Geography of Switzerland: Difference between revisions

This article was imported from the CIA's World Factbook. Please help rewrite this article.

Switzerland is a small, generally mountainous and landlocked country located in the center of Europe. It has a total area of about 41'290 km² or 15,942 mi² of which 39'770 km² (15,355 mi²) is land and 1'520 km² (587 mi²) is water. Switzerland is landlocked and surrounded by Austria (164 km) and Liechtenstein (41 km) to the east, France (573 km) to the west, Italy (740 km) to the south and Germany (334 km) to the north.

Switzerland is well known for the Alps in the south and south east. North of the Alps, the Swiss plateau runs along the east-west axis of the country. Most of the population of Switzerland lives on the rolling hills and plains of the plateau. The smaller Jura Mountains are located on the north west side of the plateau. Much of the northern border with Germany follows the Rhine River, though the Rhine enters Switzerland near Schaffhausen. The eastern border with Germany and a portion of Austria is drawn through Lake Constance (German:Bodensee). A portion of the south west border with France is drawn through Lake Geneva.

Switzerland is divided into 23 cantons, 3 of which are further divided into half cantons (Obwalden/Nidwalden, Basel Stadt/Basel Land, Appenzell Ausserrhoden/Appenzell Innerrhoden). The cantons along the Swiss plateau tend to be the most populated^[1], industrial and religiously Protestant^[2]. The cantons in the Alps tend to be less populated, agrarian or tourist based economies, and religiously Catholic^[1].

Switzerland is also divided by language. There are four official languages; German 63.7% of population, French 20.4% of population, Italian 6.5% of population and Romansh 0.5% of population^[3]. From Berne east (except Ticino the population will generally speak German. West of Berne, the population will generally speak French. In the southern Canton of Ticino most people will speak Italian. Romansh, a variety of dialects descended from Vulgar Latin, is spoken in several regions in the canton of Graubunden.

• Geographic coordinates: 47°00′N 8°00′E / 47.000°N 8.000°E / 47.000; 8.000

The Swiss Plateau runs from Lake Geneva on the French Border across central Switzerland to Lake Constance on the German and Austrian Borders. The plateau has an average altitude of 580m (1902 ft)^[4].

Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

The Swiss Plateau occupies about one third of the land area in Switzerland. However, two thirds of the population live in the plateau. The population density on the plateau averages about 450 people per km² (1,166 per square mile)^[2]. In the regions around Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich and other cities, the population density exceeds 1000 people per km^2[5].

Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use:

• arable land: 10%
• permanent crops: 2%
• permanent pastures: 28%
• forests and woodland:32%
• other:28% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 250 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

• View of the Matterhorn from Riffelalp Valais
  View of the Matterhorn from Riffelalp Valais
• 
  Liskamm, Pennine Alps
• 
  Château de Chillon
• Jungfraujoch
  Jungfraujoch
• 
  Kapellbrücke in Lucerne
• 
  The United Nations in Geneva
• 
  Messeturm in Basel
• Gornergratbahn
  Gornergratbahn
• 
  Bundeshaus
• 
  ETH Zurich
• 
  The Glacier Express
• 
  Engadin
• 
  Piz Bernina
• 
  Mittel Allalin in Saas Fee
• 
  Rhine Falls
• 
  The Grande Dixence dam
• 
  The Jet d'eau in Geneva
• 
  The Einsiedeln Abbey
• 
  The lake of Oeschinen
• 
  The Aletsch Glacier
• 
  The three castles of Bellinzona
• 
  View from Klein Matterhorn
• 
  The St. Gotthard Pass
• 
  Stockalper Castle in Brig
• 
  City Hall of Basel
• 
  The North face of Dent Blanche
• 
  Zurich
• 
  Jungfrau

• List of islands of Switzerland
• List of lakes in Switzerland
• List of mountain ranges in Switzerland
• List of mountain passes in Switzerland
• List of rivers of Switzerland
• List of glaciers in Switzerland
• Extreme points of Switzerland
• Geographical centre of Switzerland

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geography of Switzerland.

• Swiss cartography

• CIA World Factbook
• http://www.about.ch/geography/index.html