There are 4 official languages in Switzerland : Swiss German (64%, many dialects), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%), and Romansh (< 1%).
A 2006 survey found that Zürich and Geneva had respectively first and second highest quality of living in the world.
Switzerland has the 2nd highest life expectancy in Europe (after Sweden).
There are 32 mountain peaks above 4000m in Switzerland, the highest of which is Dufourspitze (4634m).
History & Politics
Switzerland has a long and strong tradition of political and military neutrality. However, the country finally opted to join the United Nations in 2002, and the Schengen Agreement in 2005.
Switzerland has been an independent country since 1499 (apart from a brief French occupation between 1798 and 1815).
Switzerland is the first and only country to implement people's rights system of government also known as direct democracy, which involves the constitutional initiative (public petitions) and the referendum.
There are 26 cantons in Switzerland, each of which acts as a state, with its own constitution, legislature, government and courts.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, and is still based there. The flag of the Red Cross is the flag of Switzerland with the colours inverted.
Geneva is the seat of the European headquarters of the United Nations and of many other inter-governmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations , including the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Airports Council International (ACI), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the World Wide Web Virtual Library.
The Niesenbahn in the Swiss Kandertal is the longest continuous-cable funicular in Europe.
Business & Economy
Switzerland has the 4th highest nominal GDP per capita in the world (after Luxembourg, Norway and Iceland).
Switzerland has the second highest employment rate of any OECD after Iceland.
Switzerland topped the Global Competitiveness Report for 2006-2007.
The Swiss have a long tradition of watchmaking, and are the incontested leader in luxury watches, with brands like Audemars Piguet, Baume et Mercier, Breitling, Chopard, Franck Muller, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Rado, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tissot, Vacheron Constantin.
Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva,Switzerland in 1755 and is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history.
The wristwatch was invented by Patek Philippe in 1868.
Some of the world's most famous companies are Swiss, such as Adecco (human resources), Credit Suisse (banking), Lindt & Sprüngli (chocolate), Logitech (electronics), Mövenpick (hotels), Nestlé (food), Novartis (pharmaceuticals), Richemont (luxury goods), Schindler (lifts/elevators), Securitas (security), Swatch (watches), UBS (banking), or Winterthur (insurance).
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