HOSPITAL | VETERINARY EDUCATION | SWITZERLAND | EUROPEAN UNION | PET REGULATIONS | FADs

Switzerland is a small country, yet culturally and ecologically rich, located in central Europe. The borders include: France on the west, Italy on the south, Liechtenstein and Austria on the east, and Germany on the north.

It has three main topographical regions: the Alps, the Swiss Plateau, and the Jura.

Size:

The country is 41,293 km² (about the size of New Jersey), but only about 1/4 of the country’s total area is habitable.

Population:

Total 7,262,372 (est. 2000)

74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansh

Languages:

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh

Religions:

46.1% Roman Catholic, 40% Protestant, 8.9% none, 5% other

Government type: Federal Republic

Chief of State: President

Captital: Bern

Geography:

Swizerland is divided into 23 sovereign Cantons (3 Cantons are subdivided into Half-Cantons). The Cantons are member states of the Swiss Confederation, similar to the 50 states of the United States of America.

History:

Switzerland’s first inhabitants were the Helvetics (a Celtic tribe). The Romans appeared in 107 BC, but the territory was not united under the Holy Roman Empire until 1032. The breakup of the Roman Empire opened the doors to Germanic immigration. Charlemagne took over power from around 800 AD to the end of the 9th Century. The next major leader was the Germanic Habsburg family, which became the most powerful dynasty in Central Europe. Upon the death of Rudolf I of Habsburg in 1291, local Swiss leaders fought to gain independence. Their success was marked by the formation of the Swiss Confederation (celebrated today on the 1st of August as the National Holiday).

PRINCIPLE OF NEUTRALITY

Switzerland has a long tradition of a consensus-based political approach and a policy of minimizing tensions by remaining neutral in political affiliations. Neutrality is a state policy; the country interferes in no foreign conflicts and enters into no pacts.

The first step toward neutrality was during the Reformation of the 16th century, a time of great upheaval in Europe and religious separation. During the Thirty Years’ War, Switzerland managed to close ranks and stay out of conflict. In 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia formally dismissed Switzerland from the German Federation and recognized Switzerland as a neutral state independent of European powers. Nevertheless, the French invaded Switzerland in 1798 and created a centralist state. In 1803, Napoleon ended the conflict between the Federalists and Centralists by forming a Mediation Act, which created the Congress of Vienna- a loose confederation of 22 Cantons. The neutrality of Switzerland was finally internationally recognized in 1815 at the 2nd Paris Peace Conference. Switzerland was not involved in either World War I or II other than to organize Red Cross units.

Although committed to political neutrality, Switzerland has strong ties with international organizations. Geneva is an international community, which hosts over 200 international organizations’ headquarters. On its neutral ground, every global problem ranging from nuclear warfare to ethnic cleansing is discussed in an effort to bring peace and unity among world powers.

HOSPITAL | VETERINARY EDUCATION | SWITZERLAND | EUROPEAN UNION | PET REGULATIONS | FADs