07. SWITZERLAND

01

Switzerland

Lugano A city in between borders.

ABOUT

Switzerland is located in the center-west of the European continent, across the north and south side of the Alps. Due to its location there are many north-south communication routes. Switzerland comprises a great diversity of landscapes and climates on a limited area of 41 285 km2. The average population density in the last years was around 215 inhabitants per km2.

There are three main topographical areas: the Swiss Alps to the south, the Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau, and the Jura mountains on the west part. The Alps are high mountains running across the central and south of the country, representing around 60% of the country's total area while most people live in the Swiss Plateau.

Glaciers and the over 1500 lakes cover about 6% of the national territory and represent 6% of Europe's stock of freshwater. Switzerland also covers part of the Rhine (North Sea), Rhone (Mediterranean Sea), Po/Adige (Adriatic Sea) and Danube (Black Sea) basins. Swiss Plateau is the most populous northern part of the country, constituting about 30% of the country's total area. The Plateau is mostly hilly with forests and open pastures usually with herds or fields for growing vegetables and fruit [3]. In Switzerland a mild climate prevails with moderate hot and cold temperatures and low air humidity. The seasons are clearly distinguished from each other. In autumn the fruits ripen and the leaves of the deciduous trees change color. While winters used to be generally cold and snowy, today sub-zero temperatures and snowfall are no longer guaranteed, especially in the lowlands. In spring the trees blossom and the meadows turn green. It can happen that in April it is briefly back to winter or that in May summer already breaks out. In summer the temperature rises to 25 - 30 °C; in hot summers temperatures can even exceed 30 °C.