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Alpha Bagdasr

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in west-central Europe bordered by five nations and characterized by its diverse geography including the Alps and Swiss Plateau. It is a federal republic with 26 cantons and a cohesive national identity that transcends language and ethnicity, rooted in shared historical values. Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century, is home to many international organizations, and participates in the European single market while not being a member of the EU.

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10 views1 page

Alpha Bagdasr

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in west-central Europe bordered by five nations and characterized by its diverse geography including the Alps and Swiss Plateau. It is a federal republic with 26 cantons and a cohesive national identity that transcends language and ethnicity, rooted in shared historical values. Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century, is home to many international organizations, and participates in the European single market while not being a member of the EU.

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The Invincibles
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Switzerland,[d] officially the Swiss Confederation,[e] is a landlocked country

located in west-central Europe.[f][13] It is bordered by Italy to the south, France


to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the
Jura; the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, whereas most of the
country's nearly 9 million people are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts its
largest cities and economic centres, including Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne.[14]

Switzerland is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities


based in Bern.[a][2][1] It has four main linguistic and cultural regions: German,
French, Italian and Romansh. Although most Swiss are German-speaking, national
identity is fairly cohesive, being rooted in a common historical background, shared
values such as federalism and direct democracy,[15] and Alpine symbolism.[16][17]
Swiss identity transcends language, ethnicity, and religion, leading to Switzerland
being described as a Willensnation ("nation of volition") rather than a nation
state.[18]

Switzerland originates from the Old Swiss Confederacy established in the Late
Middle Ages as a defensive and commercial alliance; the Federal Charter of 1291 is
considered the country's founding document. The confederation steadily expanded and
consolidated despite external threats and internal political and religious strife.
Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognised in the Peace
of Westphalia in 1648.[19] The confederation was among the first and few republics
of the early modern period, and the only one besides San Marino to survive the
Napoleonic Wars.[20]

Switzerland remained a network of self-governing states until 1798, when


revolutionary France invaded and imposed the centralist Helvetic Republic. Napoleon
abolished the republic in 1803 and reinstated a confederation. Following the
Napoleonic Wars, Switzerland restored its pre-revolutionary system, but by 1830
faced growing division and conflict between liberal and conservative movements;
this culminated in a new constitution in 1848 that established the current federal
system and enshrined principles such as individual rights, separation of powers,
and parliamentary bicameralism.

Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century and
has not fought an international war since 1815. It joined the United Nations only
in 2002 but pursues an active foreign policy that includes frequent involvement in
peace building and global governance.[21] Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red
Cross and hosts the headquarters or offices of most major international
institutions, including the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, FIFA, the WEF, and the UN. It is
a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) but not part of the
European Union (EU), the European Economic Area, or the eurozone; however, it
participates in the European single market and the Schengen Area.

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