Swiss Confederation
[French]Suisse; (Confédération Suisse); [German] Schweiz; (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft); [Italian]Svizzera; (Confederazione Svizzera); [Romanish]Svizra (Confederaziun Helvetica)

CAPITAL: Bern

FLAG: The national flag consists of an equilateral white cross on a red background, each arm of the cross being one-sixth longer than its width.

ANTHEM: The Swiss Hymn begins "Trittst in Morgenrot daher, Seh' ich dich in Strahlenmeer" ("Radiant in the morning sky, Lord, I see that Thou art nigh").

MONETARY UNIT: The Swiss franc (SwFr) of 100 centimes, or rappen, is the national currency. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimes and 1, 2, and 5 francs, and notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 francs. SwFr—1 = $0.7634 (or $1 = SwFr1.31) as of May 2003.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard.

HOLIDAYS: New Year, 1–2 January; Labor Day, 1 May; Christmas, 25–26 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, and Whitmonday.

TIME: 1 PM = noon GMT.

Location, Size, and Extent

A landlocked country...