switzerland
Created | Updated Apr 18, 2002
GENERAL(INFO. FROM 1997)
Switzerland is federal republic of 26 cantons. Cantons are the equivalent of Canadian provinces. The capital of Switzerland is Bern. Switzerland covers a small area of 41284 sq.km. which is about half the size of Scotland.
The population is 7,262,372.
Switzerland is a small country, both in geography and population, but it is significant on the international scene. Because of it situation in the Alps it has assumed the role of the guardian of Europe’s Alpine passes and therefore has been traditionally neutral in all times of war. It was the only European country to be neither allied with Hitler nor attacked by him. Switzerland’s neutrality is currently recognised by the location of numerous United Nations offices there, even though Switzerland itself is not a member of the United Nations.
Switzerland is not rich in natural resources, however it has well made up for this through the development of specialized industries, such as watches, cheese, chocolates, and Swiss Army knives.
HISTORY
The first inhabitants of the region that is now switzerland, were a Celtic tribe, the Helvetia. The Romans took control of the area in 107 B.C. The area was further invaded by the Alemanni (Germans) and the Burgundii in the 5th century. Different parts of the area were then controlled, mainly by these three, but in1033 the area was once again united under the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire only had loose control over the area until they sent in the Hapsburgs , a powerful German family to take the place of three less favoured local nobles. The Hasburgs brought the other squabbling nobles under heel, but in 1291 the three who had been replaced formed the Swiss Federation against the Hapsburgs. In 1315 the Federation had a major victory over the Hapsburgs and other nobles then joined the Swiss Federation. Finally, they totally defeated the Hapsburgs in 1388. Other nobles continued to join the Swiss Federation and in 1499 it gained independence from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
In 1798 Switzerland was invaded by the French Republic. However, when Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the French lost their claim on Switzerland and in 1815 The Congress of Vienna guaranteed Switzerland its independence and permanent neutrality.
LAGUAGE
Even though Switzerland is a small country, its people speak no fewer than four different languages. Everything, from the list of ingredients on the package of the groceries to the manual of the most complicated TV set, has to be printed in three different languages: German, French, and Italian.
Total Population:
German 65%
French 18%
Italian 12%
Romansch 1%
Other 4%
It is not hard to tell why the three main languages spoken are Italian, German and French. If you look at a map, you can see that Switzerland’s three major neighbours are Germany, France and Italy. So people speaking all of these three languages settled the area that is now Switzerland. The reason that Switzerland is not simply divided up between Germany, France and Italy is that in those days, the authorities were usually nobles who just ruled a single city and some of the surrounding countryside. They were not necessarily part of any country. So in Switzerland’s case, nobles, regardless of the languages that their people spoke, united against a common oppressor and eventually formed a country.
The so-called German speaking Swiss, don’t speak the same German as the Germans or the Austrians, but instead what is known as Swiss German. To make it even more complicated, there is no written Swiss German at all. Fortunately, the Germans, the Austrians, and the Swiss Germans use the same written language, called High German, a quasi-standard of the German languages.
Romansch is a very old and now considered dead language, even so, four dialects of it are spoken in some small cantons of Switzerland.
FOOD
Switzerland is famous for its cheeses and its chocolates. In addition to that, they make a huge variety of special breads. In Switzerland breakfast typically includes, bread, butter or margine, marmalade or honey, maybe some cheese or cereals, plus milk, cold or hot chocolate, and tea or coffee. Lunch may be as simple as a sandwich or it could be a complete meal. Depending on what people had for lunch, dinner can be a full meal or just some bread, cheese, maybe some dried meat, or any other light meal. Drinks range from plain water to different kinds of soft drinks including most internationally well-known brands plus some local products to a great variety of beers and wines and to hot drinks which include many different flavours of tea and coffee.
Switzerland is federal republic of 26 cantons. Cantons are the equivalent of Canadian provinces. The capital of Switzerland is Bern. Switzerland covers a small area of 41284 sq.km. which is about half the size of Scotland.
The population is 7,262,372.
Switzerland is a small country, both in geography and population, but it is significant on the international scene. Because of it situation in the Alps it has assumed the role of the guardian of Europe’s Alpine passes and therefore has been traditionally neutral in all times of war. It was the only European country to be neither allied with Hitler nor attacked by him. Switzerland’s neutrality is currently recognised by the location of numerous United Nations offices there, even though Switzerland itself is not a member of the United Nations.
Switzerland is not rich in natural resources, however it has well made up for this through the development of specialized industries, such as watches, cheese, chocolates, and Swiss Army knives.
HISTORY
The first inhabitants of the region that is now switzerland, were a Celtic tribe, the Helvetia. The Romans took control of the area in 107 B.C. The area was further invaded by the Alemanni (Germans) and the Burgundii in the 5th century. Different parts of the area were then controlled, mainly by these three, but in1033 the area was once again united under the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire only had loose control over the area until they sent in the Hapsburgs , a powerful German family to take the place of three less favoured local nobles. The Hasburgs brought the other squabbling nobles under heel, but in 1291 the three who had been replaced formed the Swiss Federation against the Hapsburgs. In 1315 the Federation had a major victory over the Hapsburgs and other nobles then joined the Swiss Federation. Finally, they totally defeated the Hapsburgs in 1388. Other nobles continued to join the Swiss Federation and in 1499 it gained independence from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
In 1798 Switzerland was invaded by the French Republic. However, when Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the French lost their claim on Switzerland and in 1815 The Congress of Vienna guaranteed Switzerland its independence and permanent neutrality.
LAGUAGE
Even though Switzerland is a small country, its people speak no fewer than four different languages. Everything, from the list of ingredients on the package of the groceries to the manual of the most complicated TV set, has to be printed in three different languages: German, French, and Italian.
Total Population:
German 65%
French 18%
Italian 12%
Romansch 1%
Other 4%
It is not hard to tell why the three main languages spoken are Italian, German and French. If you look at a map, you can see that Switzerland’s three major neighbours are Germany, France and Italy. So people speaking all of these three languages settled the area that is now Switzerland. The reason that Switzerland is not simply divided up between Germany, France and Italy is that in those days, the authorities were usually nobles who just ruled a single city and some of the surrounding countryside. They were not necessarily part of any country. So in Switzerland’s case, nobles, regardless of the languages that their people spoke, united against a common oppressor and eventually formed a country.
The so-called German speaking Swiss, don’t speak the same German as the Germans or the Austrians, but instead what is known as Swiss German. To make it even more complicated, there is no written Swiss German at all. Fortunately, the Germans, the Austrians, and the Swiss Germans use the same written language, called High German, a quasi-standard of the German languages.
Romansch is a very old and now considered dead language, even so, four dialects of it are spoken in some small cantons of Switzerland.
FOOD
Switzerland is famous for its cheeses and its chocolates. In addition to that, they make a huge variety of special breads. In Switzerland breakfast typically includes, bread, butter or margine, marmalade or honey, maybe some cheese or cereals, plus milk, cold or hot chocolate, and tea or coffee. Lunch may be as simple as a sandwich or it could be a complete meal. Depending on what people had for lunch, dinner can be a full meal or just some bread, cheese, maybe some dried meat, or any other light meal. Drinks range from plain water to different kinds of soft drinks including most internationally well-known brands plus some local products to a great variety of beers and wines and to hot drinks which include many different flavours of tea and coffee.
