FACTS ABOUT SWITZERLAND

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SWITZERLAND

1.                 The Swiss franc is the official currency of Switzerland.

2.                 Switzerland is slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey.

3.                 Swiss consumption of chocolates per capital is the highest in the world.

4.                 Mountaineering, snowboarding, and skiing are some of the popular sports in Switzerland.

5.                 Half of the luxury watches produced in the world come from Switzerland. Brands like Tissot, TAG Heuer, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Longines are all Swiss.

6.                 Bern is the capital city of Switzerland.

7.                 Switzerland shares a land border with Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy and France.

8.                 Animals are also represented by lawyers in Switzerland’s courts.

9.                 23% of Switzerland’s total population of almost 8 million consists of foreigners.

10.            It is funny to note that there are more banks in the Switzerland than dentists.

11.            If you were a teacher in Switzerland, you would enjoy at least 12 weeks’ vacation, and you would be paid highly: on an average – $68,000 per year.

12.            Bank tellers are protected by bulletproof glass in Switzerland.

13.            Drivers of public busses can be ticketed for traffic violations.

14.            Since 1815, Switzerland has not been involved in any military conflict.

15.            Heavy snowfall in Switzerland during the night time will often accumulate enough snow on the roads to make them unusable. However, the roads will always be cleaned by 8:00 in the morning.

16.            Switzerland is one of the two countries in the world to have a square flag.

17.            A ring made entirely out of diamonds was sold by a Swiss jeweler for a whopping $68 million.

18.            Swiss chocolatiers Peter and Henri Nestlé invented milk chocolate in 1875.

19.            The very first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Jean Henri Dunant, a Swiss, in 1901. He is the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

20.            Sixteen people from Switzerland have won the Nobel Prize in various fields.

21.            Switzerland does not have a president as chief of state.

22.            “The World’s Smallest Toolbox”– the Swiss Army knife – was invented by Karl Elsener.

23.            Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life in Switzerland.

24.            The world’s largest nuclear shelter, the Sonnenberg Tunnel, is in Switzerland. It can house up to 20,000 individuals for an extended period of time during a nuclear emergency.

25.            The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners Lee in Switzerland in 1989.

26.            More films produced by India are shot in Switzerland than in any other country.

27.            The first waterproof watch was invented by Rolex in 1927 in Switzerland.

28.            Nescafe, the world’s first instant coffee, was invented in 1938 in Switzerland, too.

29.            Switzerland is also the only country in the world to have built an airplane that is powered by solar energy.

30.            The plane named “Solar Impulse 2” is the first plane in the world to have completed 40,000 kilometers without a single drop of fuel.

31.            The aircraft—Solar Impulse 2–was in flight for consecutive 5 days and night, and by doing so, it became the first solar-powered aircraft to accomplish an oceanic crossing.

32.            Italians are the largest foreign community in Switzerland, followed by German, Portuguese and French communities.

33.            To apply for Swiss citizenship, one must have lived in Switzerland for at least 12 years.

34.            Swiss people are process oriented.

35.            Switzerland is a small but a famous country in the heart of Europe.

36.            Switzerland was not involved in any of the two world wars.

37.            Switzerland is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe as 65% of its total land mass is covered under the Alps.

38.            The first international group of travelers visited Switzerland in 1863. The group was organized by Thomas Cook.

39.            Switzerland has built plenty of rail tunnels to ease transportation, which was most affected because of its geographical features.

40.            The Simplon Tunnel connected Rhone valley with Italy in 1906.

41.            Switzerland contains 3,100 miles of the railway network.

42.            The majority of the people living in Switzerland are Christians and Muslims.

43.            Today, 95% of the watches made in Switzerland are exported to other countries.

44.            Switzerland has 26 cantons or states.

45.            Switzerland became a UN member in 2002.

46.            Switzerland has four official languages.

47.            Switzerland is a landlocked country in central Europe.

48.            There are more than 1500 lakes in Switzerland.

49.            Switzerland has more than 1000 glaciers.

50.            Switzerland is famous for chocolates (Lindt & Sprüngli, Toblerone), watches, insurance and banking, civil engineering, and spectacular scenery.

51.            Football and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Switzerland.

52.            The national flag of Switzerland was adopted in 1848.

53.            ‘Swiss Psalm’ became the official national anthem of Switzerland in 1981.

54.            Switzerland’s economy also relies heavily on tourism.

55.            Almost 10% of the Swiss nationals are living abroad.

56.            In 1971, Swiss women were granted the right to vote at the federal level.

57.            The longest glacier in Europe can also be found in Switzerland.

58.            Swiss people make cheese from the milk of the cows, goats or sheep that graze on the Alpine pastures. And this variety of cheese (Alp cheese) is only produced in the summer.

59.            The Swiss like to use family names rather than the first name when greeting someone.

60.            First names are usually used with close friends and family.

61.            A small gift such as a chocolate or flowers should be brought for the host when invited at their house for meals.

62.            People are expected to arrive on time or maybe 5 minutes early for social gatherings and business appointments.

63.            The Swiss cultural values include honesty, cleanliness, hard work, tolerance, punctuality, responsibility, and sobriety.

64.            Swiss are also proud of their neutrality and efforts to promote world peace.

65.            Cleaning fingernails or chewing gum in public is considered rude in Switzerland.

66.            Sundays are a public holiday and are considered as a family day.

67.            ‘Rosti’ is one of Switzerland’s popular dishes. It mainly contains potatoes and was originally a breakfast dish.

68.            Switzerland has mandatory military service.

69.            Circus Knie is the largest circus of Switzerland, based in Rapperswil. It was founded in 1803.

70.            Switzerland Imports: machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, and textiles.

71.            Switzerland Exports: machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, and agricultural products.

72.            The internet country code for Switzerland is .ch.