THINGS / GUIDE TO KNOW ABOUT SWITZERLAND

General Facts of Switzerland

Language:German (65%), French (18%), Italian (10%), Raetoroman (1%)

Currency:Swiss Franc

1 Swiss Franc = Rs.60

Capital: Bern

Cities: Zurich, Basil, Bern, Lugano and Geneva

Religion: Christianity, Islam.

Climate: Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Population: 8 million people

Ethnic Groups: Germanic, French, Italian, and Rhaeto-Romansh

ISD Code:41

Switzerland is situated in Western Europe, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically; spanning an area of 41,285 km, The Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found.

Zurich, Basil, Bern, Lugano and Geneva the major cities in Switzerland. Zurich and Geneva has respectively been ranked as the cities with the second and eighth highest quality of life in the world. It has the world's nineteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and the thirty-sixth largest by purchasing power parity. It is the twentieth largest exporter and eighteenth largest importer of goods.

The Swiss climate is generally temperate but mostly very pleasant.

Switzerland has a stable, prosperous and high-tech economy. In 2011, it was ranked as being the wealthiest country in the world in per capita terms. It has the world's nineteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and the thirty-sixth largest by purchasing power parity. It is the twentieth largest exporter, despite its size.

Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations. The largest Swiss companies by revenue are Glencore, Gunvor, Nestlé, Novartis, Hoffmann-La Roche, ABB, Mercuria Energy Groupand Adecco. Also notable are UBS AG, Zurich Financial Services, Credit Suisse, Barry Callebaut, Tetra Pak and The Swatch Group.