About Switzerland

Did you know? 

Say “Switzerland”, and a host of images comes to mind: mountains, watches, chocolate, banks. There is something in all of these, though they tend to obscure the complex reality of Switzerland today. Here's what you might not know about the country that goes beyond the chlichés: 

• Switzerland is bordered by five countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Liechtenstein;
  
  
• Switzerland has 4 national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. All but Romansh maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation;
  
  
• Switzerland stretches 350 km from east to west and 220 km from north to south;
  
  
• The very highest mountain in Switzerland is the "Dufourspitze" in canton Valais, which rises to 4,634 m (15,203 ft);
  
  
• Switzerland has three main topographical zones: the mountainous alpine region (60% of the territory), the central plateau (30%), and the Jura mountains (10%);
  
  
• Life expectancy has almost doubled for the Swiss since 1900. A man born today can expect to live 79.8 years, while a woman's life expectancy is now 84.4 years;
  
  
• Switzerland has the highest percentage (0.01%) of people over the age of 100 in Europe;
  
  
• The biggest Swiss private corporation is Nestlé. Set up by a German political refugee in 1866, it is now the biggest food company in the world. However, most Swiss businesses are small or medium sized: more than 99% of enterprises have fewer than 250 full-time workers, but employ about two-thirds of the total work force;
  
  
• Switzerland is traditionally a Christian country, both Catholic and Protestant, and the Federal Constitution still begins by invoking the name of God;
  
  
• The Swiss national hero William Tell may never have existed, but like Robin Hood, he may have some basis in fact;
  
  
• One of the most influential philosophers of the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, was a citizen of Geneva;
  
  
• The Helvetii, a Celtic tribe who battled Julius Caesar, gave their name to the Swiss territory. The Latin name for the country, Helvetia, still appears on Swiss stamps. The letters CH appearing on Swiss cars and in internet addresses stand for the Latin words Confoederatio Helvetica, meaning Swiss Confederation;
  
  
• Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in Switzerland in 1957;
  
  
• Swiss women only got the vote at national level in 1971.  In Appenzell Inner Rhodes, they had to wait until 1990 before they could vote in cantonal elections.