Switcerland essays

Switcerland essays Switzerland is located in central Europe. Switzerland is also known as Confoederatio Helvetica, therefore the abbreviation of CH. Confiederatio stands for confereration, Helvetica derives for the Latin word Helvetier, the name of the people who lived in the area which later became Switzerland. The capital of Switzerland is Bern, which was founded in 1191. Switzerlands independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland did not participate in either World War I or II. Switzerland consists of 23 Cantons, or states, each with their individual legislative, executive and judicial authority. Each canton consists of a number of Bezirke, or districts, and within each district are a number of Gemeinden or municipalities. There are 2929 municipalities in Switzerland. A municipality with more than 10,000 citizens is considered a Stadt, or town, smaller municipalities are called Dorf, or village. However, some smaller villages have the status of a town for historical reasons. About two thirds of the area of Switzerland is covered with forests, lakes and mountains. Switzerland, in area, is sightly less than twice the size of New Jersey. Completely landlocked, Switzerland is bordered by France to its east, Germany to its north, Austria to its west and finally Italy to the south. Since Switzerland has no mineral resources, it must import, process and resell them as products. Services are the most important part of the economy, which includes banking, assurances and tourism. Farming is also an important part of the economy. But the production of the Swiss farmers does not fulfill the needs of all the people, so Switzerland must rely on imported goods from other countries. The Swiss economy is divided into three sectors: agriculture, industry and services. Less the 10% of the population is employed in ...