Switzerland

Also try: Zurich Vacation | Zurich Hotels

The Mahalo Top 7

Official information site: Your Gateway to Switzerland
Wikipedia: Switzerland
CIA World Factbook: Switzerland
U.S. Department of State: Switzerland
BBC News: Country Profile: Switzerland
Foreign & Commonwealth Office: Country Profile: Switzerland
BBC News: Switzerland

Switzerland Recent News

Google News: Switzerland
swissinfo
Swiss Daily
Database News Now: Switzerland
Topix: Switzerland News
PRAVDA.RU: "Switzerland's Parliament Rejects Idea to Legalize Marijuana (2007)
New York Times: "Radioactive Nimby: No One Wants Nuclear Waste" (2007)
Greenpeace News: 600 Strip Naked on Glacier in Global Warming Protest (2007)

Foreign Language News Sites

Switzerland Vacation

Mahalo's page on Bern Vacation
Mahalo's page on Bern Restaurants
Mahalo's page on Bern Hotels

Switzerland Travel Information

Swiss National Tourist Office | Switzerland Travel
Switzerland.isyours.com: Rough Guide to Switzerland
Lonley Planet: Switzerland
Wikitravel: Switzerland

Switzerland Politics

Wikipedia: Politics of Switzerland | Voting in Switzerland
Swissworld.org: Swiss Politics

Switzerland Government Sites

Switzerland International Relations

Wikipedia: Foreign Relations of Switzerland | Switzerland and the European Union
British Council and Switzerland
U.S. Commercial Service: Switzerland
European Union: The EU's Relations with Switzerland
European Union: Bilateral Trade Relations: Switzerland

Switzerland Political Issues

New York Times: "Far-Right Party Posts Gains in Voting for Swiss Parliament" (2007)
ScienceDaily: "Environmental Monitoring Goes High-tech In Switzerland" (2007)
Mail & Guardian Online: Global Warming Melting Magic of Swiss Alps (2007)
Human Rights Tribune: "Asylum and CIA Prisons Top Swiss Issues" (2006)
HowStuffWorks: History of Swiss Bank Accounts

Nuclear Issues

Swiss Federal Office of Energy- Nuclear Energy
Wikipedia: Nuclear Power in Switzerland
Nuclear Energy Agency: Switzerland
Uranium Information Centre: Nuclear Power in Switzerland
International Nuclear Safety Center: Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: Switzerland

Nazi's and Switzerland Banks

Wikipedia: World Jewish Congress Lawsuit Against Swiss Banks
Claims Resolution Tribunal: Holocaust- Victim Assets Litigation (Swiss Banks)
New York Times: "For Betrayal by Swiss Bank and Nazis, $21 Million" (2005)
Claims Conference: Claims Conference Programs: Swiss Banks Settlement: Refugee Class
BBC News: Swiss Bank Exploited Nazi Slaves (2000)

Switzerland Economy

Wikipedia: Economy of Switzerland
Economist.com: Switzerland
Heritage Foundation: Index of Economic Freedom: Switzerland
World Trade Organization: Switzerland and the WTO
International Monetary Fund: Switzerland and the IMF
OECD: Organisation For Economic Co-Operation and Development: Switzerland

Switzerland Military

Federal Department of Defence
Swiss Air Forces
The Swiss Guards
Wikipedia: Military of Switzerland | Swiss Air Force | Swiss Guard | Merchant Marines
Europe for Visitors: Swiss Army

Switzerland Facts and History

History of Switzerland
Wikipedia: History of Switzerland
BBC News: Timeline: Switzerland
World InfoZone: Switzerland Facts
Greater Zurich Area: Switzerland- Facts and Figures

Switzerland Maps and Geography

Creative Commons image by "U.S. Department of State"

Creative Commons image by "U.S. Department of State"

Federal Office of Topography
Swissworld.org: Swiss Geography
Wikipedia: Geography of Switzerland | Swiss National Park

Switzerland Capital

Welcome to Bern
Wikipedia: Berne
BBC Weather: Berne

Switzerland Major Cities

Mahalo's page on Zurich Hotels
Mahalo's page on Zurich Restaurants
Mahalo's page on Zurich Tours
Mahalo's page on Zurich Vacation

Mahalo's page on Geneva Hotels
Mahalo's page on Geneva Vacation

Wikipedia: Zurich | Geneva | Lugano | Zernez
MySwitzerland.com: Zurich | Geneva | Lugano | Zernez

Switzerland Photos and Videos

Photos

Google Image Search: Switzerland
Yahoo! Image Search: Switzerland
TrekEarth: Switzerland Photos
Switzerland.isyours.com: Switzerland Photo Gallery

Video

BBC Audio & Video: Switzerland
YouTube & Google Video Search: Switzerland
Yahoo! Video Search: Switzerland
Dailymotion: Switzerland Videos
Truveo: Switzerland Videos

Switzerland Culture

Department of Cultural Affairs
Wikipedia: Culture of Switzerland | Swiss People | Demographics of Switzerland
MySwitzerland.com: Traditions and Culture in Switzerland
Switzerland Flexi Tours: Culture of Switzerland
about.ch: Food in Switzerland

Related Searches

Bern Vacation | Bern Restaurants | Bern Hotels | Zurich Hotels | Zurich Restaurants | Zurich Tours | Zurich Vacation | France | Austria | Germany | Italy | Belgium | Netherlands | Croatia | Czech Republic | Slovakia | Bosnia and Herzegovina

Guide Note

Switzerland, a mountainous, landlocked country, is bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Its cities Geneva and Zurich are known as financial centers. It is multi-lingual. It has been neutral since 1815. It has rejected membership in the European Union.

Fast Facts

Official name: Swiss Confederation
Capital: Bern
Government: Direct Democracy, Parliamentary Republic
Population: 7,554,661
Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF)
Official Language: German, French, Italian, Romansch
August 1: Switzerland Day
1971: Women gained right to vote

History

Switzerland first came into existence in 1291, known in various sources as the Swiss Confederacy or the Swiss Confederation. It was a loose confederation of three cantons who agreed on mutual protection in the wake of troubles within the Holy Roman Empire. While the country is now known for its peaceful nature, at the time its military conquests and repeated victories over the Habsburgs gained them success. Other areas joined, and in 1499 the Swiss Confederation officially became independent. Though Switzerland was vocally neutral, Napoleon Bonaparte attacked and annexed much of the country in 1797. In 1815, it regained its independence, and in 1848 they developed the Swiss Constitution and the current form of government. In both World War I and World War II the country remained neutral.

Diverse Demographics

In a region known for homogeneous nations, Switzerland is unusual. Religiously it is almost evenly split between Catholic and Protestant, with a scattering of Muslims and a little over one-tenth of the nation a member of no religion. Just under 2/3 of the population speaks German, about one-fifth speak French, about one in twenty speaks Italian, and nearly 10% speak another language. The language Romansch, spoken by a small fraction of Swiss, is believed to be descended from the Latin of ancient Roman soldiers.

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