One for All, All For One | |||||
| Anthem | "Swiss Psalm" | ||||
| Capital | Bern | ||||
| Largest city | Zurich | ||||
| Language | German, French, Italian, Romansh | ||||
| Demonym | Swiss | ||||
| Government | Federal State | ||||
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Vichy France to the west, former Germany to the east and Padania to the south. Switzerland has a population of over nine million people, with about 1.5 million of which were refugees from other European countries. Switzerland is probably one of the most peaceful country in the world as it has not been in a major conflict since about 1815. The Alps, a mountain chain is in the southern part of the country. After the downfall of Europe Switzerland remained one of the countries that were stable. It is the most economically stable nation in Central and Western Europe.
History[]
World War 2[]
Switzerland was neutral during World War 2. However, its air force fought the Nazi Germany Luftwaffe several times delivering embarrassing defeats to the Luftwaffe. The Allies also accidentally bombed some cities in Switzerland, so it some rebuilding to do. However, it rebuilt them itself after the Marshall Plan was cancelled. Switzerland was also home to German and Allies spies.
Post World War 2[]
World War 2 Europe was in ruins. Switzerland did not fight in World War 2 and as a result it was not in ruins. The economy of Switzerland resulted in it being an economic power. As poverty and crime ruled Europe people fleed to Switzerland. This resulted with Switzerland having one of the highest populations in Europe. But with many people many of them were forced to live in slums. In 1954 Switzerland passed the Construction Plan, which was a plan to build many new homes for the immigrants. In order to get some of the parts Switzerland started trading with Portugal, and soon Switzerland and Portugal becoming trading partners. Until completion in 1957 the Swiss Military fought with gangs in the slums. Women were given the right to vote in 1959 and soon many government positions were filled with women. In 1964 Switzerland built fortifications in the mountains in case of the Soviets reaching this far. In 1967 another group of immigrants came to Switzerland to flee the Soviets and communism. The group brought a disease which spread throughout Switzerland. Switzerland closed its borders in order to stop the disease from spreading to other countries. In 1969 the disease finally was stopped by the Swiss using medicine. The "Swiss Pandemic" led Switzerland to explore more in medicine. It is now one of the leading countries in medicine. With the Soviets coming Switzerland began researching advanced weaponry, and constructed one but disassembled it after a new chancellor came to office. The Swiss then used their research to construct hydro-atomic power plants, but it was not until 1991 when one became operational. Switzerland also focused on science and studied the Alps.
Present Day[]
In present day Switzerland is the 3rd most powerful country in Western Europe, behind Ireland and Portugal. The thing people are most thinking about are space, but it will be a long time before Switzerland goes into space. In 2004 the constuction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel began, designing to link Switzerland to Padania. In 2009 Switzerland bought land from Vichy France in order to house the population. Vichy France agreed and Vichy and Switzerland became close allies.
Foreign Relationships[]
At first, with Europe in ruins Switzerland had mostly maintained an isolationist policy, though allowing a limited number of immigrants to come to the country. But soon it stopped its isolationist policy and opened to other countries.
It's mainly trades with Portugal. But trade opened to Vichy when in recent times it had become a strain having such a small country house with such a big population. It had sought for more public land in response to the need to house the millions of refugees. This problem was solved in 2009 when Vichy France sold Franche-Comte for 70,070.40 Francs, or 64,808 US dollars. It also indirectly trades with Ireland, as Switzerland trades with Portugal, Portugal trades with Ireland so Swiss goods end up in Ireland and Irish goods, coming from Portugal ends up in Switzerland. This also results in a tiny fraction of Swiss goods ending up in the USA as Ireland trades with them.
As host of the UN headquarters in Bern, the Swiss have official relations with scores of member nations. However, talks have only recently opened up between Switzerland and nearby Padania about international relationships after the Soviet Union collapsed. The UN, envisioned as the world's peacekeeper, has become little more than an international "town hall" and safe-haven for an occasional political dissident. Swiss diplomats lament that without the powerful voice of the US, the UN is all but useless.
Military[]
The military of Switzerland is sorted into two branches, Land Forces and the Air force. The military of Switzerland is rarely used as Switzerland is neutral in conflicts.
In peacetime the military is led by a Chief of Armed Forces, which is currently Lt.-General Andre Blattmann. In wartime the land forces is led by an elected General, who becomes Commander in Chief. In Swiss history there have only been four Generals. The age of soldiers are between 18-34, and men are conscripted and women may volunteer.
The land forces are divided into 3 groups, the Armoured Brigades, the infantry brigades, and mountain infantry brigades. There are two armoured brigades, 4 infantry brigades, and 3 mountain infantry brigades. There are nine brigades in total.
The Swiss Air Force has about 456 planes in inventory. The Air Force uses EKW C-36 fighter plane. The Swiss Air Force is known for delivering several defeats to the Luftwaffe during World War 2.
Switzerland also in 1974 had a nuclear rocket assembled but after a new chancellor was elected to rocket was disassembled.
Another infantry group is known as the Army MALs (Mountains, Air and Land), the most elite infantry unit in Switzerland. It was created in 1960 in order to combat Soviet troops if they ever reached Switzerland. They were used in the Third European War and committed black ops in France and Germany.
Economy[]
Switzerland has one of the most stable economies in the world. It is an economic power, however, it is behind the Republic of Ireland in economy. Switzerland's currency, the Swiss franc, is the one of the world's most strongest currency with the second lowest inflation rate behind Ireland. About half the population work in Switzerland. Unemployment was low until more immigrants came the country. Medicine, tourism, banking, and insurance are all major industries in Switzerland. Switzerland has no trade barriers with other countries except for agriculture, which is kept for itself. Switzerland is also well known for its Swiss Cheese.
Climate and Geography[]
Switzerland is bordered by the Alps, resulting in more of the population living in the north. In the middle of Switzerland is the Central Plateau, and the northern part of Switzerland is bordered by the Jura mountains. 60% percent of the land area is compromised by the Alps. In the valleys of the Alps are numerous glaciers, and four rivers begin in this mountain chain: the Rhine, the Rhone, the Inn, and the Ticino. These rivers empty into some of the biggest lakes in Western Europe, which includes Lake Geneva, Lake Constance, and Lake Maggiore. 6% of the land is compromised by lakes and glaciers. The southern part has numerous peaks, including the famous Matterhorn. The northern part is about 30% of the land in Switzerland. It is a hilly land, partly forested and some pastures. The biggest cities are here and the Rhone River empties into Lake Geneva.
For climate Switzerland is mostly temperate, but is can differ such as glacier conditions on the Alps and a near Mediterranean climates in the southern tip. Summers are mostly warm with some rainfall. During winter the mountains alternate from sun and snow, and the lands lower than the mountains are generally foggy and cloudy. Switzerland's ecosystems are unique, but fragile.
Culture[]
Switzerland is home to three of Europe's main languages, German, French and Italian. So Swiss culture is diverse. Areas near other countries are connected in some way in culture. Romansh culture is found in eastern Switzerland, specifically in the valleys of the Rhine and Inn. Switzerland has lots of contributors to art, music, literature, architecture and science. When war struck Europe many notable persons went to Switzerland to escape.
Switzerland has more than 1,000 museums. Some popular festivals are the Locarno International Film Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Many people go skiing on ski resorts or hiking in the mountains. Swiss music is most remembered for the yodel and the alphorn. Some writers are Johanna Spyri, Max Frisch, and Friedrich Durrenmatt. Some musicians are Joseph Stocker, Stephan Eicher, and Fritz Renold. Some artists are Paul Klee, Jean Tinguely, and Alberto Giacometti. Some scientists are Fredinand de Saussure, Horace-Benedict de Saussure, and the famous Albert Einstein. Some architecture masters were Mario Botta, Jacques Herzog, and Pierre de Meuron. Most of the European Film Industry has also moved to Switzerland, creating the most diverse Film Industry of the World.
Government[]
There are three different governing bodies at federal level, the Parliament (legislative), the Federal Council (executive), and the Federal Court (judicial). The Parliament has 48 members who are elected. There are two houses in the Parliament which are the Council of States (which has 48 members) and the National Council with 200 members that are elected. Members of both houses serve for four years. Citizens may challenge laws passed by the Parliament and introduce amendments to the constitution, making Switzerland a direct democracy. The Federal Council serves as the Head of State. It has seven members that serve for four-year terms that are elected by the Parliament. The President is elected from the seven members traditionally for a term of one year. The Federal Court deals with repeals against lower level court rulings. The judges are elected to six-year terms and are elected by the Parliament.