The area of Switzerland is quite small even by European standards. Nevertheless, this small country plays a rather significant role in world processes. The political structure and foreign policy of this state, which have been providing unprecedented stability for more than one hundred and fifty years, can be considered unique. Let's briefly study the history, find out the area and population of Switzerland, as well as some other nuances associated with this country.
Geographic location of Switzerland
Before considering the area of Switzerland, as well as some other questions, let's find out where this state is located.
Switzerland is located in the heart of Western Europe, in a mountain range called the Alps. It borders Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, Italy to the south, France to the west, and Germany to the north.
The nature of most of Switzerland is mountainous. In the west of the country there is a rather large Lake Geneva.
The capital of Switzerland is the city of Bern.
History before independentstates
Now let's take a quick look at the history of Switzerland. Settlements in these places have been known since Paleolithic times. During the Neolithic period, there was a cultural community that built their houses on stilts.
In ancient times, the mountainous part of the country in the east was inhabited by the Retes tribes, who were considered related to the Italian Etruscans. It was from the Romanized representatives of this tribe that one of the modern ethnic groups of Switzerland, the Romansh, originated.
Also starting from the XIII century BC. e., Celtic peoples began to penetrate here. Before the Roman conquest, the west of modern Switzerland was inhabited by the Celtic-speaking tribes of the Helvetii and Allobroges, and the east by the Vindeliki.
In 58 B. C. e. the Helvetii and Allobroges were conquered by the great Roman commander Julius Caesar, and after his death under Octavian Augustus in 15-13 BC. e. rheta and vindeliki conquered.
The captured territories are thus incorporated into the Roman Empire. The territory of modern Switzerland was divided between the provinces - Rezia and Germania Superior, and a small area near Geneva was part of Narbonne Gaul. Later, another province, Vindelicia, was separated from Rhetia in the north. The region began to gradually romanize, significant Roman buildings, roads, cities were built here, when the power of the empire was declining, Christianity began to penetrate here.
Already in 264 AD, the territory of modern western Switzerland was invaded by the Germanic tribe of the Alemans. At the beginning of the 5th century, they finally captured the east of the country. In 470 the west of Switzerlandbecame part of the kingdom of another Germanic tribe - the Burgundians, who, however, were Christians. If the Alemanni completely destroyed the traces of Romanization on their territory, exterminating, expelling and assimilating the local population, the Burgundians, on the contrary, treated the locals quite loyally, which contributed to the predominance of the Romanesque population in the lands subject to them. This division has even affected modern times: the western French-speaking population of Switzerland is mainly the descendants of the inhabitants of the country of the Roman period, and the eastern German-speaking population is the descendants of the Alemans.
Besides, already after the fall of the Roman Empire in 478, the south of Switzerland fell successively under the rule of the Germanic kingdoms of the Ostrogoths and Lombards, whose center was in Italy. But the Ostrogoths also did not forcibly Germanize the population, therefore Romansh and Italians currently live in this part of the country.
It should be noted that the natural division of Switzerland by the Alps into relatively isolated areas prevented the mixing of the above ethnic groups and military incursions.
In the VIII century, the total area of Switzerland was again united under the Frankish state. But already in the 9th century it fell apart. Switzerland was again divided between several states: Upper Burgundy, Italy and Germany. But in the XI century, the German king managed to create the Holy Roman Empire, which included the entire area of Switzerland. However, soon the imperial power weakened, and reallythese lands began to be managed by local feudal lords from the families of the Tserengens, Kyburgs, Habsburgs and others who exploited the local population. The Habsburgs became especially strong after the possession of the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire passed into their hands at the end of the 13th century.
Struggle for Independence
It was the struggle against these seniors, mainly the Habsburgs, that served as the beginning of the unification of the scattered Swiss regions into a single independent state. In 1291, a military alliance "for all time" was concluded between representatives of the three cantons (regions) of Switzerland - Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden. From this date it is customary to keep a record of Swiss statehood. From that moment, an active struggle of the people against the Habsburgs, representatives of the imperial administration and feudal lords began. The famous legend of William Tell belongs to the initial stage of this struggle.
In 1315 there was the first major clash between the Swiss and the Habsburg army. It was called the Battle of Morgarten. Then the Swiss managed to win, numerically exceeding them by several times the enemy army, moreover, consisting of knights. It is with this event that the first mention of the name "Switzerland" is connected. This was due to the erroneous extension of the name of the canton of Schwyz to the territory of the entire union. Immediately after the victory, the alliance treaty was renewed.
In the future, the Union continued to operate successfully against the Habsburgs. This attracted the desire of other regions to join it. By 1353, the Union had alreadyeight cantons, as Zurich, Bern, Zug, Lucerne and Glarus were added to the original three.
In 1386 and 1388, the Swiss inflicted two more significant defeats on the Habsburgs at the battles of Sempach and Nefels. This led to the fact that in 1389 peace was concluded for 5 years. Then it was extended for 20 and 50 years. The Habsburgs actually renounced the rights of the lords regarding the eight allied cantons, although they continued to be part of the Holy Roman Empire. This state of affairs continued until 1481, that is, almost 100 years.
In 1474-1477, Switzerland was drawn into the Burgundian War in alliance with France and Austria. In 1477, in the decisive battle of Nancy, the Swiss defeated the troops of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, and he himself died in this battle. This victory significantly increased the international prestige of Switzerland. Its warriors began to be valued as excellent mercenaries, which had a positive effect on the country's economy. In this capacity, they serve the French king, the Duke of Milan, the Pope and other sovereigns. In the Vatican, the guards of the Holy See are still made up of Swiss. More and more states are willing to join the Union, but the old cantons are not too eager to expand their borders.
After all, in 1481, a renewed treaty was concluded. Two more cantons, Solothurn and Friborg, were accepted as members of the Union. The area of Switzerland expanded, and the number of cantons was increased to ten. In 1499, a victory was won in the war with the Swabian League, supported by the emperor. After that, an agreement was signed, whichactually marked the withdrawal of Switzerland from the Holy Roman Empire. But legally the emperor has not yet abandoned his claims. In 1501, Basel and Schaffhausen were admitted as cantons to the Union, and in 1513, Appennzell. The number of lands has reached thirteen.
Meanwhile, in the 15th century, the Reformation, a group of Christian religious teachings that denied the primacy of the Pope in the spiritual world, was sweeping across Europe. In the city of Geneva, the founder of one of the leading currents of the Reformation, John Calvin, lived and died for a long time. Another prominent reformer, Ulrich Zwingli, was a native of St. Gallen. The reform was accepted by many European sovereigns and princes. But the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire opposed her. For this reason, the all-European Thirty Years' War broke out in 1618. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was signed, in which the emperor recognized his defeat and the right of the princes to choose their own religion for their land, and the withdrawal of Switzerland from the Holy Roman Empire was also legally fixed. Now it has become a completely independent state.
Independent Switzerland
However, Switzerland of that time could only relatively be considered a single state. Each canton had its own legislation, territorial division, the right to conclude international agreements. It was more like a military-political union than a full-fledged state.
In 1795, a revolution began in Switzerland, supported from the outside by Napoleonic France. French occupiedcountry, and in 1798 a unitary state was created here - the Helvetic Republic. After the victory of the allies over Napoleon in 1815, the former structure returned to Switzerland with minor changes, however, the number of cantons was increased to 22, and later to 26. But a movement for the centralization of power began to rise in the country. In 1848 a new constitution was adopted. According to it, Switzerland, although it continued to be called the Confederation, actually turned into a federal state with a full-fledged government. The neutral status of the camp was immediately fixed. This has become a guarantee that since then Switzerland has become one of the most peaceful and tranquil corners of the world. Located in the heart of Europe, destroyed by the First and Second World Wars, this state is almost the only one that did not suffer during the tragic events. Indeed, only Sweden and the territory of Switzerland were free from war in Europe. The area of the country was not damaged by enemy bombs or invasions of foreign armies.
The industry and the banking sector were actively developing in the country. This allowed Switzerland to become a world leader in the provision of financial services, and the standard of living of citizens of the Alpine state became one of the highest on the planet.
Switzerland Square
Now let's find out what is the area of Switzerland. This indicator is the basic criterion for further analysis. At the moment, the area of Switzerland is 41.3 thousand square meters. km. This is the 133rd indicator among all countries in the world.
For comparison, the area of oneonly the Volgograd region is 112.9 thousand square meters. km.
Administrative divisions of Switzerland
In administrative-territorial terms, Switzerland is divided into 20 cantons and 6 half-cantons, which, in general, is equal to 26 subjects of the confederation.
The cantons of Graubünden (7.1 thousand sq. km.), Bern (6.0 thousand sq. km.) and Valais (5.2 thousand sq. km.) are the largest in area.
Population
The total population in the country is about 8 million people. This is the 95th indicator in the world.
But what population density does Switzerland have? The area of the country and the population that we have established above make it easy to calculate this indicator. It is equal to 188 people/sq. km.
Ethnic composition
On the territory of the country, 94% of the inhabitants consider themselves ethnic Swiss. This does not prevent them from speaking different languages. Thus, 65% of the population are German speakers, 18% French speakers and 10% Italian speakers.
In addition, about 1% of the population is Romansh.
Religion
During the Middle Ages and the New Age, Switzerland became a real arena of struggle between Protestants and Catholics. Now the passions have subsided and there is no religious confrontation in the country. Approximately 50% of the population is Protestant and 44% Catholic.
In addition, there are small Jewish and Muslim communities in Switzerland.
General characteristics
We learned the area of Switzerland in sq. km,the population and history of this country. As you can see, she had a long way from a disunited union of cantons to a single state. The history of Switzerland can serve as an example of how culturally, religiously, ethnically and linguistically disparate communities can be united into a single nation.
The success of the Swiss development model is confirmed by its economic performance and more than 150 years of peace in the country.
