History of Switzerland

1. Around 1500 BC Celtic Helvetian’s entered Switzerland and colonized the land.

2. By 58 BC the Romans took reign of the area and built a capital at Aventicum (Avenches).
In the Following centuries, the Romans continued to build roads and other towns.

3. However, the region was attacked by a tribe called Alemanii and Switzerland never
recovered. This resulted in the Romans withdrawing their army from Switzerland
altogether in 400AD

4. Afterwards, the Germanic Tribes (Alamanii and Burgundians) took rule of the area
forcing the remaining Roman’s to retreat into the mountains. Despite this, the area
remained a part of the Holy Roman Empire for many years afterwards.

5. In the 12th Century, the Dukes of Zahringen, A German nobel family, were given
authority over part of the Burgundy territories (the western part of Switzerland) and
were responsible for founding many of Switzerland’s cities, such as Fribourg in 1157 and
Bern in 1191.

6. In 1291, the Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Uri families signed a charter making Switzerland
an independent country. However, formal independence wasn’t acquired from the Holy
Roman Empire until 1499.

7. Switzerland’s goal was to be a neutral country, meaning they intended not to be involved
in any wars. After the defeat of Napolean when he invaded the country in 1797, the
congress of Vienna gave Switzerland in 1815, permanent armed neutrality, which they
maintained through both World Wars and the Cold War despite being centrally located
in the heart of Europe.

The People of Switzerland

Languages: German (Official) 63.7%, French (Official) 20.4%, Italian (Official) 6.5%, Romansh
(Official) 0.5%

Nationality: Swiss, Suisse, Schweiz

Religions: Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, Muslim 4.3%

National Holiday: August 1st - Founding of the Swiss Confederation

National Anthem: Schweizerpsalm.

Switzerland’s Economy
 Major Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments,

chocklet
 Agriculture Products: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs
 Natural Resources: Hydropower, potential, timber, salt
 Major Exports: Machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products, chocklet
 Major Imports: Machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals, agricultural products, textiles
Swiss Money
Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF) 1 Swiss Franc = 1.19 CAN $
Swiss Cuisine
Breakfast in Switzerland typically includes bread with butter or margarine, marmalade
or honey along with maybe some cheese or cereal and milk, tea or coffee.
For Lunch, the Swiss usually enjoy something small and simple, such as birchemüesli or
a sandwich.
Dinner is typically the biggest meal of the day. However, if they had a large lunch, dinner
could simply consist of bread, cheese, and dried or light meat.