Switzerland

  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Switzerland

Definition: Switzerland

Switzerland

Noun

1. A landlocked federal republic in central Europe.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "Switzerland" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1588. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Switzerland

DomainDefinition

Geography

Democratic federal state which is formed by 26 cantons, has four national languages(German, French, Italian and Romansh)and is situated in southern central Europe between Germany, France, Liechtenstein, Austria and Italy. Source: European Union. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: History of Switzerland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

According to many historians, the history of Switzerland began in 1291 on a meadow called Rütli with a contract, known as the Bundesbrief ("Letter of Alliance") between leaders of regions called Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in what is now Central Switzerland. The Bundesbrief united them in the struggle against the Habsburgs who coveted the countries controlling the Gotthard pass. At the battles of Morgarten in 1315 and Sempach 1375, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured independence from local princes as the Swiss Confederation. Within the next century, towns like Lucerne, Zug, Zurich and Berne joined the confederation, which was still a lose alliance of independent confederates (which even waged war among themselves at times) which belonged nominally to the medieval German empire.

A victorious war against the rich prince Charles the Valiant of Burgundy in the 15th century gave the Swiss confederates a reputation of strong warriors who also served as mercenaries, especially in the wars of renaissance Italy.

During the Reformation, the alliance almost broke, half of the cantons (mainly the cities) joining the Zurich reformation of Huldrych Zwingli, the other half remaining Catholic.

Legal independence was achieved at the Peace of Westphalia. In 1648, were defeated by the French in the Thirty Years' War which involved almost all of middle Europe (Austria, Bohemia, Sweden, France, Denmark). The Swiss managed to keep out of the war, and as part of the settlement, the Swiss Confederation was granted complete independence from the Holy Roman Empire after being nominally independent since the Suebian war in 1500.

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. In 1789 Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and became the Swiss Republic until Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Switzerland's independence was once again affirmed and the Great Powers of Europe agreed to permanently recognise Swiss neutrality, a promise that has not been broken. Following the reorganization of the Switzerland by Napoleon which made the common territories of Argovia, Thurgau, and Ticino to independent cantons, the cantons Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva joined the Swiss Federation, giving Switzerland the boundaries that it has maintained up till the present day.

Unlike most nations, Switzerland was not swept by revolutions in 1848, but fear of liberal revolutionarly elements drove the Swiss government to establish a constitution which established federal responsibility for defense, trade, and legal matters, leaving all other matters to the cantons. The constitution was amended extensively in 1874, fine-tuning the system so none of the many minorities could be overwhelmed by any majority. Since then, Switzerland has developed into an socially, politically, and economically stable European state.

No doubt a large degree of that stability is due to Switzerland's guarantee of perpetual neutrality, which was honored by the rest of Europe. Switzerland was not militarily involved in either of the two World Wars (World War I nor World War II). However, the political and economic integration of Europe over the later 20th century, as well as Switzerland's role in many United Nations and international organizations, helped to mitigate the country's concern for neutrality. In 2002, Switzerland was officially ratified as a member of the United Nations - the only country joining after agreement by a popular vote.

See also: Switzerland

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "History of Switzerland."

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List of cities in Switzerland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Cities in Switzerland

Major cities by population

City Canton Population
Zurich ZH 365000
Geneva GE 171000
Basel BS 166300
Berne BE 136300
Lausanne VD 128100
Winterthur ZH 87000
St. Gallen SG 75200
Lucerne LU 61000
Biel/Bienne BE 51900
Thun BE 38200

Municipalities with more than 10'000 are inhabitants are considered to be Städte or villes (cities).

See also: List of cities of Switzerland (in German)

Major agglomerations by population

  1. Zurich
  2. Geneva
  3. Basel
  4. Berne

Cities, towns, and villages

This list includes municipalities as well as other places with articles (or stubs).

City Canton Local
language 		Population Names in other languages

Aarau AG de 16500
Alpnach OW de 5100
Appenzell AIde5200
Bad Ragaz SG de
Baden AG de 16000
Basel BS de 166300 fr: Bâle, it:Basilea
Beckenried NW de 2900
Berne BE de 136300 de: Bern, fr: Berne
Biel/Bienne BE de, fr 51900 de: Biel, fr: Bienne
Bühler AR de 1600
Buochs NW de 5200
Chur GR de 32900 it: Coira, rm: Cuira, fr: Coire
Cunter GR de, rm de: Conters
Dallenwil NW de 1700
Davos GR de 11'000 rm: Tavau
Egg ZH de 7800
Emmetten NW de 1200
Engelberg OW de 3600
Ennetbürgen NW de 4000
Ennetmoos NW de 2000
Erlenbach ZH de 4500
Esslingen ZH de 1560
Fribourg FR fr, de 36400 de: Freiburg
Gais AR de 2800
Geneva GE fr 171000 fr: Genève, it: Ginevra, de: Genf
Giswil OW de 3400
Gonten AIde
Grub AR de 1000
Habsburg AG de 368
Heiden AR de 4000
Hergiswil NW de 5300
Herisau AR de 15600
Hundwil AR de 1000
Interlaken BE de 5200
Kerns OW de 5300
Lausanne VD fr 128100
Lauterbrunnen BE de
Locarno TI it
Lucerne LU de 61000 de: Luzern, fr: Lucerne
Lugano TI it
Lungern OW de 2000
Lutzenberg AR de 1200
Männedorf ZH de 9235
Meilen ZH de 11500
Montreux VD fr 22900
Oberdorf NW de 3000
Oberegg AIde
Rapperswil SG de 7750
Rehetobel AR de 1700
Reichenau GR de
Renens VD fr 18000
Reute AR de 670
Rolle VD fr 4148
Rüte AIde
Sachseln OW de 4400
Sarnen OW de 9400
Schaffhausen SH de 34200
Schönengrund AR de 470
Schwellbrunn AR de 1500
Solothurn SO de 15300 fr: Soleure
Speicher AR de 4000
St. Gallen SG de 75200 fr: St-Gall
St. Moritz GR de, rm 5600 rm: San Murrezan
Stans NW de 7300
Stansstad NW de 4500
Stein AR de 1400
Schlatt-Haslen AIde
Schwende AIde
Teufen AR de 5600
Thun BE de 38200
Trogen AR de 1900
Urnäsch AR de 2300
Wald AR de 900
Waldstadt AR de 1700
Walzenhausen AR de 2100
Weiach ZH de 1014
Winterthur ZH de 87000
Wolfenschiessen NW de 2000
Wolfhalden AR de 1700
Zug ZG de 21700 fr: Zoug, it: Zugo
Zurich ZH de 365000 de: Zürich, it: Zurigo

See also:

External link

Map

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of cities in Switzerland."

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List of Switzerland-related topics

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This page aims to list articles on Wikipedia that are related to Switzerland.

You don't need to add them here.

This is so that those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar. The list is not necessarily complete or up to date - if you see an article that should be here but is not (or one that should not be here but is), please do update the page accordingly. Since the page is a maintenance page, the interested parties also want to know when changes are made to this list as well; so please do not remove the self-link.

See also: Special:Allpages/Swiss

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of Switzerland-related topics."

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Swiss Civil Service

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Civil service is a Swiss institution, created in 1996 as a alternative to military service. (Not to be confused with being a civil servant)

Anyone who is unable to do military service for reasons of conscience can submit an application to be allowed to do civil service. The applicant is then invited to a hearing where he is asked to explain his reasons for refusal. After this hearing, the application is approved should the applicant be found to be unable to be a member of a military service due to the demands of his conscience; in most cases it is approved (currently in about 90%).

Once part of the civil service program, one has to work for 1.5 times longer the military service period refused; (full military service is currently 300 days). Many non-profit organizations are licensed to be able to employ civil service workers.

There are still issues with how to handle Swiss living abroad, as every step of the process requires their presence in Switzerland.

See also

Pacifism

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Swiss Civil Service."

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Swiss Federal Council

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: Conseil fédéral, in Italian: Consiglio federale) is the seven-member executive council which collectively assumes the office of head of state equivalent to that of a president or of a monarch in the government of Switzerland.


The current members of the Swiss Federal Council (2003)

Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a department:

One of the seven is elected to be president of the Federal Council (President of the Confederation) for a term of one year: he or she has no power above and beyond the other six, but assumes special representative functions.

See also:

External link

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Switzerland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Swiss Confederation is a small landlocked federal state in central Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, as it is home to many international organisations. It is also known as Confoederatio Helvetica (CH), Latin for Swiss Confederation.

Confédération Suisse
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
Confederazione Svizzera
Confederaziun Svizra

(In Detail)

National motto: None
Official languages German, French,
Italian, Romansh
Capital Berne
Largest city Zurich
President of the
Confederation		2003:
Pascal Couchepin
Federal Council Kaspar Villiger
Moritz Leuenberger
Pascal Couchepin
Ruth Metzler-Arnold
Joseph Deiss
Samuel Schmid
Micheline Calmy-Rey
Area
 - Total
 - % water		Ranked 132nd
41'285 km²
3.7%
Population
 - Total (2001)
 - Density		Ranked 92nd
7'261'200
176/km²
Independence
 - Declared
 - Recognised
Federal state 		Eternal Alliance
August 1, 1291
October 24, 1648
1848
Currency Swiss Franc (CHF)
Time zone UTC +1
National anthem Swiss Psalm
Internet TLD.CH
Calling Code41

History

Main article: History of Switzerland

In 1291, representatives of the three forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Eternal Alliance. This united them 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.

Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its neutrality. In 1798, armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland. The Congress of Vienna of 1815 re-established Swiss independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise Swiss neutrality.

Switzerland adopted a federal constitution in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing federal responsibility for defense, trade, and legal matters. Since then, continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised Swiss history. The Swiss are known for their historic neutrality and did not participate in either world war. In 2002 Switzerland finally became a full member of the United Nations.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Switzerland

Under the 1999 constitution, cantons hold all powers not specifically delegated to the federation. The bicameral Swiss parliament, the Federal Assembly, is the primary seat of power. Both houses, the Council of States and the National Council, have equal powers in all respects, including the right to introduce legislation. 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 people may challenge any law voted by federal parliament and through initiatives introduce amendments of the federal constitution, making Switzerland a semi-direct democracy.

The top executive body is the 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 has gradually assumed a preeminent role in directing the legislative process as well as executing federal laws. The President of the Confederation is elected from the seven. During a one year term, he assumes special representative functions.

Since 1959, the four major parties are represented in the Federal Council according to the "magic formula": 2 Christian Democrats (CVP/PDC), 2 from the Social Democrats (SPS/PSS), 2 Free Democrats (FDP/PRD), and 1 from the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC).

The function of the Federal Supreme Courts is to hear appeals of cantonal courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration. The judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for 6-year terms.

Cantons

Main article: Cantons of Switzerland

The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons:
  • Aargau (Argovia)
  • Appenzell Inner Rhodes (Innerrhoden) *
  • Appenzell Outer Rhodes (Ausserrhoden) *
  • Basel-City (Basel-Stadt) *
  • Basel-Country (Basel-Landschaft) *
  • Berne (Bern)
  • Fribourg (Freiburg)
  • Geneva (Genève)
  • Glarus
  • Grisons (Graubünden/Grischun/Grigioni)
  • Jura
  • Lucerne (Luzern)
  • Neuchâtel
  • Nidwalden *
  • Obwalden *
  • Schaffhausen
  • Schwyz
  • Solothurn (Soleure)
  • St. Gallen (Sankt Gallen)
  • Thurgau (Thurgovia)
  • Ticino
  • Uri
  • Valais (Wallis)
  • Vaud
  • Zug
  • Zurich
Cantons marked by a * are represented by only one councilor in the Council of States

Cantons are divided in a total of 2'889 municipalities.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Switzerland

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 4'634 m, are found countless valleys, some with glaciers. From these the headwaters of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Inn, the Aare or the Ticino, flow down into lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich, Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance and farther down.

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, but it can vary greatly locally, from the harsh conditions on the high mountains to the pleasant mediterranean clime at Switzerland's southern tip.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Switzerland

Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita GDP higher than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the European Union's to enhance their international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalise trade ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland is however a member of the European Free Trade Association.

Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. The GDP growth rate dipped to 1.6% in 2001, and the government projects that it will slow further to 1.3% in 2002.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Switzerland

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 (64%; yellow) in the north and centre, French (19%; purple) to the west, Italian (8%; green) in the south, and finally Romansh, a Romance language spoken by a small minority (<1%; red) in the southeastern canton Grisons. The German spoken here is predominantly a Swiss dialect known as Swiss German, but newspapers and some broadcasts use High German. Many Swiss speak more than one language and resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population.


The different languages of Switzerland

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 consociational state.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Switzerland

The Swiss are noted for their banks, their chocolate, their cheese, their watches, and their private boarding schools.

Miscellaneous topics

External links

Official

Other
Countries of the world  |  Europe  |  Council of Europe

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Switzerland."

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Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Switzerland held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1956. It was held on April 28, 1956.

Results
Artist(s) Song
Jo Roland Vendredi
Lys Assia Sei doch nicht so eifersüchtig
Lys Assia & Quinteta Radiosa Das alte Karussell
Jo Roland L'allée aux ormeaux
Anita Traversi Bandella ticinese
Jo Roland La ballade des bonnes années
Lys Assia & Quinteta Radiosa Le bohémien
Jo Roland Les deux coquins (l'argent et l'amour)
Jo Roland J'ai triché
Lys Assia & Quinteta Radiosa Addio bella Napoli
Lys Assia & Quinteta Radiosa Refrains*
The table is ordered by appearance.
*The "s" was dropped from the title.

"So geht das jede Nacht" and "Refrains" won the national and "Refrain" won the contest.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956."

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Transportation in Switzerland

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Transportation in Switzerland

Railways

Main article: Swiss railroads See also: SBB-CFF-FFS, List of railway companies#Europe

Highways

See also: Swiss Alps for a list of mountain passes

Waterways

See also: List of lakes of Switzerland

Pipelines

crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1'506 km

Ports and harbors

Basel

Merchant marine

Airports

See also : Switzerland

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Transportation in Switzerland."

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Synonyms: Switzerland

Synonyms: Schweiz (n), Suisse (n), Svizzera (n), Swiss Confederation (n). (additional references)

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Crosswords: Switzerland

English words defined with "Switzerland": Aar, Aare, Aare River, Agassiz, alpine, Avoyer ♦ bale, Basel, Basle, Batz, Bern, Berne, Bernese, Brown Swiss, Bundesrath ♦ capital of Switzerland, centime, Charles Edouard Jeanneret, commune ♦ Earth pillars ♦ Geneva, Genevan, Geneve, Genevese, Genf, Goat's bane, Gruyere cheese, Guggenheim ♦ Helvetic, Huldreich Zwingli ♦ Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, Jean Paul Marat, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jura ♦ Ladin, Lake dwellers, Lausanne, Lavaret, Le Corbusier, Liechtenstein, Lion of Lucerne, Lombardia, Lombardy, Louis Agassiz, Lucern ♦ Marat, Matterhorn, Meyer Guggenheim, Molasse, Momier ♦ Principality of Liechtenstein ♦ Romansch, Rousseau ♦ Saint Bernard, Swiss, Swiss canton, Swiss cheese, Swiss franc, Swiss people, Switzer ♦ Tessin, the Swiss, Ticino, To talk of ♦ Ulrich Zwingli ♦ Weisshorn ♦ Zurich, Zwingli. (references)
Specialty definitions using "Switzerland": AHF ♦ Basel Agreement, Basle Committee, Basle Supervisor's Committee ♦ CH, CLIMBERS, Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices, concertation procedure, Cooke Committee ♦ Devil to Pay and no Pitch Hot, doe's foot ♦ EFTA-Stockholm 1960, European Broadcasting Union, European Free Trade Association ♦ Gall's Bell, General Arrangement to Borrow, gnomes of Zurich, Gruyère ♦ Helvetia, hostility towards a country at war or foreign troops, House Spirits ♦ insulting a foreign state, insulting an international organisation, International Organization for Standardization, International Standards Organisation, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ♦ Jacques ♦ Loretto ♦ military espionage, Momiers, Morat ♦ PETER, Pilatus, plaffeiite, PMOD/WRC, political espionage ♦ world-wide web, WRR, WSG ♦ Z3. (references)
Etymologies containing "Switzerland": Philippium. (references)

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Modern Usage: Switzerland

DomainUsage

Screenplays

In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce (The Third Man; writing credit: Graham Greene; Alexander Korda)

I thought the plastic surgery seminar was in Switzerland. (The Mirror Crack'd; writing credit: Agatha Christie; Jonathan Hales)

No, Switzerland. (Charmed; writing credit: Colman deKay)

I bet they make it all the way to Switzerland. (Stalag 17; writing credit: Donald Bevan; Edmund Trzcinski)

Do you think I came all this way to run off to Switzerland with you (The Blue Max; writing credit: Jack Hunter; Ben Barzman)

Clever

Switzerland is simply a large, lumpy, solid rock with a thin skin of grass stretched over it. (references; author: Mark Twain)

Movie/TV Titles

Dear Old Switzerland (1944)

Alice in Switzerland (1942)

Who Writes to Switzerland (1937)

Unknown Switzerland (1918)

Switzerland Lake Lucerne (1903)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Switzerland

DomainTitle

References

  • The 2000 Import and Export Market for Distempers, Water Pigments, Varnishes, and Lacquers in Switzerland (reference)

  • Little Switzerland, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

  • The 2000 Import and Export Market for Pigments, Paints, Varnishes and Related Materials in Switzerland (reference)

  • Executive Report on Strategies in Switzerland,1999 edition (reference)

  • The Swatch Group of Switzerland: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

    (more reference examples)

  

Books

  • Fodor's 2002 Switzerland (Fodor's Switzerland) (reference)

  • Fodor's Switzerland (42nd Edition) (reference)

  • Lonely Planet Switzerland (Lonely Planet Switzerland, 3rd Ed) (reference)

  • Michelin the Green Guide Switzerland (Michelin Green Guide: Switzerland. English Edition, 4th Ed) (reference)

  • Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 2002 (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  • Le Marche De L Art En France - Belgique Et Suisse = The Art Market In France Belgium And Switzerland (reference)

    (more periodical examples)

  

Theater & Movies

  

Music

  

High Tech

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Switzerland

Photos:
Switzerland

More pictures...

Illustrations:
Switzerland

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Switzerland

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Switzerland

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

Figure 13. Ekman piezometer - In 1904 Vagn Walfrid Ekman of Switzerland, a member of the Central Laboratory of Christiana, was tasked with studying the compressibility of sea water in relation to salinity and temperature. He devise d a new model of piezometer, first used in 1905 and first described in 1908. It s most important readings were from the PRINCESS ALICE II in 1906. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

Eye position tests for the early detection of squints take place regularly in primary schools in Switzerland. / WHO p. Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by J. Zbinden..

Zurcher Heilstatte fur Lungenkranke und Chirurgische Tuberkulosen, Clavadel, Switzerland. : Interior view of surgical clinic, sterilization room. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Line engraving after a sketch by Alexander Simplot, published in "Harper's Weekly", 1862. Ships in the foreground are: Monarch (letter "M" between stacks), Queen of the West (with letter "Q") and Lioness(letter "L"). In the left background are: Switzerland (with letter "S" on paddlebox), Samson and Lancaster. Note cotton bales stacked on deck to protect boilers. Credit: NAVY.

Center Glatt, shopping mall, hotel, and high-rise offices, Glatt, near Zurich, Switzerland. Credit: Library of Congress.

Schynige Platte, Switzerland. Credit: Library of Congress.

The Bastei, Saxon Switzerland. Credit: Library of Congress.

Fleischmann's and Hotel Switzerland, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. Credit: Library of Congress.

Chillon Castle and Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: Library of Congress.

"The Crust", St. Luc, Switzerland, 1975. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Switzerland
 

"Switzerland" by Tim Avis
Commentary: "Lake Luzern."		"Switzerland money" by Michaël Claude
Commentary: "La monnaie de mon beau pays natal; La Suisse !..."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Familiar Quotations: Switzerland

AuthorQuotation

Lord Byron

Switzerland is a curst, selfish, swinish country of brutes, placed in the most romantic region of the world.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Historic Usage: Switzerland

AuthorDateQuotation

Communist Manifesto

1848

In Switzerland they support the Radicals, without losing sight of the fact that this party consists of antagonistic elements, partly of Democratic Socialists, in the French sense, partly of radical bourgeois. (reference)

Treaty of Versailles

1919

The frontier of August 3, 1914, from Switzerland to CzechoSlovakia as hereinafter defined. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Switzerland

TitleAuthorQuote

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

The quarrel of the Vallee des Dappes commenced between France and Switzerland by a memorial from Captain, afterwards General Dufour

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Switzerland

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

The patient was treated in Switzerland. (references)

A national campaign in Switzerland to promote the use of condoms dramatically reduced risky sexual behavior. (references)

Pusterla, N., Leutenegger, C.M., Huder, J.B., Braun, U., & Lutz, H. (1999).  Evidence of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Switzerland. (references)

Business

Other strong competitors are Switzerland and the United Kingdom. (references)

In August a delegation from Switzerland also visited Drapchi prison. (references)

The remaining five percent are from countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and Japan. (references)

Children

Switzerland

Experts have proposed making such acts punishable in Switzerland regardless of where the crime took place, but there was no legislative action on the problem during the year. (references)

Switzerland

With respect to the prosecution of child sexual abuse abroad, the law provides for prosecution in Switzerland only if the act is considered a crime in the country in which it took place. (references)

Civil Liberties

Egypt

Al-Ghannam was allowed to leave the country in May, and he was granted political asylum in Switzerland. (references)

Economic History

Switzerland

OPIC is not active in Switzerland. (references)

Burundi

Major markets: U.K., Germany, Benelux, Switzerland. (references)

Switzerland

Trade has been the key to prosperity in Switzerland. (references)

Human Rights

Switzerland

Rukundo, a former army chaplain who had been working at a church in the Geneva area for a number of years was among indicted war crimes suspects apprehended in Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands during a coordinated European-wide operation. (references)

Switzerland

The 1967 revised Military Penal Code (MPC) requires that all war crimes or violations of the Geneva Convention be prosecuted and tried in Switzerland, notwithstanding where a crime was committed and whether the defendant is member of an army or a civilian. (references)

Switzerland

Fulgence Niyonteze, the former mayor of the Rwandan town of Mushubati, sought asylum in Switzerland in 1994 and was arrested in 1996. In May 1999, a military court convicted him of crimes committed during the 1994 genocide, including murder (taking part in the massacre of Tutsis), attempted murder, incitement to murder, and war crimes. (references)

Political Economy

SWITZERLAND

For years, Switzerland has had a heavily cartelized domestic economy. (references)

COSTA RICA

BITs with Korea and Switzerland require ratification by the Legislative Assembly. (references)

SWITZERLAND

As a net international creditor, debt management policies are not relevant to Switzerland. (references)

Trade

Mauritius

Countries not afforded preferential rates include Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea. (references)

Switzerland

Generally speaking, there is no special financing available for projects in Switzerland. (references)

Switzerland

Such import licenses are again issued only to persons and firms domiciled in Switzerland. (references)

Travel

Switzerland

A valid passport is required to enter Switzerland, but a Swiss visa is not required for business trips of up to ninety days. (references)

Switzerland

Personal effects, including laptop computers and the software that goes with them, do not need to be declared and can enter Switzerland freely. (references)

Switzerland

The trade fairs in Switzerland all have customs offices that can facilitate the payment of fees and clearing of items in an expeditious fashion. (references)

Women

Switzerland

Immigrant women who marry Swiss husbands but live in Switzerland for less than 5 years risk deportation if they divorce their spouse. (references)

Worker Rights

Brazil

In Europe, Brazilian women are trafficked to Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. (references)

Kazakhstan

Two women that he trafficked to Switzerland were able to escape and return to the country where they brought charges against him with the regional court. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Switzerland

SpeakerPhrase(s)

David Letterman

It's just something that I referenced during the commercial that I'm not certain is something we want to discuss now that we're live, you know, to Switzerland.

Dennis Miller

I guarantee you, you plunk Switzerland down somewhere between Syria and Iraq, and they're going to be thinking about how to kill somebody with a Toblerone.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Switzerland

"Switzerland" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 99.87% of the time. "Switzerland" is used about 1,539 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words		Rank in English
Noun (proper)99.87%1,5375,324
Noun (singular)0.13%2245,945
                    Total100.00%1,539N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Usage in Company Names: Switzerland

CountryNameCountryName
Switzerland

The Swatch Group of Switzerland

USA

Little Switzerland, Inc.

 (more examples...)  

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expressions: Switzerland

Expressions using "Switzerland": capital of Switzerland ♦ french switzerland ♦ Switzerland County. Additional references.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Switzerland

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day		ExpressionFrequency
per Day

switzerland

5,230

switzerland picture

111

zurich switzerland

3,113

switzerland walking

109

geneva switzerland

2,649

little switzerland

107

switzerland hotel

1,419

locarno magadino switzerland

104

basel switzerland

787

interlaken switzerland

104

travel to switzerland

767

sarnen switzerland

98

switzerland tour

663

zug switzerland

98

map of switzerland

604

chur switzerland vaduz

97

bern switzerland

593

neuchatel switzerland

97

lausanne switzerland

572

switzerland gstaad

87

ski switzerland

399

switzerland tourism

84

luzern switzerland

368

olten switzerland

84

lugano switzerland

341

little switzerland nc

83

st moritz switzerland

263

winterthur switzerland

79

montreux switzerland

184

horgen switzerland

79

sion switzerland

128

switzerland weather

79

lucerne switzerland

125

switzerland information

67

baden switzerland

120

fribourg switzerland

59

switzerland vacation

118

flag of switzerland

56

locarno switzerland

117

engelberg switzerland

53
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Switzerland

Language Translations for "Switzerland"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Afrikaans

  

Switserland (Helvetia). (various references)

   

Albanian

  

Zvicër. (various references)

   

Asturian

  

Suíza. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

Швейцария. (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

瑞士 . (various references)

   

Danish

  

Svejts. (various references)

   

Dutch

  

Zwitserland (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

Svisujo, Svislando, Svisio. (various references)

   

Faeroese

  

Sveits. (various references)

   

Finnish

  

Sveitsi (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

French

  

Suisse (Swiss). (various references)

   

Frisian

  

Switserlân. (various references)

   

German

  

Schweiz (swiss, Switzerland (ch)). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

Ελβετία (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Hawaiian

  

Zvicër. (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

Svájc. (various references)

   

Icelandic

  

Sviss. (various references)

   

Irish

  

An Eilbhéis. (various references)

   

Italian

  

Svizzera (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

ヘブライ語 (health, health center, health check, health club, health food, health meter, healthy, heart, heaven, Hebrew, helicopter, Helios, helioscope, heliotrope, heliport, helium, helix, hell, Hellenism, hellfire, helm, helmet, Helmholtz, help, helper, Helsinki, hem, hemline, hemoglobin, hemstitch, hen party, Henckels, henna, Hepburn, Herakles, herald, Hercules, Hermes, hernia, heroin, herpangina, herringbone, Herzogovina, Hz, Mr, type of massage parlor), スーパー受信機 (soup, souvenir, souvenir shop, Sufi, suite, superheterodyne receiver, superviser, sweep, sweeper, sweet, sweet corn, sweet home, sweet melon, sweet pea, sweet potato, sweet spot, sweetheart, Swiss, Swissrama, switch, switchback, switch-hitter, switching). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

ヘルベチア , スイス (Swiss). (various references)

   

Korean 

  

스위스. (various references)

   

Macedonian

  

Shvajcarija. (various references)

   

Manx

  

Yn Elveeish. (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

Sveits. (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

Suisa. (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

itzerlandsway.(various references)

   

Polish

  

Szwajcaria. (various references)

   

Portuguese

  

Suíça (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Provencal

  

Soissa. (various references)

   

Romanian

  

Elveţia. (various references)

   

Romansch

  

Svizra. (various references)

   

Ruanda

  

Suisse. (various references)

   

Russian 

  

швейцария швейцарский, Швейцария. (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

švajcarska. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

Suiza (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

Schweiz (Swiss Confederation). (various references)

   

Turkish

  

Ísvíçre. (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

Швейцарія. (various references)

   

Welsh

  

y Swistir. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Switzerland

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

CH, CHE, Confoederatio Helvetica, RM:Confederaziun svizra, Svizra. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Anagrams: Switzerland

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-d-e-i-l-n-r-s-t-w-z"

-2 letters: drawliest.

-3 letters: detrains, dilaters, entrails, islander, lardiest, latrines, randiest, ratlines, redtails, retinals, strained, swindler, tawdries, tendrils, tinwares, trenails, trindles, waltzers, warstled, wetlands, wrastled.

-4 letters: aldrins, aliners, anestri, antired, antlers, antsier, aridest, astride, darnels, dartles, dawties, denials, dentals, dentils, derails, destain, details, detains, detrain, dialers, diaster, dilater, dilates, disrate, elastin, entails, indwelt, instead, inwards.

 Words containing the letters "a-d-e-i-l-n-r-s-t-w-z"
 

+4 letters: bowdlerizations.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern 		5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art 		9. Quotations: Familiar
10. Quotations: Historic
11. Quotations: Fiction
12. Quotations: Non-fiction 		13. Quotations: Spoken
14. Usage Frequency
15. Names: Company Usage
16. Expressions 		17. Expressions: Internet
18. Translations: Modern
19. Translations: Ancient
20. Anagrams 		21. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.