35 facts about Switzerland
Switzerland is a country of mountains, cleanest lakes, money and reliability. Many people dream of living there and admiring the alpine meadows. This dream will only grow stronger when you learn 35 interesting facts about this country.
1. The Alps are not that Swiss ... Although they are identified with Switzerland, in fact, only one fifth (13.2%) of this mountain range is located in the country. Austria is the country with the longest length of the Alps (28.7%) followed by Italy with 27.2% and France with 21.4%.
2. Many people who have received the Nobel Prize have graduated from Swiss universities, and most of them are scientists.
3. The longest staircase in the world is in Switzerland. Its length is 3.4 km, and it is as much as 11 674 steps! This staircase is located on the railway on Mount Nizen. It would seem that 3.4 km is not so much, but it should be borne in mind that along these steps you can climb exactly 1669 meters. This staircase is closed to tourists. The public run is held only once a year, and this is an excuse for the locals to enjoy the scenery and sweat well.
4. Now guess where is the longest funicular in Europe? It is called Niesenbahn and has been in operation since 1910. You can ride it to the top of the mountain by looking in the canton of Berne and sitting at the terminal station in the village of Mühlenen.
5. Switzerland has nuclear shelters that can house the entire population of the country. So should a nuclear war ever happen, Switzerland may be the best place to be rescued. The country is so well prepared that every home has a bomb shelter with an armored door, an air filter and ventilation in the basement. Now these premises are used as warehouses.
6. Switzerland has over 7000 lakes, and the water is so clean that you can drink it. If the bottom is not visible in the reservoir, the Swiss consider it to be polluted.
7. The formula E = MC2 was invented in Switzerland. When Albert Einstein renounced his German citizenship to avoid conscription, he traveled to Berne, the capital of Switzerland, where he invented the famous theory of relativity.
8. Milk is the Swiss national drink. The stores even sell a carbonated drink called Rivella, which has milk and whey as the main ingredients. It is the most consumed soft drink in the country after Coca-Cola. What taste can you imagine ...
9. 14-25% of the Swiss population are foreigners. The country receives a significant number of immigrants, 80% of whom are citizens of other European states.
10. This is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Especially if you live in the canton of Zurich. It is the most populous canton in Switzerland with a population of about 400 thousand people, and it contains the city of the same name - the third most expensive in the world. Thus, the rent for a 3-room apartment here is 2,500 Swiss francs, or about 192,000 Russian rubles. However, if you consider that the average monthly salary in the canton of Zurich is about 10,000 Swiss francs (770,000 rubles), then this is not so expensive ...
11. Switzerland has 4 official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The latter is owned by only 39,000 people.
12. Switzerland is a country with one of the lowest unemployment rates. In 2020, the percentage of unemployed in the country was only 2.7! Of course, such a low figure is due to a stable and prosperous economy. Most of the people in the country have a high level of education.
13. Switzerland has 208 mountains with a height of over 3000 meters and the highest peaks in Europe. 48 mountains above 4000 meters!
14. Four out of five cities in the world with the most expensive coffee are in Switzerland. So, the price of coffee in Brazil is 117 Russian rubles, and in Zurich - 554 rubles. This is a margin of almost 400%.
15. Switzerland has no president. Rather, he is, but not alone. Presidential responsibilities are vested in the Federal Government. It consists of 7 people representing the leading political parties in Switzerland, for which the citizens gave the most votes in the elections. One of the seven is elected annually by the President of the Swiss Confederation. That is, in Switzerland every year a new president is elected - this also happens!
16. In Switzerland, protect the rights of animals. For example, some pet owners have to take courses to care for them. There are almost no places in Switzerland where you cannot go with your dog. You can go with your dog to restaurants, and even dine with him at the same table. And if you want to have such a social animal as a guinea pig, budgerigar or goldfish in Switzerland, you will need to buy two at once. If one of the pets dies, you will have to immediately buy a new one or rent it for a while until the second dies.
17. In Switzerland, you can't call a child Polygraph Poligrafich ... The country has quite strict rules regarding the names that can be given to children. So, names that can harm the well-being of a child or offend a third party are prohibited. For example, you cannot give a boy a girl's name and a girl a boyish name. The names of bad characters from the Bible are also prohibited. Also, you cannot name your child like a well-known brand: for example, Chanel or Porsche. City names will also fail. The last name cannot be used as a first name, and you cannot give the child a fictitious name, that is, combine the first syllable of your name with the last syllable of your wife's name, etc.
18. Switzerland has the longest tunnel in the world. This is the Gotthard Tunnel 57 km long. It took 17 years to build. This tunnel reduces the travel time between Zurich and Lugano by 45 minutes.
19. Now guess where the highest station in Europe is located? That's right, in Switzerland, and this is the Jungfraujoch station, located at an altitude of 3454 meters, from which you can go on the most picturesque trip in the country!
20. The Swiss are very resourceful. Many things, from Velcro shoes to cellophane and peeler, were invented by the Swiss. In addition, absinthe, muesli and milk chocolate were invented in this country.
21. But the famous Swiss knife was not invented in Switzerland. This versatile instrument is loved all over the world, and NASA even sent it into space. But it was invented in the south of Germany, and only then this device became very popular in Switzerland - so much so that it began to be associated with this country.
22. Switzerland has many long-livers. This country has the highest life expectancy in the world, excluding Japan. The average life expectancy of the population is 85 years. Switzerland is also home to the largest number of people in Europe who are 100 years old.
23. There are palms in Switzerland. And this is somewhat unusual for a country famous for its snowy mountains. In Ticino, located in the southern part of the Alps, you can see lakes surrounded by palm trees and even other types of tropical plants.
24. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. The country adheres to neutrality in international relations, so it did not join the alliance, although it accepted most of the rules of the European Union. However, Switzerland is located in the Schengen area, which means that you do not need to make an additional visa to visit it.
25. Sunday silence in Switzerland is protected by law. On Sundays, it is forbidden to mow lawns, start the washing machine, arrange a car wash and take out the trash - all in order not to disturb the peace of the residents.
26. Switzerland has a square-shaped flag, and there are only two such state symbols in the world. The second is at the Vatican, and all other flags of the countries are rectangular in shape.
27. Switzerland is home to the largest machine in the world and it is the Large Hadron Collider, built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). It is located inside a 27-kilometer-long tunnel near Geneva.
28. Swiss women could not vote until 1971! Switzerland is one of the last European countries to give women the right to vote in federal elections. However, the tiny canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden did not allow them to do so until 1991, when the Swiss Federal Supreme Court forced it to overturn these archaic laws.
29. Chocolate is eaten in huge quantities in Switzerland. And this is not surprising, because excellent chocolate is produced here, one of the best in the world! On average, every person in the country consumes 10.3 kg of chocolate annually.
30. Most of the electricity in the country is green. Switzerland has a huge number of picturesque lakes and no fewer hydroelectric power plants. About 60% of the country's electricity comes from these amazing engineering structures.
31. You can see Switzerland in Star Wars. The stunning mountains of Grindelwald appear in many episodes of the film, including Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. These snowy peaks also depict the planet Alderaan, home of Princess Leia.
32. In Switzerland, referendums are held on cows. For example, at the end of 2018, it was decided whether cows should be horned or hornless. A Swiss farmer who opposed the removal of horns from cows and goats managed to collect 100,000 signatures and put the issue to a referendum. In Switzerland, 75 percent of cows have their horn removed. And at the referendum, alas, they decided not to change this practice.
33. Switzerland is the most innovative country in the world. In 2018, it was ranked first in the Global Innovation Index for the eighth time in a row.
34. A balloon festival is held in Switzerland. It is organized every January at the Château d'Eau. This tradition began in 1979 and since then the festival has been held annually.
35. The highest gravity dam is located in the Swiss Alps. This is the Grand Dixens, 285 meters high and weighing 15 million in total. It collects melt water from the surrounding glaciers and can hold up to 400 billion liters of water. This dam took over 10 years to build and is heavier than the Pyramid of Cheops.
36. Modern watches - originally from Switzerland. When Calvinists banned the use of jewelry in 1541, jewelers from Geneva thought well and invented watches. The use of this functional item was allowed, and since then, watchmaking has become one of the most successful industries in the country.
37. Switzerland has no official capital. The de facto main city in the country is Bern, the 5th largest city in Switzerland with a population of 133,000. The founder of the city, Duke Berchtold V, wanted to name the settlement after the first animal he met while hunting, and on the way he came across a bear. Byrne is the plural of the German word for bear.
38. Switzerland has been independent since 1499! The only spot in the history of this freedom-loving country is the occupation by Napoleon between 1798 and 1815.
39. Chocolate is not all that the Swiss have given the world. Instant coffee was also invented in this country and it was the famous Nescafé. By the way, he still does not give up his positions.
40. Switzerland has no national animal. But some cantons have their own symbols, such as a bear, a bull, a ram, a lion, a mountain goat or an eagle.
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