Switzerland: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Switzerland is a small, landlocked country in Central Europe, surrounded by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Its seat of government is Bern, and its largest city is Zürich. The Alps cover much of the country, and its high valleys hold sparkling lakes, glaciers and pretty villages linked by mountain railways.

Switzerland is famous for snowy mountains, chocolate, cheese, watches and its long tradition of staying neutral in wars. On the globe you can find the Matterhorn, the sharp, pyramid-shaped peak above Zermatt, and CERN's wooden Globe of Science and Innovation near Geneva, plus the Swiss National Park, the oldest national park in the Alps.

Geography and nature

About 60 per cent of Switzerland is mountains: the Alps in the south and the lower Jura range in the north-west, with the Swiss Plateau, where most people live, in between. The highest peak is Dufourspitze, about 4,634 metres. The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. The Rhine and the Rhône both begin in the Swiss Alps, and Lake Geneva and Lake Constance are on its borders. Ibex, chamois and marmots live in the mountains, and the Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, protects wild alpine land.

People, languages and culture

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh, so many signs and even banknotes use several languages. The country is divided into 26 cantons, and citizens often vote directly on new laws in referendums several times a year. Favourite foods include fondue, melted cheese for dipping bread, raclette and rösti. Swiss watches, chocolate and pocket knives are known worldwide. The Red Cross was founded in Geneva, and many international organisations have offices there.

History in a nutshell

In 1291 three alpine communities, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, promised to help each other, and this alliance grew into the Swiss Confederation; the legend of William Tell comes from these times. In 1815 the great powers of Europe recognised Switzerland's neutrality, and it has stayed out of wars since then. A modern federal state was created in 1848. Switzerland built famous mountain railways and tunnels, and it joined the United Nations in 2002.