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Switzerland, officially theSwiss Confederation, is alandlocked country located at the intersection ofCentral,Western, andSouthern Europe. It is bordered byGermany to the north,France to the west,Austria andLiechtenstein to the east, andItaly to the south. Switzerland is geographically divided among theSwiss Alps, theSwiss Plateau, and theJura mountains; the Alps cover most of the country's territory, whereas the majority of its9 million people are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts many of thelargest cities and economic centres, includingZurich,Geneva,Basel,Bern,Lausanne,Winterthur, andLucerne.
Switzerland is afederal republic composed of26 cantons, with Bern serving as thefederal city and the seat of the national government. The country encompasses four principal linguistic and cultural regions—German,French,Italian, andRomansh—reflecting a long-standing tradition of multilingualism and cultural pluralism. Swiss national identity nonetheless remains fairly cohesive, rooted in a shared historical background, common values such asfederalism anddirect democracy, andAlpine symbolism. Swissnationhood transcends language, ethnicity, and religion, leading to Switzerland being described as aWillensnation ("nation of volition") rather than a conventionalnation state.
Switzerland originates from theOld Swiss Confederacy established in theLate Middle Ages as adefensive and commercial alliance; theFederal Charter of 1291 is considered the country's founding document. The confederation steadilyexpanded and consolidated despite external threats and internalpolitical and religious strife. Swiss independence from theHoly Roman Empire was formally recognized in thePeace of Westphalia in 1648. The confederation was among the first and few republics of theearly modern period, and the only one besidesSan Marino to survive theNapoleonic Wars. Switzerland remained a network of self-governing states until 1798, whenrevolutionary France invaded andimposed thecentralistHelvetic Republic.Napoleon abolished the republic in 1803 andreinstated a confederation. Following the Napoleonic Wars, Switzerlandrestored its pre-revolutionary system, butby 1830 faced growing divisionand conflict between liberal and conservative movements; this culminated in anew constitution in 1848 that established the current federal system and enshrined principles such as individual rights, separation of powers, and parliamentary bicameralism.
Switzerland has maintained a policy ofarmed neutrality since the 16th century and has not fought an international warsince 1815. It joined theCouncil of Europe in 1964 and theUnited Nations in 2002, pursuing an active foreign policy that includes frequent involvement inpeace building andglobal governance. Switzerland is the birthplace of theRed Cross and hosts the headquarters or offices of most majorinternational institutions, including theWTO, theWHO, theILO,FIFA, theWEF, and the UN. It is a founding member of theEuropean Free Trade Association (EFTA) and participates in theEuropean single market and theSchengen Area. Switzerland is among the world'smost developed countries, with the highest nominalwealth per adult and theeighth-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.It performs highly on several international metrics, includingeconomic competitiveness,democratic governance, andpress freedom. Zurich, Geneva and Basel rank among the highest inquality of life, albeit with some of the highestcosts of living. Switzerland has a longstandingbanking and financial sector, advancedpharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and a strong tradition ofwatchmaking, precision engineering, and technology. It is known for itschocolate andcheese production, well-developedtourism industry, and growing startup sector. (Full article...)
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The2018 Zurich ePrix (formally the2018 Julius Baer Zurich E-Prix) was aFormula Eelectric car race held before a crowd of about 150,000 spectators at theZurich Street Circuit inZurich, Switzerland on 10 June 2018. It was the tenth round of the2017–18 Formula E Championship, the inaugural running of theevent, and the first Swiss circuit race since the1954 Swiss Grand Prix. The 39-lap race was won byAudi driverLucas di Grassi after starting from fifth.Sam Bird finished second forVirgin andDragon driverJérôme d'Ambrosio was third.
Jaguar driverMitch Evans won the firstpole position of his career by recording the fastest lap in qualifying and he led the opening 17 laps despite reporting risingbattery temperatures limiting his ability toharvest electrical energy under braking. Di Grassi gained positions by passing other drivers and he overtook Evans driving into the first corner at the start of lap 18 to take the lead. He maintained the lead for the remainder of the race to claim his first victory of the season and the seventh of his career by 71⁄2 seconds over Bird. (Full article...)
DuringWorld War I andWorld War II,Switzerland maintainedarmed neutrality, and was not invaded by its neighbors, in part because of its topography, much of which is mountainous. Germany was a threat, and Switzerland built a powerful defense. It served as a "protecting power" for the belligerents of both sides, with a special role in helping prisoners of war. Thebelligerent states made it the scene for diplomacy, espionage, and commerce, as well as being a safe haven for 300,000 refugees. (Full article...)
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Pierre Joseph Rossier (16 July 1829 – 22 October 1886) was a pioneering Swiss photographer whosealbumen photographs, which includestereographs andcartes-de-visite, comprise portraits, cityscapes, and landscapes. He was commissioned by the London firm ofNegretti and Zambra to travel to Asia and document the progress of the Anglo-French troops in theSecond Opium War and, although he failed to join that military expedition, he remained in Asia for several years, producing the firstcommercial photographs of China, the Philippines, Japan and Siam (now Thailand). He was the first professional photographer in Japan, where he trainedUeno Hikoma,Maeda Genzō,Horie Kuwajirō, as well as lesser known members of the first generation of Japanese photographers. In Switzerland he establishedphotographic studios inFribourg andEinsiedeln, and he also produced images elsewhere in the country. Rossier is an important figure in the early history of photography not only because of his own images, but also because of the critical impact of his teaching in the early days of Japanese photography. (Full article...)
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