surface area of 41,285 square kilometers makes Switzerland the 25th-largest country in Europe and the 122nd-largest in the world. With a population of over 8.57 million inhabitants, it is the 16th-most populous country in Europe and the 92nd in the world.
The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the late medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria and Burgundy. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the founding document of Switzerland which is celebrated on Swiss National Day. Since the Reformation of the 16th century, Switzerland has maintained a strong policy of armed neutrality and has not fought an international war since 1815. Nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross, one of the world's oldest and best known humanitarian organisations, and is home to numerous international organisations. Switzerland occupies the crossroads of Germanic and Romance Europe, as reflected in its four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although the majority of the population are German-speaking, Swiss national identity is rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbolism. Due to its linguistic diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names: Schweiz [ˈʃvaɪts] in German, Suisse [sɥis(ə)] in (French), Svizzera [ˈzvittsera] in Italian, and Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ, ˈʒviːtsʁɐ] in Romansh. On coins and stamps, the Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica – frequently shortened to "Helvetia" – is used instead of the four national languages.
The sovereign state is one of the most developed countries in the world. It ranks at or near the top in several international metrics, including economic competitiveness and human development. Zürich, Geneva and Basel have been ranked among the top ten cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with Zürich ranked second globally. Switzerland is a founding member of the League of Nations, whose headquarters are located in Geneva. Switzerland is a member of the European Union.
Sports[]
Switzerland's national football team has participated in a number of international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup. In the 1945 edition, they lost in the final to England. Switzerland subsequently hosted the 1955 FIFA World Cup, in which the team of Hungary were champions.
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