Switzerland
Capital: Bern
Population: 8,211,700 Conventional Name: Swiss Confederation Chief of State: President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga Head of State: President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga National Anthem: Schweizerpsalm [German] Cantique Suisse [French] Salmo svizzero, [Italian] Psalm svizzer [Romansch] (Swiss Psalm) Lyrics/Music: Leonhard Widmer [German], Charles Chatelanat [French], Camillo Valsangiacomo [Italian], And Flurin Camathias [Romansch]/Alberik Zwyssig |
Facts about Switzerland
- Switzerland is also known as Confoederatio Helvetica (Swiss Confederation) (which explains CH for an abbreviation).
- Switzerland does not use euros (some border towns will accept euros) but the primary currency is the Swiss franc (CHF).
- Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates of all industrialised countries despite liberal gun laws.
- People marry relatively late in Switzerland: men at 31.8 years and women at 29.5 years. The divorce rate is around 43 percent.
- Switzerland lags behind most Western European countries in many aspects of sex equality. Less than 20 percent of all national decision-taking posts are held by women and despite a commitment to equal pay for men and women, there is a gender pay gap of 17 percent.
- There are large differences between men and women in the labour market as at 2013, 85 percent of men and only 41 percent of women work full-time.
- Switzerland has four national languages including French, German, Italian and Rhaeto-Romantsch.
- Apart from occupation by Napoleon's France between 1798 and 1815 Switzerland has been an independent country since the year 1499.
- For over 190 years Switzerland has been a neutral country during wartimes, however there are still bombs present beneath roadways in case Switzerland were to be invaded.
- There are more than 1500 lakes in Switzerland containing around 6% of Europe's fresh water stocks. The largest of these lakes are Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and Lake Maggiore. One is never more than 10 miles (16 km) from a lake within the country’s borders.
- Switzerland is very famous for its chocolate, cheese, banking system, watches and alpine mountain areas.
- The Swiss Guards who protect the Vatican, in the Vatican City are dual citizens and the only Swiss citizens allowed to serve in foreign armies. They wear the same particular uniforms that they did the day it was started in the 16th century.
- Swiss people consume the most chocolate per capita in the world. The country is famous for producing some of the world's highest quality chocolate (Lindt and Sprüngli) after inventing modern techniques such as conching and tempering.
- Switzerland has a square flag; the only other square country flag belongs to the Vatican.
- Switzerland is one of the few nations in the world where assisted suicide is legal. Belgium, the Netherlands, and three states of the United States (Oregon, Washington, and Montana) are the others.
- There is a lawyer, Antoine Goetschel, in Switzerland who represents animals in court. Once he prosecuted a fisherman for taking too long to catch a Pike!
- Teaching in Switzerland is one of the highest paid occupations. As of 2014, the average salary for a Swiss teacher was US $68,000 per year.
- Switzerland is also known for having some of the best retirement programs in the world!
- The Swiss government has mandated a program to provide every Swiss citizen a bomb shelter. Today, Switzerland boasts close to a readily available shelter for every resident.
- In 1891, Karl Elsener invented the Swiss Army Knife after finding out the army’s knives were made in Germany. The goal was to create a knife that could have multiple uses and was made in Switzerland. There are over 400 different models of the Swiss Army Knife, and designs today can include an altimeter, barometer, and a computer USB memory card. It has been nicknamed “The World’s Smallest Toolbox.”
- In Switzerland, it is permissible to lease a cow, and during the duration of the lease, you get to keep all the cheese that is made from that cow’s milk.
- The Swiss version of Santa Claus is usually accompanied by a strange-looking individual with a blacked-out face whose job it is to beat naughty children with sticks. The guy’s name is Schmutzli, which roughly translates to “Dirty.”
- In 1802 the Swiss fought a war called Stecklikrieg with wooden clubs against France because Napoleon had taken away their weapons.