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The Switzerland was inhabited by people whom the Romans
called the Gallic Helvetians or Transalpine. It became
part of the Roman Empire after the conquest of Julius
Caesar. It was occupied by Germanic tribes until the 6th
century. A century later, Christian missionaries began
to convert the Swiss. In 1291, the cantons of Schwyz,
Uri and Unterwalden formed a Permanent League to defend
their freedoms against Habsburg overlords. More cities
and districts joined the League and, in 1513, there were
already thirteen cantons. During the 16th century,
Switzerland became the center of the Protestant
Reformation, and the confederation was divided between
Catholics and Protestants. The Reformation was accepted
by Zurich, Bern and Basel, while the rural cantons
remained Catholic. Switzerland gradually freed itself
from the control of Habsburg until it reached the
complete independence recognized by the Treaty of
Westphalia in 1648, after 30 years of war. The French
invasion of 1798 established the Helvetic Republic with
a centralized government. This form of government was
modified by Napoleon's Mediation Act in 1803, which made
Switzerland a democratic federation. With the end of the
Napoleonic wars, participants in the Vienna Congress in
1815 guaranteed Switzerland neutrality. It received
Geneva and other territories, increasing the number of
cantons to 22. After the civil war between the union of
the Catholic cantons against the liberals, a new federal
state was formed in 1848 and Bern was established as the
capital. Years later, in 1874, the Constitution was
revised introducing the referendum; it is from this date
that the current constitution comes. With his policy of
neutrality, he escaped the Franco-Prussian conflict
between 1870 and 1871.
During the two world wars it remained neutral,
although in the last Great War the army was mobilized to
defend its territory. In 1920 the League of Nations
formed its headquarters here. In 1959 he became part of
the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1972, he
signed a free trade agreement with European Europe. A
referendum in 1986 rejected the proposal to become a
member of the United Nations, in the belief that it thus
subverted its policy of neutrality.
Switzerland is a federal republic made up of 20
cantons and 6 half-cantons. This is the political name
of the country's division. The government system is
federal. In the Federal Assembly there are two chambers:
the National Council and the State Council. Each canton
has its rights, but the federal government is
responsible for national policy, internal and external
security and the monetary system. The residents are,
first and foremost, citizens of their canton. It is the
canton that issues a residence permit. All Swiss
citizens carry out military service on active duty or in
reserve up to the age of 50. According to the neutrality
policy, the army only serves to preserve
independence. Switzerland has an old tradition as a
neutral country as well as the headquarters of several
international organizations and a conference venue for
peace. per capita of the globe. For Switzerland democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
In 2002, a referendum validates the country's
accession to the United Nations, thus becoming the 190th
member of the UN. |
| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of Switzerland |
| Browse a collection of city, country, political, shaded
relief and historical maps of this European country.
Check out the maps of Geneva and Administrative
Divisions. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/switzerland.html |
|
| Catalog of Switzerland Maps - ETH Library Zurich |
| Browse an extensive directory of all kinds of maps for
Switzerland, from downtown grids to historic regional
maps. More than one hundred in all. |
| http://www.maps.ethz.ch/cat-ch3r.html |
|
| Expedia.com Maps - Switzerland |
| Explore this landlocked country using this interactive
map's zoom and movement features. Includes maps of
Geneva and Zurich. |
| http://maps.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mmvw&msds=66130A7 |
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| Switzerland - Atlapedia Online |
| Offers two colored maps of this highly independent
republic, one political, the other physical, plus
country facts and information. |
| http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/switzer.htm |
|
| Switzerland - InfoPlease.com Map |
| Features a detailed, color-coded map of Switzerland with
each region outlined, and cities and villages
pinpointed. |
| http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/switzerland.html |
|
| Switzerland - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| Check out this atlas of the country known for the Alps
and Swiss cheese. Find a detailed map, diagrams, country
facts and a historical overview. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/switzerland.html |
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| Switzerland - National Geographic Map Machine |
| View an expandable map of this small landlocked
confederation. Combines satellite imaging and map
editing. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i |
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| Switzerland - Perry-Casta eda Library Map Collection |
| Offers a number of maps for viewing, downloading and
printing, from the University of Texas. |
| http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/switzerlan |
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| Switzerland - WorldAtlas.com |
| View a number of maps of Switzerland and check out
country details, facts and figures, and a question box. |
| http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/ch.htm |
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