Swissness

General facts

The language communities eat different things and have different traditions and customs. Even their shared history only goes back about two centuries. The Swiss themselves are sometimes puzzled about what they have in common apart from their passport, what it is that makes them Swiss. The Swiss say they are held together by the desire to stay united. The general attitude is summed up in the formula "unity, but not uniformity."

Customs and traditions

History of Switzerland

  • Switzerland: How to

    How do you dispose of rubbish in Switzerland? Will a foreign diploma be recognised? From Switzerland's visa requirements to how the school system works, here you'll find useful tips, facts and links to practical information about Switzerland from SWI...

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  • Security, Criminality and Insurance

    Health and Insurance Drinking and eating-out is hygienic and the tap water is safe. Immunization for contagious diseases is only required if the traveler has been in an infected area within 14 days preceding arrival in Switzerland. Personal...

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  • Climate

    The climate is moderate with no excessive heat, cold or humidity. From July to August the daytime temperature range is 18 to 28 °C (65° - 82° F) and from January to February the range is -2 to 7 °C (28° - 45° F). In spring...

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  • Population

    There are 8,7 Mio. people living in Switzerland. Demographic trends are being influenced by multilingualism, the rising average age and the high proportion of foreigners living in the country.

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  • Language distribution

    Switzerland has four unevenly distributed languages and a wealth of dialects. German (62.6 %) German is by far the most widely spoken language in Switzerland: 19 of the country’s 26 cantons are predominantly (Swiss) German-speaking. French...

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  • Religion

    The majority of people living in Switzerland are Christians. 34.4 % are Roman Catholic, and 22.5 % Protestant. There are also many other religions represented in Switzerland: 5.4 % Muslim, 2.6 % Orthodox Christians, 0.5 % Buddhist, 0.2% Jewish. The...

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  • Politics

    1848: The founding of Switzerland The establishment of the modern state of Switzerland dates back to 1848. Prior to this, Switzerland consisted of a loose alliance of independent cantons. In 1848 Switzerland formed a modern constitution which made a...

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  • Geography

    Switzerland has an area of 41,285 square kilometres (15,940 square miles). The productive area - that is, the area without the lakes, rivers, unproductive vegetation and no vegetation at all - covers 30,753 square km (11,870 square miles). It...

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  • Economy

    Switzerland’s economy is based on a highly qualified labour force performing highly skilled work. The main areas include microtechnology, hitech, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, as well as banking and insurance know-how. The service sector now...

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  • Sustainability & environment

    Modest as we Swiss are, we rarely mention how sustainable our country really is. Yet Switzerland has so much to offer! Countless rankings offer proof of this. Switzerland regularly scores above average in international studies when it comes to...

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