Interesting facts about Switzerland. Map of Switzerland. Language in Switzerland

What associations first arise from a person who heard the word "Switzerland"? Watches, cheese, chocolate, penknives, banks, mountains, alpine meadows ... and, perhaps, that's it. But this country is very curious and unusual. In this article we will look at some interesting facts about Switzerland.

A bit about the country

Switzerland - a very unique state, small even by European standards, which, however, contains a lot of interesting and unusual. According to the inhabitants of this country, its main asset is nature: eternal glaciers, mountain ranges, alpine meadows, blue lakes and waterfalls. There are 1484 lakes on a relatively small territory. Many of them have a glacial origin - they are water bodies of unique beauty and transparency. This can be judged even by the photos given in the article. Switzerland is unusual in that, no matter where in the country you are located, a maximum of twenty kilometers from you will be a beautiful lake, suitable for swimming. The mountains occupy two-thirds of its territory. In this regard, the state considered by us is recognized as the most mountainous in Europe. Approximately 14 percent of the area of this country is occupied by nature reserves and parks, where the pristine nature is preserved.

Political structure

Even considering the political structure of this country, one can find interesting facts about Switzerland. It turns out that it is the only confederation state in the world. This has arisen from a long time ago. In the Middle Ages, it actually had a confederal device. Modern Switzerland is actually a federal republic. An interesting fact is that this country officially does not have a capital. However, this function is performed by the city of Bern. In Switzerland, the president is elected for a period of one year. And, most interestingly, he is appointed in turn, from seven members of the federal council.

The socio-political situation

In this country there are four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh (Romansh). The rarest language in Switzerland is Romansh, it is spoken by less than one percent of the country's population. Despite the fact that this state is located in the center of Europe and is not part of the European Union, there are a huge number of offices and headquarters of various international organizations, including the Red Cross, UN, WHO, WTO, FIFA, FIBA, CERN, IOC and others.

Referendums in Switzerland

Another interesting fact is that the country's legislation allows every Sunday to hold a referendum. However, in practice they are conducted only a few times a year. According to the results of one such referendum, the construction of new minarets was prohibited in the state. In Switzerland there are only six such architectural structures. However, they can not fulfill their basic function (announcing the collection for prayer), as this will lead to violation of the law on silence.

Interesting facts about Switzerland

Let's consider some interesting information about this country.

1. Switzerland is located in the middle part of Western Europe and has no access to the sea, but it has a very large fleet. Home The navigation company of Lake Geneva is the owner of the largest number of inland waterways ships in Europe.

2. Service in the army is mandatory for all men in the country under the age of thirty. Its duration is 260 days, but they are divided into ten years. According to the law, the service can be "slashed", for this it is necessary to transfer three percent of all its revenues to the state fund within 30 years.

3. In Switzerland, before the advent of mobile phones, singing without words - jodl was used as a means of communication.

4. In Geneva, on the waterfront of the English Garden, there are the largest flower clock on the planet. Their dial has a diameter of five meters, it consists of 6,5 thousand natural colors.

5. In order to cut a tree in Switzerland, you need to obtain a special permit, even if the plant grows on your own plot of land.

6. In this country, white mushrooms grow in abundance, but no one collects them and does not eat them.

There is much to learn here

Collecting interesting facts about Switzerland, we can note and its achievements.

1. In this state are erected: the world's highest concrete dam (285 meters), the longest tunnel on the planet (57 kilometers) and the highest elevated on the continent cable car (3820 meters).

2. Despite the fact that the country of Switzerland is two-thirds of the mountains, it is known for its exports of milk and cheese. It is an age-old peasant state, but it produces the best watch movements in the world. One hundred and fifty years ago Switzerland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, and today it is the realm of the world's banking corporations.

3. Citizens of this country are considered the most inventive in the world. After all, there are 2286 patents per million people in Switzerland. The closest competitors are the Dutch - 1,427 patents; South Koreans - 1,139 patents; And the Japanese - 1118 patents.

4. The average wage here is 5,000 francs (3,900 US dollars), and the minimum wage is 3,500 francs (2,700 dollars). Inflation in this country does not exceed one percent per year.

5. Medicine in Switzerland is very modern and very high-quality, but paid, includes compulsory insurance. According to the citizens of this country who have visited the United States, the American level of medical care is at the level of the Stone Age compared with the "motherland of cheese."

Switzerland: interesting facts for children

Children in Switzerland begin to attend school from the age of four, but only four days a week. An interesting fact is a free higher education not only for citizens of the country, but also for foreigners. Swiss private schools are considered the best in the world. Training here costs from 25 thousand a year (800 thousand rubles).

A bit about the lakes

1. Lake Leman (Geneva) is the second largest in Europe.

2. Lucerne, or Firvaldshtettersee. This lake, no doubt, is the most picturesque in the country. It is surrounded by mountain peaks, covered with a white veil, and along its banks stretched magnificent emerald forests.

3. Lugansk lake is located in the south of the country, on the border with Italy.

4. Maggiore-Locarno. This lake is characterized by a mild Mediterranean climate, as well as lush vegetation and Italian landscapes.

5. Murten - a small calm pond of the correct oval shape. It is a favorite place of rest for the inhabitants of the surrounding towns.

6. The Brienz and Tun lakes. These mesmerizing ponds are in the heart of Switzerland, in the foothills of the Alps. Here all conditions for active sports are created: mountain skiing, windsurfing, sailing. On Lake Brienz there is the stunning Gissbach waterfall, it falls from the glaciers right into the pond.

7. Neuchatel's reservoir. This beautiful mountain lake, framed by the low peaks of the Jura, is located in the western part of the country, in the Watch Valley, close to the French border.

8. The Zurich pond. This is not the largest lake, however, on its bank is the largest city of Switzerland, which is the financial and economic capital of the country.

This amazing Switzerland

1. Mountains. The geographical map of Switzerland shows 48 peaks, which rise to a height of 4000 meters - most of all among all the alpine countries. With these monumental natural structures, many different records are connected. For example, here is the highest railway station in Europe - Jungfraujoch (3454 meters); The most steep funiculars, mountain trains and, of course, the longest glacier in Europe - Aletch (23 kilometers).

2. The slowest train on Earth. Panoramic "Glacial Express" overcomes 291 kilometers of track in eight hours. Its average speed is 42 kilometers per hour. Despite this, passengers hardly have time to capture the beauty of a wonderful country. On its way the express rises to a height of 2,033 meters, overcomes 91 tunnels and 291 bridges.

3. Sparkling holiday. In Zurich, the largest indoor Christmas market in Europe works every year. Here is a Christmas tree, which is decorated with more than seven thousand Swarovski crystals. On the market you can buy original gifts, handmade souvenirs, as well as delicious treats.

4. There is no smog. Switzerland has twelve ski resorts. They are strictly prohibited the movement of road transport. Here, even city services use electric vehicles.

5. More exciting. In Switzerland there is the highest situated and large thermal spa resort - Leukerbad. Every day more than 3.9 million liters of water are pumped into thirty local pools, the temperature of which is 51 degrees Celsius.