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Switzerland
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The
Country: |
Switzerland
is a small, landlocked country in the heart of Europe. It
has a strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable passes ("Passstrasse", short
term "Pass").Switzerland is a major player in international
trade and follows a liberal trade policy so, while this is
not an ideal market for companies new to exporting, it has
potential for more established exporters. The Swiss, who enjoy
one of the world's highest levels of income per person, have
a taste for well-designed, quality products. The climate is
temperate but varies with altitude. |
Geography
& Climate: |
The
weather in Switzerland varies greatly between different places.
The highest snow received at Rochers de Nave, a mountain near
Montreux (VD) with approximately 260 cm per year.
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Currency:
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The
Swiss currency is called "Schweizerfranken" ("Swiss Francs")
or short "Franken". One hundred "Rappen" make up one Swiss
Franc. CHF is the ISO representation for Swiss francs; however,
the old notation sFr. Is still used quite often.
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Education:
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There
are eight Universitäten ("universities") in Switzerland,
six of them are run by a canton, and two are run by the confederation.
In general, the universities run by the cantons provide non-technical
subjects, whereas the universities run by the confederation
provide technical subjects. The later are therefore called
"Swiss federal institutes of technology". To be able to attend
a university, a student must own a graduation diploma. The
study at a university usually lasts four and a half years.
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Major
Cities: |
Altenrhein,
Basel, Bern Chiasso Chur, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, Luzern,
St. Gallen, Zürich. |
Culture:
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Swiss
folk culture includes yodeling, playing the alp horn and Swiss
wrestling. Switzerland is a linguistic melting pot with three
official federal languages. German mostly spoken by 66% of
the population, French by 18% and Italian by 10%.Cheeses form
an important part of the Swiss diet. Emmenthaler and Gruyère
are combined with white wine to create fondue, which is served
up in a vast pot and eaten with bread cubes. Rosti (crispy,
fried, shredded potatoes) is German Switzerland's national
dish. Fresh fish from the numerous lakes frequently crop up
on menus, especially perch and trout. Swiss chocolate, excellent
by itself, is often used in desserts and cakes.
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Sports:
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Skiing,
Basket Ball, Soccer etc. |
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