Šveits

Quick Facts:

Area:	41,290 sq. km
Population:	7,301,994 (July 2002 est.)
Capital:	Bern
Language:	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%
Religion:	Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9%
Currency:	Swiss Franc (CHF)
YFU web site:	www.yfu.ch; LOOK ALSO: http://www.yfu.ch/home_en.html

Introduction

Switzerland is a country with a rich heritage. Numerous different cultures live side-by-side in one very small country, There are four national languages. The landscape is diverse, full of natural beauty. Switzerland has a democratic structure and its people are strongly involved with politics, its schools are challenging, and there are many opportunities for sports and other recreational activities.

Short Facts

Area: 41,290 km2 slightly smaller than Denmark. Switzerland is a mountainous country, as the Alps cover three-fifths of the land area and there is the Jura in the northwest. There is a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes.

Climate: The climate is influenced by the differences in altitudes. The summers are mild and the winters snowy. With it’s many mountains Switzerland makes a world-renowned winter vacation spot.

Population: Swiss society is quite diverse due to its multilingual composition. Living in the French speaking part of the country will give you a quite different experience than living in the German part. The majority of the people speak German inhabiting the northern, central and eastern part of Switzerland. The biggest minority is French speaking and is living mainly in the western part of Switzerland. Italian is spoken in the southern part of Switzerland. And last but not least there is Romanish, a very ancient language spoken by a few thousand people in the south eastern part. Swiss society believes very strongly in consensus. Maybe that is the secret why the people have been living in peace with each other, in spite of the huge differences between the urban areas and the remote mountain settlements, the different political believes in the western part and the eastern part of the country, the difference in language and religion.

Language: The languages that are spoken in Switzerland correspond to the various ethnic backgrounds of its people. German is spoken in the North, French in the West, Italian and Romansch in the South. Apart from regional accents, there are also numerous Swiss-German dialects, classified under the general term Schwyzerdütsch and used on formal occasions as well as socially.

Religion: About forty-six percent of the Swiss are Roman Catholic and about forty are Protestant, but the number of people who are active in their faith is smaller. Fourteen percent profess other religions or have no religious denomination. Switzerland was the center of the Zwingliand Calvinist Protestant Reformations of the 16th century and has produced several important modern theologians including Karl Barth and Emil Brunner. Both Catholic and Protestant churches have generally worked toward greater ecumenical harmony. As elsewhere in Europe, the inhabitants of rural areas show a greater commitment to religion than do their urban counterparts.

Government: Switzerland is a “direct democracy”. Several times during the year, the Swiss are asked to take political decisions in popular votes. Its decentralized system delegates as much power as possible to the lowest level of governance, leading to a very detailed structure. The country is not lead by a President but by a council of ministers consisting of seven members. One of them is elected for president for one year. The only power he or she gets is to lead the council sessions and to represent the country on international level. Switzerland is a confederation of 26 cantons. They hold a considerable amount of power, which can lead to quite interesting situations.

History: The Swiss take pride in their history, being one of the oldest democracies in the world. The founding of the Swiss confederation took place on August 1, 1291, when the three Forest Cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, rose in rebellion against Austrian Habsburg control. Later the confederation grew larger and more powerful. In 1815 after a brief invasion by Napoleon, Switzerland became a permanently neutral country and in 1848 adopted a constitution, making it a federal state. Later in 1874 a distinctive feature of Swiss government, direct democracy by the people, was firmly established in the Constitution. During the 19th century, Switzerland became industrialized and urbanized. In World Wars I and II, Swiss neutrality was threatened, but not violated. However, the role of Switzerland during World War II is currently being revisited. In 1998 the major Swiss banks agreed to pay US$1.2 billion for compensation to relatives of holocaust victims whose funds were deposited in Swiss banks.

Economy: The Swiss economy is nowadays dominated by companies of the services sector. Did you know that life insurance was invented in Switzerland?. Swiss banks and insurances are among the leading companies in the world. Industry is still a major factor in Swiss economy. Notably the watch making industry became very strong again after a long crisis in the 1980’s. But also mechanical, pharmaceutical and food industries employ many people. About three percent of the population is still working in agriculture. But due to the high prices in Switzerland, more and more companies move their production out of Switzerland, keeping only the research departments in the country. This makes sense, since they can profit from the excellent education system.

Education: Public schools include Kindergarten, Volksschule (elementary school), Gymnasium (secondary school) and Universitäten, (university). Volksschule is mandatory. It is divided into Primarschule and Oberstufenschule. Primarschule lasts six years and oberstufenschule lasts three years and is divided into three different levels: Sekundarschule, Realschule and Oberschule. Sekundarschule is the highest level. It is particularly required if a student wants to attend a Gymnasium (secondary school), afterwards. Depending on the profession, an apprenticeship takes two to four years. After apprenticeship and depending on their education, young people can either start a job or join other schools for further education, including so called fachhochschulen. There are various types of Gymnasium with different major subjects. All these secondary schools last four and a half years andlead to the so called Eidgenössische Matura (federal graduation diploma), which is recognized at all universities in Switzerland and at most universities in foreign countries.

Family life: Swiss families are in average not very big. The various members of a family are usually quite independent. However it is still custom in many households to eat one meal per day together. Very often this is dinner.

Meals: If you are a cheese and chocolate lover, you will certainly get your share while you are in Switzerland, But do not worry, the Swiss cuisine offers a lot more than just that. It is influenced by the neighboring countries, which led to a variety of well balanced dishes. Pasta, rice and vegetables are combined with meat. Whether a person loves meat or prefers vegetarian food, both will enjoy dining in Switzerland. The market share of organically produced food is constantly growing, which reflects the opinion of many Swiss that good food is essential for a good life.

Recreation: Hiking, biking, jogging, skiing and other outdoor activities are important in the lives of many Swiss. The beautiful surroundings, the well developed infrastructure and the restless attitude of the people are perhaps the reason for this. There are also plenty of other possibilities such as theaters, movies, museums and music festivals out there to enjoy with friends.

YFU Switzerland

While the first exchanges with the USA took place in 1962 under the leadership of founder Ruedi Heubach, YFU Switzerland was officially constituted as an association in 1967. Since the early 1980s, YFU Switzerland has been constantly expanding in terms of program offers, destinations and student numbers. Today, YFU Switzerland is officially a non-profit, tax free, social institution, supported by the Swiss authorities.

Exchange activities for Inbound students: For international year students, there are two one-week (compulsory) activities that are organized on a national level. First, a post arrival orientation in October takes place in a dormitory-type house in the mountains. Second, a ski camp is held in January. Students spend a week in a youth hostel of a ski resort in the mountains. The group is supervised by YFU volunteers who are also able to give skiing instruction. Various activities such as monthly meetings are also organized on a regional level.

Common Phrases

English	Swiss German
Hello	Tscou zäme
Good morning	Grüssech mitenand
How are you?	Wie geits?
Thank you	Danke

Common Phrases

English	French
Hello	Salut
Good Morning	Bonjour
How are you?	Ca va?
Thank you	Merci

Common Phrases

English	Italian
Hello	Ciao
Good Morning	Buon Giorno
How are you?	Come stà?
Thank you	Grazie