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Swiss history

Labour and taxation

January 14, 2011

Services, including retail, trade, banking, and insurance, employ some two-thirds of Swiss workers. In contrast, manufacturing employs fewer than one-fifth of the workforce, and only about 5 percent of workers are employed in agriculture. Switzerland’s unemployment rate is very low in comparison with most other countries, regularly standing at less than 5 percent. Switzerland...
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Tourism

January 14, 2011

Tourism is a significant source of revenue for Switzerland, with receipts slightly outpacing expenditures by Swiss tourists abroad. Primary destinations for Swiss tourists include France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Among the principal foreign visitors to Switzerland are Germans, who account for more than one-fourth, followed by Americans, Britons, and Japanese. A significant proportion of...
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Resources

January 14, 2011

Although Switzerland has few natural resources (salt is the only mined resource) and lacks indigenous hydrocarbons to power its industries, high precipitation in the Alps, glaciated U-shaped valleys, the storage of glacial meltwaters behind giant dams, and the great range of elevations provide an ideal environment for the generation of hydroelectric power. The electrical...
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Agriculture and forestry

January 14, 2011

About one-third of Switzerland’s land is devoted to agricultural production (grains, fodder, vegetables, fruits, and vineyards) and pasture. Some of the pastureland is used exclusively for mountain pasture, including the Monte Rosa region. The variation in soil quality within small areas in Switzerland, produced by geologic conditions and by the relief, makes large-scale single-crop...
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Economy

January 14, 2011

Switzerland’s economic development has been affected by specific physical and cultural geographic factors. In the first instance, the country has few raw materials; precipitation and soil quality largely determine the type and size of cultivation; urban and industrial expansion encroach on the limited amount of cultivable land; the commerce and transport sectors have benefited...
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Settlement patterns

January 14, 2011

The diversity of geomorphology, climate, and plant distribution in Switzerland provides a wide variety of settlement sites, a variety further enhanced by the country’s central European location. Rural communities Rural settlements predominate in the valleys, where characteristic Alpine villages extend along the base of slopes. Since the creation of extensive river diversions, undertaken chiefly...
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Swiss religions

January 14, 2011

Religion Switzerland also exhibits considerable religious diversity. However, the distribution of religions does not coincide with that of languages, as the population shifts brought on by industrialization resulted in greater mixture of religions. Roman Catholics slightly outnumber Protestants, and there is a small but significant Muslim population—mainly of Turkish or Balkan origin—and a tiny...
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Swiss people

January 14, 2011

To survive as a cohesive unit and to protect the neutrality that has been their safeguard, the disparate elements of the Swiss people have had to learn a mutual cooperation. Their outlook has been shaped largely by economic and political necessity, which has made the Swiss public realistic, cautious, and prudent in accepting innovation...
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Swiss land and climate

January 14, 2011

Land Switzerland is bordered to the west by France, to the north by Germany, to the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, and to the south by Italy. It extends about 135 miles (220 km) from north to south and 220 miles (350 km) at its widest extent from west to east. Switzerland’s landscape is...
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History introduction

January 14, 2011

Switzerland is a federated country of central Europe. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial center. Switzerland’s small size—its total area is about half that of Scotland—and its modest population give little indication of its international significance. A landlocked country of towering mountains, deep Alpine lakes, grassy valleys dotted with...
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