Switzerland


Switzerland, (, , , Romansh ), officially Swiss Confederation ("Confœderatio Helvetica" in Latin and when abbreviated: CH), is a landlocked nation of 7.5 million people in Western Europe. Switzerland is bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Switzerland is multilingual — it has three official languages: German, French and Italian, while a fourth national language, Romansh, is official only for communicating with persons of Romansh language. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, six of which are sometimes referred to as "half-cantons," since they have less representation in the Council of States. Switzerland has had a long history of being neutral (it has not been in a foreign war since 1815) and therefore hosts various international organizations, such as the United Nations, which, though headquartered in New York City, has many departments in Switzerland.