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| F.A.Q. |
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General Information |
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Climate |
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The climate is temperate, but varies with altitude. Switzerland has cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters and cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers. |
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Buy |
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| Switzerland is not part of the European Union and thus the Euro is not legal tender. However, many places - such as supermarkets and the railways - accept Euro and will give you change in Swiss Francs. Changing some money to Swiss Francs (CHF) is essential. Money can be exchanged at all train stations and most banks throughout the country. As the banking capital of the world, you can get by almost anywhere on credit cards (except for some grocery stores, even large ones) but ATMs that accept foreign cards (even Visa and Mastercard) can be a little harder to find than you'd think. |
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Souvenirs and Luxury Goods |
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Switzerland is famous for a few key goods: watches, chocolate, cheese, and Swiss Army knives. |
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Talk |
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No, there is no "Swiss Language" per se. Depending on where you are in the country (or what street you're on in some cities) the locals might spreche Schwyzerdüütsch, parler Français, parlare Italiano, or be confusing everyone with a little-known language called Romansch, which is closely related to Latin. English and German are your best bets for general use, but with a mostly multi-lingual population, it shouldn't be hard to find someone who can talk your talk.
German, French, Italian, and Romansch are the four official languages. |
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| Capital : |
Bern |
| Government : |
Federal Republic |
| Currency : |
Swiss Franc (CHF) |
| Area : |
41,285 km² |
| Population : |
7,489,370 (July 2006 est.) |
| Language : |
German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Religion : |
Protestant and Roman Catholic in pretty equal shares |
| Electricity : |
230V/50Hz |
| Calling Code : |
+41 |
| Internet TLD : |
.ch |
| Time Zone : |
UTC+1 |
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Switzerland |
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Switzerland is known for its mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. The highest point is Dufourspitze at 4,634 m while Lake Maggiore is only 195 m above sea level. |
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Location |
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| Switzerland is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It has borders with France to the west, Italy to the south, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east and Germany to the north. |
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Understand |
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| Switzerland is a natural theme park showcasing three of Europe's most distinct cultures. To the northeast is the beer-drinking, sausage-eating German-speaking Switzerland which is hard to tell from neighboring Swabia (Germany); to the south-west the wine drinking and shopping spills effortlessly into France; in the south-east the sun warms cappuccino-sippers loitering in Italian-style plazas; and in the center: classic Swiss flugelhorns and mountain landscapes. Binding it all together is a distinc Swiss mentality. |
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