Place:Switzerland

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NameSwitzerland
Alt namesCHEsource: International Genealogic Abbreviation
Confederazione Elveticasource: Encyclopædia Britannica (1988) XI, 449 ff.
Confederazione Svizzerasource: Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984)
Confederaziun Helveticasource: Encyclopædia Britannica (1988) XI, 449 ff.
Confoederatio Helveticasource: Wikipedia
Confédération Helvétiquesource: BHA, Authority file (2003-)
Confédération Suissesource: Britannica Book of the Year (1993) p 723; Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984); Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1988) p 1173
Helvetiasource: Cambridge World Gazetteer (1990) p 625-627
Helvetic Confederationsource: BHA, Authority file (2003-)
Helvetic Republicsource: Times Atlas of World History (1993) p 345
La Suissesource: Cambridge World Gazetteer (1990) p 625-627
Rhaetiasource: Times Atlas of World History (1993) p 354
Schweizsource: Getty Vocabulary Program
Schweizerishe Eidgenossenschaftsource: Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984)
Suissesource: UN Terminology Bulletin (1993) p 82; Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984)
Suizasource: UN Terminology Bulletin (1993) p 82
Suíçasource: Rand McNally Atlas (1994) p 320
Svizzerasource: Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1984)
Svizzrasource: Encyclopædia Britannica (1988) XI, 449 ff.
Swiss Confederationsource: Wikipedia
Zwitserlandsource: Engels Woordenboek (1987) II, 1003
Switz
TypeNation
Coordinates47°N 8°E
Contained Places
Canton
Aargau ( 1803 - )
Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( 1513 - )
Appenzell Innerrhoden ( 1513 - )
Basel-Landschaft ( 1833 - )
Basel-Stadt ( 1833 - )
Bern ( 1353 - )
Fribourg ( 1481 - )
Genève ( 1815 - )
Glarus ( 1352 - )
Graubünden ( 1803 - )
Jura ( 1979 - )
Luzern ( 1332 - )
Neuchâtel ( 1815 - )
Nidwalden ( 1291 - )
Obwalden ( 1291 - )
Sankt Gallen ( 1803 - )
Schaffhausen ( 1501 - )
Schwyz ( 1291 - )
Solothurn ( 1481 - )
Thurgau ( 1803 - )
Ticino ( 1803 - )
Uri ( 1291 - )
Valais ( 1815 - )
Vaud ( 1803 - )
Zug ( 1352 - )
Zürich ( 1351 - )
County
Langdenburg
Municipality
Thürnen
Unknown
Chur-Rätien
Rheintal
Uznach
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe. The country is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern.Cite error 3; Invalid call; invalid keys, e.g. too many or wrong key specified[1] Switzerland is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura, spanning a total area of and land area of . Although the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.7 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centres are, among them Zürich, Geneva and Basel. These three cities are home to several offices of international organisations such as the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, the headquarters of FIFA, the UN's second-largest office, as well as the main office of the Bank for International Settlements. The main international airports of Switzerland are also located in these cities.

The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Late Middle Ages resulted from a series of military successes against Austria and Burgundy. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the founding document of Switzerland, which is celebrated on Swiss National Day. Since the Reformation of the 16th century, Switzerland has maintained a firm policy of armed neutrality. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognised in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Switzerland has not fought an international war since 1815 and did not join the United Nations until 2002. Nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy. It is frequently involved in peace-building processes worldwide. Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross, one of the world's oldest and best known humanitarian organisations. It is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably not part of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Eurozone. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties.

Switzerland occupies the crossroads of Germanic and Romance Europe, as reflected in its four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although the majority of the population are German-speaking, Swiss national identity is rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, as well as Alpine symbolism. This identity stretching across languages, ethnic groups, and religions has led many to consider Switzerland a Willensnation ("nation of volition"), as opposed to a nation-state.

Due to its linguistic diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian); and Svizra (Romansh). On coins and stamps, the Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica – frequently shortened to "Helvetia" – is used instead of the four national languages. A developed country, it has the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product. It ranks highly on some international metrics, including economic competitiveness and human development. Its cities such as Zürich, Geneva and Basel rank among the highest in the world in terms of quality of life, albeit with some of the highest costs of living in the world. In 2020, IMD placed Switzerland first in attracting skilled workers. The WEF ranks it the fifth most competitive country globally.

Contents

How places in Switzerland are organized

All places in Switzerland

Further information on historical place organization in Switzerland

Research Tips

Two useful websites for those searching for Swiss kin. Each takes a little getting used to, but it's worth the trouble:

Swiss Genealogy on the Internet

Swiss maps

--Hh219 07:14, 15 April 2007 (MDT)



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