"Punctual like a Swiss watch", maybe this phrase made define the way of being of many of the citizens of that small and mountainous country of Europe. Idyllic landscapes, incredible cheeses, large banks and capitals, but also a friendly, welcoming and tremendously respectful people. Join us to know 50 Curiosities of Switzerland . Earth of chocolate and accuracy.
To begin, we will tell you that the official name of Switzerland is "Confederation Switzerland " And we want to remind you that we have talked about this country, for example when we talk to you about the possibilities of producing a tsunami in Switzerland , even when it does not hit the sea, or when we present your plans for clean the CO2 atmosphere . Only with these articles are you sure you have already started to deduce that there is a lot of surprising in this country. Read on to discover the sights of Switzerland!
50 Curiosities of Switzerland
1. This small alpine country has 8.5 million inhabitants, "0" km. of coast and is formed by 26 cantons that form the confederation.
2. Switzerland was created as a state on August 1, 1291 and every year on that date the national holiday is celebrated.
3. The name "Helvetia" comes from the Celtic tribe that inhabited the Swiss plateau before the arrival of the Romans.
4. There are only two countries in the world that have a square flag: Switzerland and the Vatican. The Swiss is red with a white cross in the center.
5. Switzerland is prepared in case there is a nuclear disaster. It has enough shelters to house its entire population.
6. One of the curiosities of Switzerland in political matters it is that any citizen can challenge a law that has been approved by the parliament, as long as it is able to gather 50,000 signatures before 100 days of its approval. If it succeeds, a national vote is held and its approval is decided or not by simple majority.
7. The Swiss are the inventors of Velcro, the Swiss army knife, potato peeler, cellophane or milk chocolate, among other things.
8. Because of so many previous inventions, it is not surprising that in the ranking of the World Intellectual Property Organization they are ahead of the United States. which is the 4th country.
9. But not everything they have contributed to the world is as innocent as velcro or milk chocolate, they also created the absinthe and the LSD.
10. Switzerland is the country with the laws for the protection of animals most stringent in the world. That is why it is forbidden to have a single animal of any species as a pet. You should always have two, so they can keep company since the isolation of the animals is qualified as an abuse.
11. Swiss male citizens must do compulsory military service, while for women it is voluntary. If you travel through this country, you will often find military training camps.
12. Many of the soldiers retain their weapons at the end of the service and, for this reason, Switzerland is the third country with the highest percentage of weapons per capita only behind the USA. and Yemen.
13. Another of the curiosities of Switzerland Most notorious is that it does not have a head of state of the country but a state council of 7 members. Each year one of them is chosen to act as president but in the role of "primus inter pares", that is, the first among equals.
14. One of the curiosities of Switzerland is that it has 4 official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh.
15. For many decades, Swiss franc It was considered one of the strongest and safest currencies in the world.
16. The Swiss franc It is used throughout the world as a "reserve currency" next to the Euro, the US dollar, the British pound and the Japanese yen.
17. The fondue is one of the typical foods of Switzerland and comes from the mountainous area of the Jura.
18. The raclette owes its name to the cheese with which this dish is made: the raclette. It is a traditional delicacy from the canton of Valais that is made with cheese from raw cow's milk matured between 3 and 6 months.
19. The rösti is a traditional dish from the canton of Bern. In the beginning it was the breakfast of the farmers in the area. It is a kind of cake made with potato and some type of fat.
16. The absinthe was elaborated for the first time in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel by the French doctor Pierre Ordinaire at the end of the 18th century. It was an elixir that according to the rumors of the moment: it cured all the evils.
20. Chocolate is a tradition in Switzerland. It is the country that consumes the most amount in the world per citizen per year: 11 kilos! They have 18 chocolate companies and export more than 115,000 tons of chocolate per year.
21. The Switzerland guard Pontifical is a contingent of approximately 135 soldiers who have protected the pope for more than 500 years.
22. The young Swiss who are part of the Switzerland guard must have at least a high school diploma or vocational training, measure more than 1.74 meters and be between 19 and 30 years old. They must also be Catholic, single and have basic military training.
23. The Swiss cuckoo clocks they are the ones that have a "chalet" shape since this was the Swiss contribution to the world of cuckoo clocks at the end of the 19th century. People bought them as souvenirs since the upper part imitated an alpine hut.
24. The Swiss cuckoo clocks They are generally manufactured in Germany, in the Black Forest area. In Switzerland there is only one manufacturer of cuckoo clocks.
25. The capital of Switzerland It's Bern, but the most populated city is Zurich .
26. The great quality of life in Swiss cities means that both Zurich and Geneva or Berne itself, the capital of Switzerland , are classified almost every year among the 10 most livable cities in the world.
27. For 190 years, despite the bloody wars around it, Switzerland has remained neutral .
28. We all know the popular " Heidi " It is one of the most famous children's books and was written by a Swiss woman: Johanna Spyri. It has been translated into more than 50 languages and more than 20 adaptations have been made for film and television.
29. In Switzerland there are several thousand lakes . It is estimated that there are about 7,000, although in this count would be counted some smaller bodies of water whose description perhaps does not adjust 100% to that of lake.
30. Albert Einstein developed his famous formula E = MC 2 in Switzerland. His Theory of Relativity was developed while living in Bern.
31. The Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland is the longest railway tunnel in the world. It extends for 57.1 kilometers. It must become eternal to cross it while you travel!
32. The Swiss jewelry company "Shawish" created a ring made only diamond .
33. Switzerland is one of the few nations where the Assisted suicide is legal .
34. The highest mountain of Switzerland is the Dufour Peak or Monte Rosa. It is also the highest summit of the Swiss Alps and the third of the Alps in general.
35. Interestingly, this highest point in the country is approximately only 69 kilometers from the lowest point, 196 meters above sea level, in Ascona.
36 More than 40% of Swiss marriages they end in divorce. It's a very high percentage!
37. As we mentioned in one of the previous curiosities of Switzerland there are many laws that protect animals, a surprising example is that: you can not have a single Indian rabbit , you must have two by law. This norm was created because the rabbits are social animals and it is considered abuse to allow them to live in solitude.
38. Switzerland is the second country with the highest life expectancy average - of men and women - of the world, just below Japan.
39. Swiss women were not able to vote in federal elections until 1971. Quite late, considering that they are reputed to be very democratic.
40. This country often appears in the first places of the happier countries of the world.
41. A 60% of the territory of Switzerland are mountains .
42. Almost a quarter of the country is covered by forests.
43. The Swiss are at the top of the world ranking of first-time older mothers. The average exceeds 30 years and only the first child later have Australian, South Korean, Greek, Spanish, Japanese and Italian.
44. Another of the curiosities of Switzerland is that in Geneva you will find a giant chair, with only three full legs. It's a monument called " The Broken Chair "That seeks to raise awareness against the use of antipersonnel mines.
45. Charles Chaplin lived the last decades of his life in Switzerland and, in fact, is buried in this country.
46. The global computer network was invented in Switzerland, in 1989. Its inventor was Tim Berners Lee.
47. The BBC, on April Fools' Day (a holiday similar to the Day of the Innocents), issued a false story in which it explained that the Swiss cultivated spaghetti on trees. Many Britons believed it.
48. Switzerland was the first country to build a flying vehicle, similar to a small plane, flying only with solar energy. His name was "Solar Impulse 2".
49. France, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, is the only country that has ever invaded and conquered Switzerland.
50. The company Rolex invented the first waterproof watch, in 1972. Guess where? In Switzerland!
Other curiosities of Europe | By countries
Have you been impressed by all these unexpected curiosities about Switzerland? If the country of seriousness, neutrality and accuracy has so much strange to offer, imagine yourself in other more mysterious nations! Do not miss the following articles with curiosities of Europe gathered by countries! We are sure you will be amazed!
- Curiosities of Spain
- Fun Facts of England
- Curiosities of Scotland
- Curiosities of Ireland
- Curiosities of Germany
- Curious facts of France
- Curiosities of Italy
- Curiosities of Greece
- Curiosities of Austria
- Curiosities of Luxembourg
- Iceland Curiosities
- Curiosities of Norway
- Curiosities of Sweden
- Curiosities of Denmark
- Curiosities of Belgium
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