swiss
Transcript: MAP The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh. All but Romansh maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation. Three of the continent's major languages, German, French and Italian, are national languages of Switzerland, along with Romansh, spoken by a small minority. Therefore Swiss culture is characterised by diversity, which is reflected in a wide range of traditional customs. In other words they have a lot of stuff going on with their culture. The official name of Switzerland is Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin. Which means Swiss Confederation. The Latin name is only used on official documents but it is the reason why Switzerland's abbreviation is CH. FUN FACTS CULTURE ART Switzerland in World War I (1914-1918) In World War I (1914-1918) Switzerland's strict neutrality seemed to work well and neither side showed interest to attack Switzerland with its oversized army and its then relatively modern mountain fortresses. After the war, Switzerland played an active role in establishing the League of Nations (a predecessor to the UN) at Geneva. (Geneva's Palais des Nations became the European Headquarters of the United Nations after World War II as well as of numerous international organizations even though Switzerland did not join the UN until 2002). Foods often associated with Switzerland include cheese and chocolate. Swiss cheeses, in particular Emmental cheese, Gruyère, Vacherin, and Appenzeller, are famous Swiss products. The most popular cheese dishes are fondue and Raclette. Apart from occupation by Napoleon's France between 1798 and 1815 Switzerland has been an independent country since the year 1499. THE FLAG National Flower Of Switzerland The city was founded in 1191 by the Duke of Zähringen, is known for its arcades (Lauben) and some of it has been preserved in its original state. The Old City was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1983. A free imperial city since 1218, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1353 and became the largest city-state north of the Alps by the 16th century. In 1848 Bern was chosen by the first Swiss Parliament to be the Federal Capital of Switzerland, after which the Parliament Building was constructed in Florentine Renaissance style. Artists from all over Switzerland created paintings, sculptures and mosaics to decorate the sumptuous interiors. With over 132,000 residents (urban agglomeration 351,000), the Swiss capital Bern is now the fourth largest city in Switzerland. Its location near the language border to French-speaking Switzerland makes it a cultural melting pot. National Animal Of Switzerland GOVERNMENT FUN FACTS Switzerland in World War II (1939-1945) In World War II Switzerland was completely sorrounded by fascist troops (Germany, Austria, Italy) and the French Vichy regime collaborating with Hitler. Though Switzerland intensified its agricultural production it remained heavily dependant on imports of coal, raw materials and food and on exporting its products in exchange for sheer survival. It was clear even to general Guisan, commander of the Swiss Army, that armed neutrality would not be enough to keep Switzerland out of the war. So he set up his Réduit concept of flexible retreat into the mountains as a base for some sort of guerilla war. The Nazis seem to have calculated the total cost of fighting against a guerilla, losing access to two important railway lines between Germany and their ally Italy and massive internal resistance against their regime from within their own cultural base. But Switzerland's population and many foreigners were inclined to believe in the myth of the brave Swiss Army defending Switzerland alone until the end of the 20th century. FOODS CAPITAL OF SWITZERLAND There are more than 1500 lakes in Switzerland containing around 6% of Europe's fresh water stocks. The largest of these lakes are Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and Lake Maggiore. language of switzerland FUN FACTS The Swiss Psalm is the National anthem of Switzerland. It was composed in 1841, by Alberich Zwyssig (1808–1854). Since then, it has been frequently sung at patriotic events. SOME OF THE FOODS Chocolate Cheval Rivella Raclette Ovomaltine Schnitzel Älplermagronen Rösti Kebab Fondue The Switzerland flag was adopted December 1889 Its design is a red square with a white Greek cross in the center ALBERT ANKER BabyHannahKamara WORLD HISTORY 3B Switzerland's Constitution and Federalism Switzerland has a long republican tradition, its modern democratic constitution dates back to 1848 only, however, and was put into effect after a short civil war in 1847 leaving a conservative minority in a position of losers for decades. The constitution was totally revised in 1874 and is amended organically from time to time since. The 1999 total revision did not change anything of importance in substance, the sole purpose was to establish a modern and more