Switzerland
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 in central Europe, Switzerland has an area of 41,290 sq km (15,942 sq mi), extending 348 km (216 mi) E–W and 220 km (137 mi) N–S. Comparatively, the area occupied by Switzerland is slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey.
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