Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8. 5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
About Switzerland in brief
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated at the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8. 5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau. The sovereign state is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product. It ranks at or near the top in several international metrics, including economic competitiveness and human development. In 2019, IMD placed Switzerland first in attracting skilled workers, with Zürich ranked second globally. The World Economic Forum ranks it the 5th most competitive country globally. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the founding document of Switzerland which is celebrated on Swiss National Day. Switzerland occupies the crossroads of Germanic and Romance Europe, as reflected in its four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although the majority of the population are German-speaking, Swiss national identity is rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbolism.
Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross and is home to numerous international organisations, including the United Nations Office at Geneva, which is its second-largest in theWorld. The Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for \”Confederates\”, Eidgen, used since the 14th century. The toponym itself was first attested in 972 as Old High German Suittes, ultimately referring to the area of forest that was burned and cleared to build the town of Schwyz. The name was extended to area dominated by the canton, and gradually came to be used for the entire Swiss Confederation. On coins and stamps, the Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica – frequently shortened to ‘Helvetia’ – is used instead of the four national languages. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century, and is derived from Latin CH, which means ‘Confoederates’ or ‘Helvetica’ The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of the Schwyz and its associated territory, which formed the nucleus of the Waldstätte cantons. It is homophonous to that of the German city of Schwiiz, but distinguished by the definite article ‘Schwyz’.
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This page is based on the article Switzerland published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 17, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
