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SWITZERLAND
The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a small landlocked federal state
in central Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and
Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military
neutrality, but also of international co-operation, as it is home to many
international organisations.
History
Switzerland is a federation of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which
have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, arguably
putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics .
In 1291, representatives of the three forest
cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter. This
united them in the struggle against "foreign" rule by the Habsburgs, who
then held the German imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire. At the Battle
of Morgarten in 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured quasi-independence
as the Swiss Confederation.
By 1353, the three original cantons had been joined by the cantons of Glarus
and Zug and the city states of Lucerne, Zürich and Berne, forming the "Old
Federation" of eight states that persisted during much of the 15th century (although
Zürich was expelled from the confederation during the 1440s due to a
territorial conflict) and led to a significant increase of power and wealth
of the federation, in particular due to the victories over Charles the Bold
of Burgundy during the 1470s, and the success of the Swiss mercenaries. The
traditional listing order of the cantons of Switzerland reflects this state,
listing the eight "Old Cantons" first, with the city states preceding the
founding cantons, followed by cantons that joined the federation after 1481,
in historical order. The Swiss victory in a war against the Swabian League
in 1499 amounted to de facto independence from the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1506, pope Julius II engaged the Swiss Guard that continues to serve the
Vatican to the present day. The expansion of the federation, and the
reputation of invincibility acquired during the earlier wars, suffered a
first setback in 1515 with the Swiss defeat in the Battle of Marignano.
The success of Zwingli's reformation in some cantons led to inter-cantonal
wars in 1529 and 1531 (Kappeler Kriege). The conflict between Catholic and
Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of
Villmergen in 1656 and 1712.
Under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, European countries recognised
Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire and its neutrality (ancien
régime). In 1798, armies of the French Revolution conquered Switzerland. In
1803, Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a new constitution, largely restoring Swiss
autonomy. The Congress of Vienna of 1815 fully re-established Swiss
independence and the European powers agreed to permanently recognise Swiss
neutrality. At this time, the territory of Switzerland was increased for the
last time, by the new cantons of Valais, Neuchatel and Geneva.
In 1847, a civil war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant
cantons (Sonderbundskrieg). Its immediate cause was a 'special treaty' (Sonderbund)
of the Catholic cantons. It lasted for less than a month, causing fewer than
100 casualties. Apart from small riots, this was the latest armed conflict
on Swiss territory.
As a consequence of the civil war, Switzerland adopted a federal
constitution in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing
federal responsibility for defence, trade, and legal matters. Since then,
continued political, economic, and social improvement has characterised
Swiss history.
Switzerland was not involved militarily in either world war. In 1920,
Switzerland joined the League of Nations, and in 1963 the Council of Europe.
Women were granted the right to vote only in 1971. In 1979, parts of the
canton of Berne attained independence, forming the new canton of Jura.
In 2002 Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations. Switzerland
is not yet a member state of the EU, but has been (together with
Liechtenstein) surrounded by EU territory since the joining of Austria in
1995.
Politics
Switzerland features a system of government unlike any other seen in Europe,
or indeed much of the world.
The bicameral Swiss parliament, the Federal Assembly, is the primary seat of
power, apart from the Federal Council. Both houses, the Council of States
and the National Council, have equal powers in all respects, including the
right to introduce legislation.
Under the 1999 constitution, cantons hold all powers not specifically
delegated to the federation.
The 46 members of the Council of States (two from each canton and one from
former half cantons) are directly elected in each canton, whereas the 200
members of the National Council are elected directly under a system of
proportional representation. Members of both houses serve for 4 years.
Through referenda citizens may challenge any law voted by federal parliament
and through initiatives introduce amendments of the federal constitution,
making Switzerland a semi-direct democracy.
The top executive body and collective Head of State is the Federal Council,
a collegial body of seven members. Although the constitution provides that
the Assembly elects and supervises the members of the Council, the latter
has gradually assumed a preeminent role in directing the legislative process
as well as executing federal laws. The President of the Confederation is
elected from the seven. During a one year term, he assumes special
representative functions.
From 1959 to December 2003, the four major parties were represented in the
Federal Council according to the "magic formula", proportional to their
representation in federal parliament: 2 Christian Democrats (CVP/PDC), 2
from the Social Democrats (SPS/PSS), 2 Free Democrats (FDP/PRD), and 1 from
the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC). This traditional distribution of seats,
however, is not backed up by any law, and in the 2003 elections to the
Federal Council the CVP/PDC lost their second seat to the SVP/UDC.
The function of the Federal Supreme Court is to hear appeals of cantonal
courts or the administrative rulings of the federal administration. The
judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for six-year terms.
Cantons
The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons:
Aargau (Argovia)
Appenzell Innerrhoden (Inner Rhodes) *
Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Outer Rhodes) *
Basel-Stadt (Basle-City) *
Basel-Landschaft (Basle-Country) *
Bern (Berne)
Fribourg (Freiburg)
Geneva (Genève, Genf)
Glarus
Graubünden (Grischun/Grigioni)
Jura
Lucerne (Luzern)
Neuchâtel
Nidwalden *
Obwalden *
Schaffhausen
Schwyz
Solothurn (Soleure)
St. Gallen (Sankt Gallen)
Thurgau (Thurgovia)
Ticino
Uri
Valais (Wallis)
Vaud
Zug
Zürich (Zurich)
[*] Cantons represented by only one councilor in the Council of States
Cantons are divided in a total of 2,889 municipalities.
Geography
The Swiss landscape is characterised by the Alps, a high mountain range
running across the central-south of the country. Amongst the high peaks of
the Swiss Alps, the highest of which is the Dufour Peak at 4,634 m, are
found countless valleys, some with glaciers. From these the headwaters of
several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Inn, the
Aare or the Ticino, flow down into lakes such as Lake Geneva, Lake Zürich,
Lake Neuchâtel, and Lake Constance and farther down.
The northern, more populous part of the country is more open, but can still
be fairly mountainous such as with the Jura Mountains, a smaller range in
the northwest. The Swiss climate is generally temperate, but it can vary
greatly locally, from the harsh conditions on the high mountains to the
pleasant Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip.
Economy
Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per
capita GDP higher than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss
in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into
conformity with the European Union's to enhance their international
competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership, in
1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalise trade ties.
They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland voted
against membership in the European Economic Area in December 1992 and has
since maintained and developed its relationships with other European
countries via bilateral agreements.
Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a
degree of bank secrecy (see Swiss bank account) and has kept up the franc's
long-term external value. Swiss bank secrecy has often been controversial
abroad, since, critics say, it helps criminals hide dubious transactions
(corruption...) and launder money. Switzerland passed laws (such as the
money laundering law of 1997) to address these concerns and does lift its
bank secrecy for foreign authorities investigating crimes; However, while
tax fraud (forging documents, for example) is considered a crime in
Switzerland, tax evasion is not.
The GDP growth rate dipped to 1.6% in 2001, and the government projects that
it will slow further to 1.3% in 2002.
Demographics
Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures, which
have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural practices.
Switzerland has four official languages: German (64%; yellow) in the north
and centre, French (19%; purple) to the west, Italian (8%; green) in the
south, and finally Romansh, a Romance language spoken by a small minority
(<1%; red) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden. The German spoken here
is predominantly a Swiss dialect known as Swiss German, but newspapers and
some broadcasts use High German. Most Swiss speak two or more languages and
resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the
population.
The largest religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholicism, to which some 43%
of the population adhere. Various Protestant faiths number some 35% of the
population, and immigration has established Islam (4%) and Eastern Orthodoxy
(2%) as sizable minority religions. The remainder belongs to very small
minorities or is unaffiliated. The stability and prosperity of Switzerland,
combined with a linguistically and religiously diverse population has led
some to describe the country as a consociational state.
Culture
The culture of Switzerland is influenced by its neighbours, but over the
years a distinctive culture with strong regional differences has developed.
Traditionally Switzerland is not considered one of the centres of European
culture, but this conception might be deceptive.
A number of culturally active Swiss have chosen to move abroad, probably
given the limited opportunities in their homeland. At the same time, the
neutrality of Switzerland has attracted many creative people from all over
the world. In war times the tradition of political asylum helped to attract
artists, whilst recently low taxes seem predominant.
Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a
homogenous Swiss culture. The influence of German, French and Italian
culture on their neighbouring parts and the influence of Anglo-American
culture cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern
mountains of Switzerland is robust.
The Swiss are noted for their banks, their chocolate, their cheese, their
pocket knives, their watches, and their private boarding schools.
The tallest building in Switzerland is the Basler Messeturm. |
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