Switzerland, one of Europe's smallest countries, with the Alps at its core, has an area of 41'293 km2. Its 1850 km of borders link it to France in the west, Germany in the north, Austria and Liechtenstein in the east, and Italy in the south.

Because the Alpine region is rather inhospitable, most of Switzerland's population is concentrated in the country's midlands and in its cities; the biggest of these are Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Berne, and Lausanne. Foreign nationals account for about one-fifth of Switzerland's population of  approximately seven million.

Switzerland has four official languages. The majority speaks German; next comes French, followed by Italian and Romantsch, an ancient form of Latin struggling for survival in the Alps. Protestants and Roman Catholics are the main religious denominations.

Switzerland is divided into 23 cantons, three of which are split into two half-cantons like Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land (Basel City and Basel Country). Though Berne is the country's capital, Zurich is the country's biggest city.

See also
www.myswitzerland.com
www.admin.ch
http://www.swissworld.org