Switzerland
Switzerland (officially Swiss Confederation) is a country in Western Europe, with its capital at Bern, and is home to roughly 9.0M people.
Its official languages are French, Swiss German, Italian, Romansh; the currency in circulation is Swiss franc (Fr.); people from here are called Swiss.
- »Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
- »It has not fought a foreign war since 1815.
- »Its direct democracy puts major decisions to referendum several times a year.
Switzerland touches five neighbours: Austria to the east, France to the west, Germany to the north, Italy to the southeast and Liechtenstein to the east. Directions run from one centre to the other.
Bern is technically the 'federal city' rather than the capital, because the Swiss constitution deliberately avoids naming one. Its old town sits inside a loop of the Aare river.
41,216 km² (15,914 sq mi), 132nd largest of 198 countries and territories on file, almost exactly the size of Denmark.
Population 9,005,582, 100th of 198 on file. That averages 218 per km² (566 per sq mi).
One of only two square national flags. The white cross on red descends from the banner of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The Red Cross emblem is its colours reversed, in honour of Swiss founder Henry Dunant.