
The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, which borders Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of neutral country, but also of international co-operation, and is home to many international organisations. ''Confœderatio Helvetica'' (CH), the Latin version of the official name, avoids choosing one of the four official languages. The abbreviation is similarly used; for example, it is used as Switzerland's country code top-level domain, .ch. == History == ''Main article: History of Switzerland'' Switzerland is a federation of relatively autonomous Cantons of Switzerlands, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. According to the popular legend, in 1291, representatives of the three forest cantons of Canton of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter of 1291. The charter united the involved parties in the struggle against foreign rule by the Habsburgs, who then held the German imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire. At the Battle of Morgarten in 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured quasi-independence as the Swiss Confederation. The authenticity of the Federal Charter is disputed with many historians agreeing that it is in fact a forgery of the 14th century. By 1353, the three original cantons had been joined by the cantons of Glarus and Zug and the city states of Lucerne, Zürich and Berne, forming the "Old Federation" of eight states that persisted during much of the 15th century (although Zürich was expelled from the confederation during the 1440s due to a territorial conflict) and led to a significant increase of power and wealth of the federation, in particular due to the victories over Charles the Bold of Burgundy during the 1470s, and the success of the Swiss mercenary. The traditional listing order of the cantons of Switzerland reflects this state, listing the eight "Old Cantons" first, with the city states preceding the founding cantons, followed by cantons that joined the federation after 1481, in historical order. The Swiss victory in a war against the Swabian League in 1499 amounted to de facto independence from the Holy Roman Empire. In 1506, pope Julius II engaged the Swiss Guard that continues to serve the Vatican to the present day. The expansion of the federation, and the reputation of invincibility acquired during the earlier wars, suffered a first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the Battle of Marignano. The success of Zwingli's Reformation in some cantons led to inter-cantonal wars in 1529 and 1531 (''Kappeler Kriege''). The conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712. [[Image:Stumpf-Chronik-Zug.png|left|200px|thumb|1548 view of Zug]] Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its neutral country (''ancien régime''). In 1798, armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland and in 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a new constitution, largely restoring Swiss autonomy. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 fully re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise the Swiss neutrality. At this time, the territory of Switzerland was increased for the last time, by the new cantons of Valais, Canton of Neuchâtel and Canton of Geneva. In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (''Sonderbundskrieg''). Its immediate cause was a 'special treaty' (''Sonderbund'') of the Catholic cantons. The war lasted for less than a month, causing fewer than 100 casualties. Apart from small riots, this was the latest armed conflict on Swiss territory. As a consequence of the civil war, Switzerland adopted a federal constitution in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing federal responsibility for defence, trade, and legal matters. In 1891, the constitution was revised with unusually strong elements of direct democracy, which remain unique even today. Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised Swiss history. In 1920, Switzerland joined the League of Nations, and in 1963 the Council of Europe. Switzerland proclaimed neutrality in World War I and was not involved militarily in the conflict. Neutrality was again proclaimed in World War II, and although a German intervention was both planned and anticipated, it ultimately didn't occur. The massive mobilization of Swiss armed forces under the leadership of General Henri Guisan is often cited as a decisive factor that the German invasion was never initiated. Modern historical findings, such as the research done by the Bergier commission, indicate that another major factor was the continued trade by Swiss banks with Nazi Germany. Women were granted the right to vote in the first cantons in 1959, at the federal level in 1971, in the last canton only in 1990. In 1979, parts of the canton of Berne attained independence, forming the new canton of Jura. On April 18, 1999 the Swiss population and the cantons voted in favor of a completely revised federal constitution. In 2002 Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations, leaving the Vatican as the last widely recognized state without full UN membership. Switzerland is not a member state of the EU but applied for membership therein in May 1992. Switzerland has not advanced this application since the rejection, by referendum, of the European Economic Area in December 1992. However, Swiss law is gradually being adjusted to that of the EU and the government has signed a number of bilateral agreements with the European Union. Switzerland (together with Liechtenstein) has been surrounded by the EU since Austria membership in 1995. On June 5, 2005, Swiss voters agreed, by a 55% majority, to join the Schengen treaty, a result that was welcomed by EU commentators as a sign of goodwill by a Switzerland that is traditionally perceived as isolationist. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Switzerland'' [[Image:Curia Confoederationis Heleticae - Swiss parliament and government.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Curia Confoederationis Helveticae in Bern]] Switzerland features a system of government unlike any other seen in Europe, or indeed much of the world. The bicameral Swiss parliament, the Federal Assembly, is the primary seat of power, apart from the Federal Council. Both houses, the Swiss Council of States and the National Council of Switzerland, have equal powers in all respects, including the right to introduce legislation. Under the 1999 constitution, cantons hold all powers not specifically delegated to the federation. The 46 members of the Council of States (two from each canton and one from former half cantons) are directly elected in each canton, whereas the 200 members of the National Council are elected directly under a system of proportional representation. Members of both houses serve for 4 years. Through referenda citizens may challenge any law voted by federal parliament and through initiatives introduce amendments to the federal constitution, making Switzerland a semi-direct democracy. The top executive body and collective Head of State is the Swiss Federal Council, a collegial body of seven members. Although the constitution provides that the Assembly elects and supervises the members of the Council, the latter (and its administration) has gradually assumed a preeminent role in directing the legislative process as well as executing federal laws. The President of the Swiss Confederation is elected from the seven. During a one year term, she assumes special representative functions. From 1959 to December 2003, the four major parties were represented in the Federal Council according to the "magic formula", proportional to their representation in federal parliament: 2 Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, 2 from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, 2 Radical Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, and 1 from the Swiss People's Party. This traditional distribution of seats, however, is not backed up by any law, and in the 2003 elections to the Federal Council the CVP/PDC lost their second seat to the SVP/UDC. The function of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is to hear appeals of cantonal courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration. The judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for six-year terms. See also: * International relations of Switzerland == Cantons (states) == ''Main article: Cantons of Switzerland'' [[Image:Schweiz graubuenden sent.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Wintertime view of Sent, in the eastern canton of Graubünden.]] The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 canton (subnational entity)s:
[*] these Cantons are represented by only one councilor in the Swiss Council of States.
The population varies between 15,000 (Appenzell Innerrhoden) and 1,253,500 (Zürich), area between 37 km² (Basel-Stadt) and 7,105 km² (Grisons). Cantons are divided in a total of municipalities of Switzerland.
The following are enclaves within Switzerland: Büsingen is territory of Germany, Campione d'Italia is territory of Italy.
== Geography ==
''Main article: Geography of Switzerland''
With an area of 41,000 square kilometers, Switzerland is a small country. The population is around 7.4 million, resulting in a population density of 184 people per km² (roughly comparable to the USA state of Maryland).
The Swiss landscape is characterised by the Alps, a high mountain range running across the central-south of the country. Amongst the high peaks of the Swiss Alps, the highest of which is the Dufour Peak at 1 E3 m, are found countless valleys, some with glaciers. From these the headwaters of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhone River, the Inn River, the Aare or the Ticino River, flow down into lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zürich, Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance and farther down.
Switzerland is made up of the Swiss Alps, Mittelland, and Jura.
The northern, more populous part of the country is more open, but can still be fairly mountainous such as with the Jura Mountains, a smaller range in the northwest. The Swiss climate is generally temperate climate, but it can vary greatly locally, from the harsh conditions on the high mountains to the pleasant Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip.
A zoomable map of Switzerland is available at either [http://www.swissinfo-geo.org www.swissinfo-geo.org] or [http://www.swissgeo.ch www.swissgeo.ch], a zoomable satellite picture at [http://map.search.ch/ map.search.ch].
''See also:'' Swisstopo topographical survey, List of lakes of Switzerland, List of rivers of Switzerland, List of mountain passes in Switzerland. == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Switzerland'' Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita Gross Domestic Product higher than that of the big western European economies. Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the European Union's to enhance their international competitiveness. Full EU membership is a long-term objective of the Swiss government, but there is considerable popular sentiment against this. To this end, it has established an [http://www.europa.admin.ch/e/index.htm Integration Office] under the Department of Foreign and Economic Affairs. In order to minimise the negative consequences of Switzerland's isolation from the rest of Europe, Bern and Brussels signed seven agreements, called Bilateral Agreements I, to further liberalise trade ties in 1999 and entering into force in 2001. This first series of bilateral agreements included the free movement of persons. A second series covering nine areas was signed in 2004 and is waiting ratification. The second series includes the Schengen treaty and the Dublin Convention. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland voted against membership in the European Economic Area in December 1992 and has since maintained and developed its relationships with the European Union and European countries via bilateral agreements. * List of Swiss companies == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Switzerland'' German_language_(63.7%;_yellow),_
French_language_(19.2%;_purple),_
Italian_language_(7.6%;_green),_
Romansh_language_(0.6%;_red)">Image:Swiss languages.png|thumb|The languages of Switzerland:
German language (63.7%; yellow),
French language (19.2%; purple),
Italian language (7.6%; green),
Romansh language (0.6%; red) Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures, which have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural practices. Switzerland has four official languages: German language (64%; yellow) in the north and centre, French language (19%; purple) to the west, Italian language (8%; green) in the south, and finally Romansh language, a Romance language spoken by a small minority (<1%; red) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden and parts of Ticino. There is no obligation for the state to translate its communication in all four languages, so most communication is in three languages and only some very important documents are translated to Romansh. Indeed, in the parliament, German, French and Italian are the official languages and simultaneous translation is provided. The German spoken in Switzerland is predominantly a group of dialects that are almost unintelligible to Germans and are collectively known as Swiss German, but newspapers and some broadcasts use High German, which is also the predominant language in the German part for any written communication. Swiss French and Swiss Italian differ far less from their counterparts spoken in France and Italy. Learning one of the other national languages is obligatory for all Swiss, so most Swiss speak two or more languages. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population. The largest religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholicism, to which some 43% of the population adhere. Various Protestant faiths number some 35% of the population, and immigration has established Islam (4%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (2%) as sizable minority religions. The remainder belongs to very small minorities or is unaffiliated. The stability and prosperity of Switzerland, combined with a linguistically and religiously diverse population has led some to describe the country as a consensus state or a consociational state. * List of Swiss people == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Switzerland'' The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours, but over the years a distinctive culture with strong regional differences has developed. Traditionally Switzerland is not considered one of the centres of European culture, but this conception might be deceptive. A number of culturally active Swiss have chosen to move abroad, probably given the limited opportunities in their homeland. At the same time, the neutrality of Switzerland has attracted many creative people from all over the world. In war times the tradition of political asylum helped to attract artists, whilst recently low taxes seem predominant. Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogenous Swiss culture. The influence of German, French and Italian culture on their neighbouring parts and the influence of Anglo-American culture cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is robust. The Swiss are noted for their banks, their chocolate, their Swiss cheese, their Swiss Army knife, their watch, their private boarding schools, and their strengths in engineering and the Culture of Switzerland#Science. The tallest building in Switzerland is the Basler Messeturm. * Music of Switzerland * Culture of Switzerland * Swiss cuisine * SRG SSR idée suisse == Miscellaneous topics == * 2004 in Switzerland * 2005 in Switzerland * Communications in Switzerland * Transportation in Switzerland * Military of Switzerland * Education in Switzerland * Stamps and postal history of Switzerland * Data codes for Switzerland * List of cities in Switzerland * List of Swiss people * List of Switzerland-related topics * Enlargement of the European Union * Third country relationships with the EU == External links == *Governmental websites **[http://www.admin.ch/ch/index.en.html The Federal Authorities] **[http://www.parlament.ch/e/homepage.htm The Swiss Parliament] **[http://www.bger.ch Federal Supreme Court] - (in German, French and Italian) **[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] *[http://www.swissinfo.org/ Switzerland's news and information platform] - maintained by the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (in 9 languages) *[http://www.swissworld.org Swissworld] - an encyclopedic presentation of the country by the Swiss Confederation *[http://www.about.ch/ About.ch] - another presentation of the country *[http://www.dhs.ch/ Historical Dictionary of Switzerland] - Country encyclopedia (in German, French and Italian) *[http://www.culturelinks.ch/ Culturelinks.ch] - a portal giving access to Swiss culture websites *[http://www.myswitzerland.com Switzerland Tourism] National tourist office *[http://www.admin.ch/ch/itl/rs/1/c101ENG.pdf The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation] *[http://www.are.ch Spatial Planning in Switzerland] Website of Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development (land-use planning, transportation, sustainable development) *:als: Switzerland als:Schweiz fo:Sveis ga:An Eilvéis gd:An Eilbheis la:Helvetia li:Zwitserland ms:Switzerland zh-min-nan:Sūi-se nds:Swiez rm:Svizra scn:Svizzira simple:Switzerland th:ประเทศสวิตเซอร์แลนด์ vi:Thụy Sĩ yi:שװײץ
''An event mentioned in this article is a Template:August 1 selected anniversaries'' ----- /Archive 1 | /Archive 2 (attempt to discuss spelling of Swiss cantons) ==International co-operation== I think the fact that Switzerland didn't become a member of the UN until 2002 says a lot about the country not wanting to commit itself. One should consider changing the formulation "The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, as it is home to many international organizations." :well, it's in the UN now. But "international cooperation" could indeed be further specified. User:Dbachmann 17:07, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC) :don't omit that Switzerland is not yet a member of the European Union! The above line was written by User:212.254.98.175. I reverted your changes to Switzerland as most of the points, while not wrong, are already covered in the article or in sub-articles. For example Switzerland#Economy mentions the EU aspect, while the main article Economy of Switzerland lists its industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments. Furthermore I disagree that most speak English, from my recent first hand experience. Many young urban Swiss may speak English, but not the older Swiss and those outside the main centres. -User:Wikibob | User talk:Wikibob 01:31, 2004 Oct 11 (UTC) :agree. we don't need to repeat the average canton size either. It may be worth noting that english plays an increasingly important role, particularly in urban centers, that even threatens traditional swiss multi-lingualism (i.e. young french & german speakers are increasingly likely to communicate in english rather than in either french or german). Switzerland's insularity in the EU however can well be mentioned, as it's becoming the primary focus of questions of external policy. The Economy section has "although Sw is not pursuing membership", as it were presupposing the reader knows it's not a member. But "not yet" implies future membership, which is of course controversial. User:Dbachmann 07:43, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::English might play an increasingly important role but is far from worth mentioning in an encyclopedia as of today. Currently it's nothing else but a fancy fashion quirk. How many of those individuals prefering to speak in English are there really? I don't know any and lived there long enough to have noticed a worth mentioning tendency such as this. User:Arsenio 19:17, 6 Dec 2004 (MET) :::I suppose what dab meant is that English is the foreign language of choice. Have a bunch of French, Italian, and German speaking Swiss meet and you'll find that many try English if their mother tongue doesn't work. And that's pretty well established.User:Rl 21:30, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::::That's a global phaenomen, not a swiss one. Or? User:Arsenio 15:03, 2004 Dec 13 (UTC) ==National Motto== From the article: "''National motto: One for all, all for one''". Could you provide us with a source for this other than Alexandre Dumas? -- User:Docu :*A quick search on admin.ch yields [http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/cf/alloc/19990801.html Allocution de Madame Ruth Dreifuss présidente de la Confédération à l'occasion de la Fête nationale] (also available in German and Italian) where ''Un pour tous, tous pour un'' is indeed mentioned as the national motto. User:Schutz 23:37, 20 Apr 2004 (UTC) :*I'm swiss, and I've never heard of it. Switzerland has no official national motto. Mme Dreifuss was pulling that out of her sleeve, it is Dumas. If there is anything that rings like a national motto, it would be ''"In the name of God, amen"''. This was the preamble of the Letter of Alliance, which was taken over to the constitution of 1848, and could not be kept out of the new constitution of 2000. It has attained sort of a proverbial ring, but it's not an official *motto* as such. User:Dbachmann 08:54, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::I've heard it before reading Ruth Dreifuss' speech on the web, so I doubt she made it up, but I can't find any other reference to it. I'll try to find something, maybe on http://www.swisshelpdesk.org/. User:Schutz 09:50, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::Of course she didn't make it up. Alexandre Dumas did. It's a well-known phrase speech-makers are fond of, nothing more. — that said, some googling convinced me that it seems to be associated with the state somehow in the french-speaking part of Switzerland. eg.: http://www.distinction.ch/LD.Champignac/LD.Champignac.candid01.html : ''notre devise nationale, "Un pour tous, tous pour un !"'' — I assure you that, as a ''suisse alemanique'', I have never heard of it. And even the french version seems to be only anecdotal, judging from the google results. User:Dbachmann 10:46, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::I agree that the evidence is pretty sparse; I'm going to send a few emails to some addresses @admin.ch, we'll see if they can find a reference. In the meantime, we can continue to assume that there is no official motto. User:Schutz 11:01, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::Ok, the question is settled, thanks to http://www.swisshelpdesk.org (very quick, impressive and accurate service !). Short answer: ''UNUS PRO OMNIBUS OMNES PRO UNO'' is the official motto, which can be translated in French as described above and in German ''Einer für alle, alle für Einen''. For a justification, look at the (beautiful) pictures of the dome at http://www.parlament.ch/e/homepage/in-fotografien.htm, in particular http://www.parlament.ch/Poly/Download_Fotos/in-pg-kuppelhalle-2-g.jpg: the motto is there, in Latin, in the middle. In addition, I received a (very quick as well) answer from someone from @admin.ch saying the same thing (they refer to the Bundeshauskuppel as well, but will send me a more complete answer). I'll update the article (Latin or English or both ?) shortly if everyone is happy. User:Schutz 14:43, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::Maybe Latin+French+German+English, following the example of Belgium? User:Schutz 14:49, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::I stand corrected. I have seen the inscription before, but I was not aware that it is anything like an official motto. good job! (to my excuse, there is [http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.admin.ch+%22unus+pro+omnibus%22&btnG=Search not a ''single'' hit from admin.ch]!)User:Dbachmann 14:57, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::::Truth be told I am dumbfounded, too. I think the motto warrants a paragraph of explanation. Otherwise I'm afraid we'll keep having people "fixing" it.User:Rl 17:36, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::::Agreed, especially since I found a little bit of background material by googling using the latin motto (e.g. http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/mythen/english/schweiz.html ), and I'm still waiting for a more detailed answer from Bern. Where do you think it should go ? A new section ? User:Schutz 23:33, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::::::My preferred solution would be to note how and when the motto was adopted, and put that note into History.User:Rl 07:11, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::::::Will wait until I get more info and work on that. Thanks. User:Schutz 07:20, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ah, but I suggest the latin is enough. otherwise, we'd need to give the motto in all four official languages, which would be over the top for something so obscure (only the romands seeming to have any awareness of it at all) User:Dbachmann 20:14, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :I'd rather have no motto at all, but now that we're stuck with it, it would seem rather elitist to only quote the Latin version. At least an English translation in parentheses or something like that seems appropriate. FWIW, it turns out the motto may actually be pretty well known with the folks who went to school not too long after WW II, no matter what language.User:Rl 21:23, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::Have a look at the changes I made a few hours ago; I added the latin, German, French and English version. Any Italian or Romansh speaker around ? User:Schutz 23:33, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::The point made by dab was that there may be too many language versions already, not too few.User:Rl 07:11, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::I understand that; I made the modifications so that we can see what it looks like. Personaly, I don't mind the multiple translations, but I can understand if a majority of people prefer to have only latin+English translation. User:Schutz 07:20, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::quite - I meant, of course, latin + english translation. NPOV would dictate to give a translation in either all four national languages, or in none at all, but I doubt that anyone will really care about it. The Bundeshaus inscription is, after all, in latin precisely to avoid having to choose either french or german. User:Dbachmann 10:30, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC) Interesting reading, though I'm not quite convinced by [http://www.swisshelpdesk.org] mentionned above, but, before debating this further, I supppose I should be writing an article about the "Federal Palace". -- User:Docu ==Spelling== I have moved the discussion on the spelling of Swiss cantons into an /Archive 2. ''The vote is called off''. I didn't think it makes sense to vote since apparently not many seemed to be involved enough. As a result of the discussion/vote I suggest we use the following spellings: : Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Aargau, Basel Stadt, Basel Landschaft, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zürich That is the ''official'' names in the main language spoken in the respective canton, except for ''Geneva'' and ''Lucerne'' where there is a very common English spelling (in accordance with the Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(use_English). User:Kokiri 18:23, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC) For all of those, do remember to create a redirect page which uses no accents or other characters which are not present on an English keyboard. Most native English speakers are unlikely to type a letter which isn't on their keyboard, even if it is possible to type it once you know how. What you've suggested seems to fit well with the way history articles are written, using the name of the place at the time and place of the events and referencing a later or earlier name if useful. User:JamesDay 03:17, 12 Jan 2004 (UTC) :Following the previous discussion, I suggest to move the Zurich-article back to where it used to be: at Zurich. -- User:Docu ::Agreed. It's not currently at a location with significant use by native English speakers. Should continue to give the correct local version in the first paragraph, of course. User:JamesDay 11:48, 17 Jan 2004 (UTC) :There is now a vote at: Talk:Zurich -- User:Docu ---- ==External links== Why the distinction between ''official links'' and ''other links''? Switzerland-in-sight for example is produced by an official body of the government... I suggest we get rid of the two subheadings, unless somebody convinces me otherwise. User:Kokiri 21:57, 26 Jan 2004 (UTC) :The distinction somehow came with the template, .. two other links are also somehow official. Besides, I agree with you. -- User:Docu ==RSF linkage== I have removed the following external link: :''[http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=8247 World-wide press freedom index] Rank 12 out of 166 countries (4 way tie)'' This, because it isn't really about ''Switzerland''. This link should go into an article on ''Press Freedom'', or, if there was a paragraph on that in the article on Switzerland. User:Kokiri 21:02, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC) : Agreed. I've replaced it with something better now (as in many other articles). --User:Shallot 18:47, 29 Jul 2004 (UTC) ==Google links== The following two links were recently added: *[http://www.google.ch Google Switzerland] - regional Google version *[http://www.search.ch search.ch] - regional search engine and phonebook search.ch as I'm not convinced that they add much to the topic. -- User:Docu ==Lake's name== Lake Geneva official name is "Lake Léman", should it bear its official name on the map? Because border line cuts lake in two between Switzerland and France, Lake Léman is more "politically correct". I did not see on your map Lake Neuchâtel, which is the bigger lake in surface that is enterely in Switzerland! Christian, from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland :The map is probably from the CIA World Factbook, if there is a better one we are allowed to used, it might be good thing to change it. -- User:Docu :Strangely enough the lake is commonly called ''Lake Geneva'' in English. This despite ''Lac Léman'' or even ''Le Léman'' is used in the region. There's another case like this: ''Lake Constance'' which is called ''Bodensee'' in the region. The Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(use_English) suggests we use the English names. :This convention on Wikipedia is contrary to some ideas of ''politically correct'' which prefer the use of the local word. User:Kokiri 21:02, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- ==Military== Military_of_Switzerland#Discussion could use some work. .. User:Docu ---- =={msg:EFTA}==
{| style="margin:0 auto;" width=75% align=center id=toc |align=center| European Free Trade Association |- |align=center| Iceland | Liechtenstein | Norway | Switzerland |- |align=center|
Countries of the world | Europe | ''European Economic Area'' | ''Council of Europe'' |} The above frame in its current version suggest that Switzerland is part of the [EEA]. Instead of listing EEA, it might be more useful to list the EU directly afterall there are numerous bilateral agreements. If you want to list EFTA, we might as well include OSCE and not detail the countries, afterall EFTA isn't that important any more. -- User:Docu :There are several reasons for creating this box and that it should apply to the four countries included, also Swizerland. The EEA was a treaty negotiated between the EU and EFTA mainly to provide the EFTA countries access to the EU internal market. Swizerland did reject the treaty, as was in their right. However for the other three EFTA signatory parties the EEA treaty is likely more important than EFTA itself today. Creating an EEA box would be kind of ridiculous as the EU countries would be applicable to both, and that the EEA is compatatively less important for the EU countries than vice versa. What the EFTA box does is that it visibly connects those west European countries which are NOT members of the EU. The properties of the EEA is evident and I think that the box could be left unmodified also for Swizerland, but if the feelings are strong about it could equally well be left out. -- User:Mic 12:31, Feb 22, 2004 (UTC) :Why do we need a {msg:... for only four countries? User:Kokiri 14:20, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC) ::Maybe it'd be better on Economy of Switzerland. -- User:Docu :::Following the suggestions at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries, I replaced it with {msg:Europe} + plus a few international organisations. -- User:Docu ::::What is the reasoning behind directing the country link from the main article to a subarticle? Second, and more importantly, why was this move done just for one country? If there is consensus about a change like this it should be applied universally not unilaterally.-- User:Mic 10:01, Apr 12, 2004 (UTC) :::::I don't mind if you change Template:EFTA back (which you alreay did), as you made Template:SwissEFTA, but we wouldn't want to add either of them unilaterally here, until we have consensus if it's really desirable to have several footers see (Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries, Wikipedia_talk:Page_footers). -- User:Docu ::::::I disagree that EFTA is not important. It is the link between EU and Switzerland, even if Switzerland is not a member of the EEA. All other EFTA countries has a EFTA Template, and it is odd Switzerland doesn't have a
European countriesAlpine countries
==Overview== (As of 5 September 2004) :Category:Switzerland (43) (also in :Category:Alpine countries, :Category:European countries) #:Category:Cantons of Switzerland (28) (also in :Category:Subnational entities) #:Category:Cities in Switzerland (22) (also in :Category:Cities by country) #:Category:Companies of Switzerland (19) (also in :Category:Companies of Europe) ##:Category:Banks of Switzerland (3) (also in :Category:Banks) #:Category:Geography of Switzerland (3) (also in :Category:Geography by country) ##:Category:Mountains of Switzerland (16) (also in :Category:European mountains, :Category:Mountains) ##:Category:Rivers of Switzerland (7) (also in :Category:European rivers) ##:Category:Lakes of Switzerland (15) (also in :Category:Lakes by country) #:Category:History of Switzerland (5) (also in :Category:European history, :Category:History by nation) #:Category:Languages of Switzerland (8) (also in :Category:Languages of Europe) #:Category:Lists of municipalities of Switzerland (7) (also in :Category:Lists of municipalities) #:Category:Military of Switzerland (2) (also in :Category:Militaries) ##:Category:Swiss Air Force (1) (also in :Category:Air forces) #:Category:Politics of Switzerland (1) (also in :Category:European politics, :Category:Politics by country) ##:Category:Elections in Switzerland (1) (also in :Category:Election results) ###:Category:Political parties in Switzerland (10) (also in :Category:Political parties by country, :Category:Politics of Switzerland) ##:Category:Political parties in Switzerland (10) (also in :Category:Elections in Switzerland, :Category:Political parties by country) ##:Category:Swiss politicians (1) (also in :Category:Politicians by nationality, :Category:Swiss people) ###:Category:Members of the Swiss Federal Council (108) #:Category:Swiss aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Aircraft) ##:Category:Swiss civil aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss airliners (0) (also in :Category:Airliners) ####:Category:Swiss airliners 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Airliners 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1940-1949 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1950-1959 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1960-1969 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss sailplanes 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Sailplanes 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss sailplanes) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1990-1999) ####:Category:Swiss airliners 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Airliners 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss airliners) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999) ###:Category:Swiss sailplanes (0) (also in :Category:Sailplanes) ####:Category:Swiss sailplanes 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Sailplanes 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1960-1969) ##:Category:Swiss military aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1940-1949 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1960-1969 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1980-1989 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1980-1989) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1980-1989 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1980-1989, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 2000-2009 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 2000-2009) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 2000-2009 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 2000-2009, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1950-1959 (0) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959) #####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1980-1989 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1980-1989, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1980-1989) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 2000-2009 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 2000-2009, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 2000-2009) #:Category:Swiss culture (1) ##:Category:Swiss cuisine (6) (also in :Category:Cuisine) ##:Category:Swiss music (7) (also in :Category:Central European music, :Category:Francophone music, :Category:Germanic music, :Category:Western European music) ###:Category:Swiss musical groups (2) (also in :Category:Musical groups by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss sport (1) (also in :Category:Sports by country) ###:Category:1928 Winter Olympics (2) (also in :Category:1928 in sports, :Category:Winter Olympic Games) ###:Category:Swiss football (2) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) by country) ####:Category:Swiss football clubs (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) clubs) ####:Category:Swiss footballers (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) players, :Category:Swiss sportspeople) ###:Category:Swiss ice hockey (0) (also in :Category:Ice hockey) ####:Category:Swiss ice hockey players (1) (also in :Category:Ice hockey players by country, :Category:Swiss sportspeople) #:Category:Swiss people (9) (also in :Category:People by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss actors and actresses (1) (also in :Category:Actors by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss architects (5) (also in :Category:Architects) ##:Category:Swiss painters (10) (also in :Category:Painters) ##:Category:Swiss politicians (1) (also in :Category:Politicians by nationality, :Category:Politics of Switzerland) ###:Category:Members of the Swiss Federal Council (108) ##:Category:Swiss sportspeople (0) (also in :Category:Sportspeople by country) ###:Category:Swiss footballers (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) players, :Category:Swiss football) ###:Category:Swiss ice hockey players (1) (also in :Category:Ice hockey players by country, :Category:Swiss ice hockey) #:Category:Swiss universities (6) (also in :Category:Universities and colleges by nationality) #:Category:Transportation in Switzerland (11) (also in :Category:Transportation by country) ##:Category:Airports of Switzerland (4) (also in :Category:Airports)
{| id="toc" style="margin: 0 2em 0 2em;"
! style="background:#ccccff" align="center" width="100%" | Cantons of Switzerland of Switzerland ||
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Aargau | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | Appenzell Innerrhoden | Basel-City | Basel-Country | Canton of Bern | Canton of Fribourg | Canton of Geneva | Canton of Glarus | Grisons | Canton of Jura | Canton of Lucerne | Canton of Neuchâtel | Nidwalden | Obwalden | Canton of Schaffhausen | Canton of Schwyz | Canton of Solothurn | Canton of St. Gallen | Thurgau | Ticino | Uri | Valais | Vaud | Canton of Zug | Canton of Zürich
|}
#REDIRECT User:Uris
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Switzerland:
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland's_Federal_Council
Switzerland-district
Switzerland-geo-stub
Switzerland-geo-stub
Switzerland-related_stubs
Switzerland-stub
Switzerland/Archive_1
Switzerland/Archive_2
Switzerland/Archive_3
Switzerland/Communications
Switzerland/Economy
Switzerland/Geography
Switzerland/Government
Switzerland/History
Switzerland/Language
Switzerland/Military
Switzerland/People
Switzerland/Transnational_issues
Switzerland/Transportation
Switzerland_as_a_federal_state
Switzerland_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1980_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_2000_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_County
Switzerland_County,_IN
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_during_the_World_Wars
Switzerland_geography_stubs
Switzerland_infobox
Switzerland_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest
Switzerland_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956
Switzerland_in_the_Napoleonic_era
Switzerland_in_the_World_Wars
Switzerland_national_football_team
Switzerland
The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, which borders Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of neutral country, but also of international co-operation, and is home to many international organisations. ''Confœderatio Helvetica'' (CH), the Latin version of the official name, avoids choosing one of the four official languages. The abbreviation is similarly used; for example, it is used as Switzerland's country code top-level domain, .ch. == History == ''Main article: History of Switzerland'' Switzerland is a federation of relatively autonomous Cantons of Switzerlands, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. According to the popular legend, in 1291, representatives of the three forest cantons of Canton of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter of 1291. The charter united the involved parties in the struggle against foreign rule by the Habsburgs, who then held the German imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire. At the Battle of Morgarten in 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured quasi-independence as the Swiss Confederation. The authenticity of the Federal Charter is disputed with many historians agreeing that it is in fact a forgery of the 14th century. By 1353, the three original cantons had been joined by the cantons of Glarus and Zug and the city states of Lucerne, Zürich and Berne, forming the "Old Federation" of eight states that persisted during much of the 15th century (although Zürich was expelled from the confederation during the 1440s due to a territorial conflict) and led to a significant increase of power and wealth of the federation, in particular due to the victories over Charles the Bold of Burgundy during the 1470s, and the success of the Swiss mercenary. The traditional listing order of the cantons of Switzerland reflects this state, listing the eight "Old Cantons" first, with the city states preceding the founding cantons, followed by cantons that joined the federation after 1481, in historical order. The Swiss victory in a war against the Swabian League in 1499 amounted to de facto independence from the Holy Roman Empire. In 1506, pope Julius II engaged the Swiss Guard that continues to serve the Vatican to the present day. The expansion of the federation, and the reputation of invincibility acquired during the earlier wars, suffered a first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the Battle of Marignano. The success of Zwingli's Reformation in some cantons led to inter-cantonal wars in 1529 and 1531 (''Kappeler Kriege''). The conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712. [[Image:Stumpf-Chronik-Zug.png|left|200px|thumb|1548 view of Zug]] Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its neutral country (''ancien régime''). In 1798, armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland and in 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a new constitution, largely restoring Swiss autonomy. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 fully re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise the Swiss neutrality. At this time, the territory of Switzerland was increased for the last time, by the new cantons of Valais, Canton of Neuchâtel and Canton of Geneva. In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons (''Sonderbundskrieg''). Its immediate cause was a 'special treaty' (''Sonderbund'') of the Catholic cantons. The war lasted for less than a month, causing fewer than 100 casualties. Apart from small riots, this was the latest armed conflict on Swiss territory. As a consequence of the civil war, Switzerland adopted a federal constitution in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing federal responsibility for defence, trade, and legal matters. In 1891, the constitution was revised with unusually strong elements of direct democracy, which remain unique even today. Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised Swiss history. In 1920, Switzerland joined the League of Nations, and in 1963 the Council of Europe. Switzerland proclaimed neutrality in World War I and was not involved militarily in the conflict. Neutrality was again proclaimed in World War II, and although a German intervention was both planned and anticipated, it ultimately didn't occur. The massive mobilization of Swiss armed forces under the leadership of General Henri Guisan is often cited as a decisive factor that the German invasion was never initiated. Modern historical findings, such as the research done by the Bergier commission, indicate that another major factor was the continued trade by Swiss banks with Nazi Germany. Women were granted the right to vote in the first cantons in 1959, at the federal level in 1971, in the last canton only in 1990. In 1979, parts of the canton of Berne attained independence, forming the new canton of Jura. On April 18, 1999 the Swiss population and the cantons voted in favor of a completely revised federal constitution. In 2002 Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations, leaving the Vatican as the last widely recognized state without full UN membership. Switzerland is not a member state of the EU but applied for membership therein in May 1992. Switzerland has not advanced this application since the rejection, by referendum, of the European Economic Area in December 1992. However, Swiss law is gradually being adjusted to that of the EU and the government has signed a number of bilateral agreements with the European Union. Switzerland (together with Liechtenstein) has been surrounded by the EU since Austria membership in 1995. On June 5, 2005, Swiss voters agreed, by a 55% majority, to join the Schengen treaty, a result that was welcomed by EU commentators as a sign of goodwill by a Switzerland that is traditionally perceived as isolationist. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Switzerland'' [[Image:Curia Confoederationis Heleticae - Swiss parliament and government.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Curia Confoederationis Helveticae in Bern]] Switzerland features a system of government unlike any other seen in Europe, or indeed much of the world. The bicameral Swiss parliament, the Federal Assembly, is the primary seat of power, apart from the Federal Council. Both houses, the Swiss Council of States and the National Council of Switzerland, have equal powers in all respects, including the right to introduce legislation. Under the 1999 constitution, cantons hold all powers not specifically delegated to the federation. The 46 members of the Council of States (two from each canton and one from former half cantons) are directly elected in each canton, whereas the 200 members of the National Council are elected directly under a system of proportional representation. Members of both houses serve for 4 years. Through referenda citizens may challenge any law voted by federal parliament and through initiatives introduce amendments to the federal constitution, making Switzerland a semi-direct democracy. The top executive body and collective Head of State is the Swiss Federal Council, a collegial body of seven members. Although the constitution provides that the Assembly elects and supervises the members of the Council, the latter (and its administration) has gradually assumed a preeminent role in directing the legislative process as well as executing federal laws. The President of the Swiss Confederation is elected from the seven. During a one year term, she assumes special representative functions. From 1959 to December 2003, the four major parties were represented in the Federal Council according to the "magic formula", proportional to their representation in federal parliament: 2 Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, 2 from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, 2 Radical Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, and 1 from the Swiss People's Party. This traditional distribution of seats, however, is not backed up by any law, and in the 2003 elections to the Federal Council the CVP/PDC lost their second seat to the SVP/UDC. The function of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is to hear appeals of cantonal courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration. The judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for six-year terms. See also: * International relations of Switzerland == Cantons (states) == ''Main article: Cantons of Switzerland'' [[Image:Schweiz graubuenden sent.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Wintertime view of Sent, in the eastern canton of Graubünden.]] The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 canton (subnational entity)s:
| *Aargau (Argovia) *Appenzell Innerrhoden (Inner Rhodes) * *Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Outer Rhodes) * *Basel-Stadt (Basle-City) * *Basel-Landschaft (Basle-Country) * *Canton of Bern (Berne) *Canton of Fribourg (Freiburg) *Canton of Geneva (Genève) *Canton of Glarus *Graubünden (Grischun/Grigioni) *Canton of Jura *Canton of Lucerne (Luzern) *Canton of Neuchâtel | *Nidwalden * *Obwalden * *Canton of Schaffhausen *Canton of Schwyz *Canton of Solothurn (Soleure) *Canton of St. Gallen (St. Gall) *Thurgau (Thurgovia) *Ticino *Canton of Uri *Valais (Wallis) *Vaud *Canton of Zug *Canton of Zurich (Zurich) |
''See also:'' Swisstopo topographical survey, List of lakes of Switzerland, List of rivers of Switzerland, List of mountain passes in Switzerland. == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Switzerland'' Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita Gross Domestic Product higher than that of the big western European economies. Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the European Union's to enhance their international competitiveness. Full EU membership is a long-term objective of the Swiss government, but there is considerable popular sentiment against this. To this end, it has established an [http://www.europa.admin.ch/e/index.htm Integration Office] under the Department of Foreign and Economic Affairs. In order to minimise the negative consequences of Switzerland's isolation from the rest of Europe, Bern and Brussels signed seven agreements, called Bilateral Agreements I, to further liberalise trade ties in 1999 and entering into force in 2001. This first series of bilateral agreements included the free movement of persons. A second series covering nine areas was signed in 2004 and is waiting ratification. The second series includes the Schengen treaty and the Dublin Convention. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland voted against membership in the European Economic Area in December 1992 and has since maintained and developed its relationships with the European Union and European countries via bilateral agreements. * List of Swiss companies == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Switzerland'' German_language_(63.7%;_yellow),_
German language (63.7%; yellow),
French language (19.2%; purple),
Italian language (7.6%; green),
Romansh language (0.6%; red) Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures, which have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural practices. Switzerland has four official languages: German language (64%; yellow) in the north and centre, French language (19%; purple) to the west, Italian language (8%; green) in the south, and finally Romansh language, a Romance language spoken by a small minority (<1%; red) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden and parts of Ticino. There is no obligation for the state to translate its communication in all four languages, so most communication is in three languages and only some very important documents are translated to Romansh. Indeed, in the parliament, German, French and Italian are the official languages and simultaneous translation is provided. The German spoken in Switzerland is predominantly a group of dialects that are almost unintelligible to Germans and are collectively known as Swiss German, but newspapers and some broadcasts use High German, which is also the predominant language in the German part for any written communication. Swiss French and Swiss Italian differ far less from their counterparts spoken in France and Italy. Learning one of the other national languages is obligatory for all Swiss, so most Swiss speak two or more languages. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population. The largest religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholicism, to which some 43% of the population adhere. Various Protestant faiths number some 35% of the population, and immigration has established Islam (4%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (2%) as sizable minority religions. The remainder belongs to very small minorities or is unaffiliated. The stability and prosperity of Switzerland, combined with a linguistically and religiously diverse population has led some to describe the country as a consensus state or a consociational state. * List of Swiss people == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Switzerland'' The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours, but over the years a distinctive culture with strong regional differences has developed. Traditionally Switzerland is not considered one of the centres of European culture, but this conception might be deceptive. A number of culturally active Swiss have chosen to move abroad, probably given the limited opportunities in their homeland. At the same time, the neutrality of Switzerland has attracted many creative people from all over the world. In war times the tradition of political asylum helped to attract artists, whilst recently low taxes seem predominant. Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogenous Swiss culture. The influence of German, French and Italian culture on their neighbouring parts and the influence of Anglo-American culture cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is robust. The Swiss are noted for their banks, their chocolate, their Swiss cheese, their Swiss Army knife, their watch, their private boarding schools, and their strengths in engineering and the Culture of Switzerland#Science. The tallest building in Switzerland is the Basler Messeturm. * Music of Switzerland * Culture of Switzerland * Swiss cuisine * SRG SSR idée suisse == Miscellaneous topics == * 2004 in Switzerland * 2005 in Switzerland * Communications in Switzerland * Transportation in Switzerland * Military of Switzerland * Education in Switzerland * Stamps and postal history of Switzerland * Data codes for Switzerland * List of cities in Switzerland * List of Swiss people * List of Switzerland-related topics * Enlargement of the European Union * Third country relationships with the EU == External links == *Governmental websites **[http://www.admin.ch/ch/index.en.html The Federal Authorities] **[http://www.parlament.ch/e/homepage.htm The Swiss Parliament] **[http://www.bger.ch Federal Supreme Court] - (in German, French and Italian) **[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] *[http://www.swissinfo.org/ Switzerland's news and information platform] - maintained by the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (in 9 languages) *[http://www.swissworld.org Swissworld] - an encyclopedic presentation of the country by the Swiss Confederation *[http://www.about.ch/ About.ch] - another presentation of the country *[http://www.dhs.ch/ Historical Dictionary of Switzerland] - Country encyclopedia (in German, French and Italian) *[http://www.culturelinks.ch/ Culturelinks.ch] - a portal giving access to Swiss culture websites *[http://www.myswitzerland.com Switzerland Tourism] National tourist office *[http://www.admin.ch/ch/itl/rs/1/c101ENG.pdf The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation] *[http://www.are.ch Spatial Planning in Switzerland] Website of Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development (land-use planning, transportation, sustainable development) *:als: Switzerland als:Schweiz fo:Sveis ga:An Eilvéis gd:An Eilbheis la:Helvetia li:Zwitserland ms:Switzerland zh-min-nan:Sūi-se nds:Swiez rm:Svizra scn:Svizzira simple:Switzerland th:ประเทศสวิตเซอร์แลนด์ vi:Thụy Sĩ yi:שװײץ
Switzerland
''An event mentioned in this article is a Template:August 1 selected anniversaries'' ----- /Archive 1 | /Archive 2 (attempt to discuss spelling of Swiss cantons) ==International co-operation== I think the fact that Switzerland didn't become a member of the UN until 2002 says a lot about the country not wanting to commit itself. One should consider changing the formulation "The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, as it is home to many international organizations." :well, it's in the UN now. But "international cooperation" could indeed be further specified. User:Dbachmann 17:07, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC) :don't omit that Switzerland is not yet a member of the European Union! The above line was written by User:212.254.98.175. I reverted your changes to Switzerland as most of the points, while not wrong, are already covered in the article or in sub-articles. For example Switzerland#Economy mentions the EU aspect, while the main article Economy of Switzerland lists its industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments. Furthermore I disagree that most speak English, from my recent first hand experience. Many young urban Swiss may speak English, but not the older Swiss and those outside the main centres. -User:Wikibob | User talk:Wikibob 01:31, 2004 Oct 11 (UTC) :agree. we don't need to repeat the average canton size either. It may be worth noting that english plays an increasingly important role, particularly in urban centers, that even threatens traditional swiss multi-lingualism (i.e. young french & german speakers are increasingly likely to communicate in english rather than in either french or german). Switzerland's insularity in the EU however can well be mentioned, as it's becoming the primary focus of questions of external policy. The Economy section has "although Sw is not pursuing membership", as it were presupposing the reader knows it's not a member. But "not yet" implies future membership, which is of course controversial. User:Dbachmann 07:43, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::English might play an increasingly important role but is far from worth mentioning in an encyclopedia as of today. Currently it's nothing else but a fancy fashion quirk. How many of those individuals prefering to speak in English are there really? I don't know any and lived there long enough to have noticed a worth mentioning tendency such as this. User:Arsenio 19:17, 6 Dec 2004 (MET) :::I suppose what dab meant is that English is the foreign language of choice. Have a bunch of French, Italian, and German speaking Swiss meet and you'll find that many try English if their mother tongue doesn't work. And that's pretty well established.User:Rl 21:30, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC) ::::That's a global phaenomen, not a swiss one. Or? User:Arsenio 15:03, 2004 Dec 13 (UTC) ==National Motto== From the article: "''National motto: One for all, all for one''". Could you provide us with a source for this other than Alexandre Dumas? -- User:Docu :*A quick search on admin.ch yields [http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/cf/alloc/19990801.html Allocution de Madame Ruth Dreifuss présidente de la Confédération à l'occasion de la Fête nationale] (also available in German and Italian) where ''Un pour tous, tous pour un'' is indeed mentioned as the national motto. User:Schutz 23:37, 20 Apr 2004 (UTC) :*I'm swiss, and I've never heard of it. Switzerland has no official national motto. Mme Dreifuss was pulling that out of her sleeve, it is Dumas. If there is anything that rings like a national motto, it would be ''"In the name of God, amen"''. This was the preamble of the Letter of Alliance, which was taken over to the constitution of 1848, and could not be kept out of the new constitution of 2000. It has attained sort of a proverbial ring, but it's not an official *motto* as such. User:Dbachmann 08:54, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::I've heard it before reading Ruth Dreifuss' speech on the web, so I doubt she made it up, but I can't find any other reference to it. I'll try to find something, maybe on http://www.swisshelpdesk.org/. User:Schutz 09:50, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::Of course she didn't make it up. Alexandre Dumas did. It's a well-known phrase speech-makers are fond of, nothing more. — that said, some googling convinced me that it seems to be associated with the state somehow in the french-speaking part of Switzerland. eg.: http://www.distinction.ch/LD.Champignac/LD.Champignac.candid01.html : ''notre devise nationale, "Un pour tous, tous pour un !"'' — I assure you that, as a ''suisse alemanique'', I have never heard of it. And even the french version seems to be only anecdotal, judging from the google results. User:Dbachmann 10:46, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::I agree that the evidence is pretty sparse; I'm going to send a few emails to some addresses @admin.ch, we'll see if they can find a reference. In the meantime, we can continue to assume that there is no official motto. User:Schutz 11:01, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::Ok, the question is settled, thanks to http://www.swisshelpdesk.org (very quick, impressive and accurate service !). Short answer: ''UNUS PRO OMNIBUS OMNES PRO UNO'' is the official motto, which can be translated in French as described above and in German ''Einer für alle, alle für Einen''. For a justification, look at the (beautiful) pictures of the dome at http://www.parlament.ch/e/homepage/in-fotografien.htm, in particular http://www.parlament.ch/Poly/Download_Fotos/in-pg-kuppelhalle-2-g.jpg: the motto is there, in Latin, in the middle. In addition, I received a (very quick as well) answer from someone from @admin.ch saying the same thing (they refer to the Bundeshauskuppel as well, but will send me a more complete answer). I'll update the article (Latin or English or both ?) shortly if everyone is happy. User:Schutz 14:43, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::Maybe Latin+French+German+English, following the example of Belgium? User:Schutz 14:49, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::I stand corrected. I have seen the inscription before, but I was not aware that it is anything like an official motto. good job! (to my excuse, there is [http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.admin.ch+%22unus+pro+omnibus%22&btnG=Search not a ''single'' hit from admin.ch]!)User:Dbachmann 14:57, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::::Truth be told I am dumbfounded, too. I think the motto warrants a paragraph of explanation. Otherwise I'm afraid we'll keep having people "fixing" it.User:Rl 17:36, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::::Agreed, especially since I found a little bit of background material by googling using the latin motto (e.g. http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/mythen/english/schweiz.html ), and I'm still waiting for a more detailed answer from Bern. Where do you think it should go ? A new section ? User:Schutz 23:33, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::::::::My preferred solution would be to note how and when the motto was adopted, and put that note into History.User:Rl 07:11, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::::::::Will wait until I get more info and work on that. Thanks. User:Schutz 07:20, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ah, but I suggest the latin is enough. otherwise, we'd need to give the motto in all four official languages, which would be over the top for something so obscure (only the romands seeming to have any awareness of it at all) User:Dbachmann 20:14, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :I'd rather have no motto at all, but now that we're stuck with it, it would seem rather elitist to only quote the Latin version. At least an English translation in parentheses or something like that seems appropriate. FWIW, it turns out the motto may actually be pretty well known with the folks who went to school not too long after WW II, no matter what language.User:Rl 21:23, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::Have a look at the changes I made a few hours ago; I added the latin, German, French and English version. Any Italian or Romansh speaker around ? User:Schutz 23:33, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC) :::The point made by dab was that there may be too many language versions already, not too few.User:Rl 07:11, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::I understand that; I made the modifications so that we can see what it looks like. Personaly, I don't mind the multiple translations, but I can understand if a majority of people prefer to have only latin+English translation. User:Schutz 07:20, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC) ::::quite - I meant, of course, latin + english translation. NPOV would dictate to give a translation in either all four national languages, or in none at all, but I doubt that anyone will really care about it. The Bundeshaus inscription is, after all, in latin precisely to avoid having to choose either french or german. User:Dbachmann 10:30, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC) Interesting reading, though I'm not quite convinced by [http://www.swisshelpdesk.org] mentionned above, but, before debating this further, I supppose I should be writing an article about the "Federal Palace". -- User:Docu ==Spelling== I have moved the discussion on the spelling of Swiss cantons into an /Archive 2. ''The vote is called off''. I didn't think it makes sense to vote since apparently not many seemed to be involved enough. As a result of the discussion/vote I suggest we use the following spellings: : Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Aargau, Basel Stadt, Basel Landschaft, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zürich That is the ''official'' names in the main language spoken in the respective canton, except for ''Geneva'' and ''Lucerne'' where there is a very common English spelling (in accordance with the Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(use_English). User:Kokiri 18:23, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC) For all of those, do remember to create a redirect page which uses no accents or other characters which are not present on an English keyboard. Most native English speakers are unlikely to type a letter which isn't on their keyboard, even if it is possible to type it once you know how. What you've suggested seems to fit well with the way history articles are written, using the name of the place at the time and place of the events and referencing a later or earlier name if useful. User:JamesDay 03:17, 12 Jan 2004 (UTC) :Following the previous discussion, I suggest to move the Zurich-article back to where it used to be: at Zurich. -- User:Docu ::Agreed. It's not currently at a location with significant use by native English speakers. Should continue to give the correct local version in the first paragraph, of course. User:JamesDay 11:48, 17 Jan 2004 (UTC) :There is now a vote at: Talk:Zurich -- User:Docu ---- ==External links== Why the distinction between ''official links'' and ''other links''? Switzerland-in-sight for example is produced by an official body of the government... I suggest we get rid of the two subheadings, unless somebody convinces me otherwise. User:Kokiri 21:57, 26 Jan 2004 (UTC) :The distinction somehow came with the template, .. two other links are also somehow official. Besides, I agree with you. -- User:Docu ==RSF linkage== I have removed the following external link: :''[http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=8247 World-wide press freedom index] Rank 12 out of 166 countries (4 way tie)'' This, because it isn't really about ''Switzerland''. This link should go into an article on ''Press Freedom'', or, if there was a paragraph on that in the article on Switzerland. User:Kokiri 21:02, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC) : Agreed. I've replaced it with something better now (as in many other articles). --User:Shallot 18:47, 29 Jul 2004 (UTC) ==Google links== The following two links were recently added: *[http://www.google.ch Google Switzerland] - regional Google version *[http://www.search.ch search.ch] - regional search engine and phonebook search.ch as I'm not convinced that they add much to the topic. -- User:Docu ==Lake's name== Lake Geneva official name is "Lake Léman", should it bear its official name on the map? Because border line cuts lake in two between Switzerland and France, Lake Léman is more "politically correct". I did not see on your map Lake Neuchâtel, which is the bigger lake in surface that is enterely in Switzerland! Christian, from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland :The map is probably from the CIA World Factbook, if there is a better one we are allowed to used, it might be good thing to change it. -- User:Docu :Strangely enough the lake is commonly called ''Lake Geneva'' in English. This despite ''Lac Léman'' or even ''Le Léman'' is used in the region. There's another case like this: ''Lake Constance'' which is called ''Bodensee'' in the region. The Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(use_English) suggests we use the English names. :This convention on Wikipedia is contrary to some ideas of ''politically correct'' which prefer the use of the local word. User:Kokiri 21:02, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- ==Military== Military_of_Switzerland#Discussion could use some work. .. User:Docu ---- =={msg:EFTA}==
{| style="margin:0 auto;" width=75% align=center id=toc |align=center| European Free Trade Association |- |align=center| Iceland | Liechtenstein | Norway | Switzerland |- |align=center|
Countries of the world | Europe | ''European Economic Area'' | ''Council of Europe'' |} The above frame in its current version suggest that Switzerland is part of the [EEA]. Instead of listing EEA, it might be more useful to list the EU directly afterall there are numerous bilateral agreements. If you want to list EFTA, we might as well include OSCE and not detail the countries, afterall EFTA isn't that important any more. -- User:Docu :There are several reasons for creating this box and that it should apply to the four countries included, also Swizerland. The EEA was a treaty negotiated between the EU and EFTA mainly to provide the EFTA countries access to the EU internal market. Swizerland did reject the treaty, as was in their right. However for the other three EFTA signatory parties the EEA treaty is likely more important than EFTA itself today. Creating an EEA box would be kind of ridiculous as the EU countries would be applicable to both, and that the EEA is compatatively less important for the EU countries than vice versa. What the EFTA box does is that it visibly connects those west European countries which are NOT members of the EU. The properties of the EEA is evident and I think that the box could be left unmodified also for Swizerland, but if the feelings are strong about it could equally well be left out. -- User:Mic 12:31, Feb 22, 2004 (UTC) :Why do we need a {msg:... for only four countries? User:Kokiri 14:20, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC) ::Maybe it'd be better on Economy of Switzerland. -- User:Docu :::Following the suggestions at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries, I replaced it with {msg:Europe} + plus a few international organisations. -- User:Docu ::::What is the reasoning behind directing the country link from the main article to a subarticle? Second, and more importantly, why was this move done just for one country? If there is consensus about a change like this it should be applied universally not unilaterally.-- User:Mic 10:01, Apr 12, 2004 (UTC) :::::I don't mind if you change Template:EFTA back (which you alreay did), as you made Template:SwissEFTA, but we wouldn't want to add either of them unilaterally here, until we have consensus if it's really desirable to have several footers see (Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries, Wikipedia_talk:Page_footers). -- User:Docu ::::::I disagree that EFTA is not important. It is the link between EU and Switzerland, even if Switzerland is not a member of the EEA. All other EFTA countries has a EFTA Template, and it is odd Switzerland doesn't have a
Switzerland
European countriesAlpine countries
Switzerland
==Overview== (As of 5 September 2004) :Category:Switzerland (43) (also in :Category:Alpine countries, :Category:European countries) #:Category:Cantons of Switzerland (28) (also in :Category:Subnational entities) #:Category:Cities in Switzerland (22) (also in :Category:Cities by country) #:Category:Companies of Switzerland (19) (also in :Category:Companies of Europe) ##:Category:Banks of Switzerland (3) (also in :Category:Banks) #:Category:Geography of Switzerland (3) (also in :Category:Geography by country) ##:Category:Mountains of Switzerland (16) (also in :Category:European mountains, :Category:Mountains) ##:Category:Rivers of Switzerland (7) (also in :Category:European rivers) ##:Category:Lakes of Switzerland (15) (also in :Category:Lakes by country) #:Category:History of Switzerland (5) (also in :Category:European history, :Category:History by nation) #:Category:Languages of Switzerland (8) (also in :Category:Languages of Europe) #:Category:Lists of municipalities of Switzerland (7) (also in :Category:Lists of municipalities) #:Category:Military of Switzerland (2) (also in :Category:Militaries) ##:Category:Swiss Air Force (1) (also in :Category:Air forces) #:Category:Politics of Switzerland (1) (also in :Category:European politics, :Category:Politics by country) ##:Category:Elections in Switzerland (1) (also in :Category:Election results) ###:Category:Political parties in Switzerland (10) (also in :Category:Political parties by country, :Category:Politics of Switzerland) ##:Category:Political parties in Switzerland (10) (also in :Category:Elections in Switzerland, :Category:Political parties by country) ##:Category:Swiss politicians (1) (also in :Category:Politicians by nationality, :Category:Swiss people) ###:Category:Members of the Swiss Federal Council (108) #:Category:Swiss aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Aircraft) ##:Category:Swiss civil aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss airliners (0) (also in :Category:Airliners) ####:Category:Swiss airliners 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Airliners 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1940-1949 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1950-1959 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1960-1969 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss sailplanes 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Sailplanes 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss sailplanes) ###:Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999 (0) (also in :Category:Civil aircraft 1990-1999) ####:Category:Swiss airliners 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Airliners 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss airliners) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss civil utility aircraft 1990-1999 (1) (also in :Category:Civil utility aircraft 1990-1999, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1990-1999) ###:Category:Swiss sailplanes (0) (also in :Category:Sailplanes) ####:Category:Swiss sailplanes 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Sailplanes 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss civil aircraft 1960-1969) ##:Category:Swiss military aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1940-1949 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1960-1969 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1980-1989 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 1980-1989) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1980-1989 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1980-1989, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military aircraft 2000-2009 (0) (also in :Category:Military aircraft 2000-2009) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 2000-2009 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 2000-2009, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ###:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft (0) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss military aircraft 1950-1959 (0) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959) #####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1940-1949 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1940-1949, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1940-1949) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1950-1959 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1950-1959, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1950-1959) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1960-1969 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1960-1969, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1960-1969) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 1980-1989 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 1980-1989, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 1980-1989) ####:Category:Swiss military trainer aircraft 2000-2009 (1) (also in :Category:Military trainer aircraft 2000-2009, :Category:Swiss military aircraft 2000-2009) #:Category:Swiss culture (1) ##:Category:Swiss cuisine (6) (also in :Category:Cuisine) ##:Category:Swiss music (7) (also in :Category:Central European music, :Category:Francophone music, :Category:Germanic music, :Category:Western European music) ###:Category:Swiss musical groups (2) (also in :Category:Musical groups by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss sport (1) (also in :Category:Sports by country) ###:Category:1928 Winter Olympics (2) (also in :Category:1928 in sports, :Category:Winter Olympic Games) ###:Category:Swiss football (2) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) by country) ####:Category:Swiss football clubs (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) clubs) ####:Category:Swiss footballers (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) players, :Category:Swiss sportspeople) ###:Category:Swiss ice hockey (0) (also in :Category:Ice hockey) ####:Category:Swiss ice hockey players (1) (also in :Category:Ice hockey players by country, :Category:Swiss sportspeople) #:Category:Swiss people (9) (also in :Category:People by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss actors and actresses (1) (also in :Category:Actors by nationality) ##:Category:Swiss architects (5) (also in :Category:Architects) ##:Category:Swiss painters (10) (also in :Category:Painters) ##:Category:Swiss politicians (1) (also in :Category:Politicians by nationality, :Category:Politics of Switzerland) ###:Category:Members of the Swiss Federal Council (108) ##:Category:Swiss sportspeople (0) (also in :Category:Sportspeople by country) ###:Category:Swiss footballers (5) (also in :Category:Football (soccer) players, :Category:Swiss football) ###:Category:Swiss ice hockey players (1) (also in :Category:Ice hockey players by country, :Category:Swiss ice hockey) #:Category:Swiss universities (6) (also in :Category:Universities and colleges by nationality) #:Category:Transportation in Switzerland (11) (also in :Category:Transportation by country) ##:Category:Airports of Switzerland (4) (also in :Category:Airports)
Switzerland
Switzerland
#REDIRECT User:Uris
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
S
SB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SR | SS | ST | SU | SW | SX | SY | SZ |Words begining with Switzerland:
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland's_Federal_Council
Switzerland-district
Switzerland-geo-stub
Switzerland-geo-stub
Switzerland-related_stubs
Switzerland-stub
Switzerland/Archive_1
Switzerland/Archive_2
Switzerland/Archive_3
Switzerland/Communications
Switzerland/Economy
Switzerland/Geography
Switzerland/Government
Switzerland/History
Switzerland/Language
Switzerland/Military
Switzerland/People
Switzerland/Transnational_issues
Switzerland/Transportation
Switzerland_as_a_federal_state
Switzerland_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1980_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_2000_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
Switzerland_County
Switzerland_County,_IN
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_County,_Indiana
Switzerland_during_the_World_Wars
Switzerland_geography_stubs
Switzerland_infobox
Switzerland_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest
Switzerland_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956
Switzerland_in_the_Napoleonic_era
Switzerland_in_the_World_Wars
Switzerland_national_football_team
These materials are based on Wikipedia and licensed under the GNU FDL
YouTube.com videos better site than Turbo Tax 2007
