Switzerland's area 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.
Geographical location of Switzerland
Before considering the area of Switzerland, as well as some other issues, 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. In the east, it borders with Austria and Liechtenstein, in the south with Italy, in the west with France, and in the north it is in contact with Germany.
The nature of most of Switzerland is mountainous. In the west of the country is a fairly large Lake Geneva.
The capital of Switzerland is the city of Bern.
History before the formation of an independent state
Now a brief look at the history of Switzerland. Settlements in these places have been known since the Paleolithic. In the Neolithic period there was a cultural community, which built their houses on stilts.
In ancient times, the mountainous section of the country in the east was inhabited by tribes of Rets, who were considered to be related to Italian Etruscans. It was from the romanized representatives of this tribe that one of the modern ethnic groups of Switzerland, the Romans, 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 Helvets and allobrogs, and the east by the Vindelics.
In 58 BC e. Helvets and allobrogs were conquered by the great Roman commander Julius Caesar, and after his death under Octavian Augustus in 15-13 BC. e. conquered Reth and vindeliki.
The occupied territories are thus included in the Roman Empire. The territory of modern Switzerland was divided between the provinces - Rétius and Upper Germany, and also a small area near Geneva was part of Narbonne Gaul. Later, another province was separated from Recya in the north - Vindelitsia. The region began to gradually Romanize, significant Roman structures, roads, cities were built here, when the power of the empire was declining, Christianity began to penetrate here.
Already in 264 AD, a Germanic tribe of Alemans invaded the territory of modern western Switzerland. At the beginning of the V century, they finally captured the east of the country. In 470, the west of Switzerland became part of the kingdom of another Germanic tribe - the Burgundians, who, however, were Christians. If the Alemans on their territory completely destroyed the traces of Romanization, exterminating, expelling and assimilating the local population, then the Burgundians, on the contrary, treated the locals quite loyally, which contributed to the predominance of the Romanesque population on their lands. This division was reflected even in 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.
In addition, after the fall of the Roman Empire in 478, the south of Switzerland fell successively under the rule of the German kingdoms of the Ostrogoths and Lombards, whose center was in Italy. But the Ostrogoths also did not produce violent Germanization of the population, therefore, Romans 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 invasions.
In the VIII century, the total area of Switzerland was again united in the framework of 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 in fact, these feudal lords began to control the local feudal lords from the clans of Cerengens, Cyburgs, 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 lords, mainly the Habsburgs, that served as the beginning of the rallying of disparate Swiss regions into a single independent state. In 1291, a military alliance “for ever” was concluded between representatives of the three cantons (regions) of Switzerland - Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden. From this date, it is customary to keep a report of Swiss statehood. From this 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, the first major clash occurred between the Swiss and the Hapsburg army. It was called the Battle of Morgarten. Then the Swiss managed to win, numerically surpassing them several times the enemy army, moreover, consisting of knights. It is with this event that the first mention of the name “Switzerland” is associated. 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 union agreement was updated.
In the future, the Union continued to operate successfully against the Habsburgs. This attracted the desire of other areas to enter it. By 1353, the Union numbered eight 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 Zempach 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 right of the seniors regarding the eight allied cantons, although they continued to be part of the Holy Roman Empire. This state of affairs persisted until 1481, that is, almost 100 years.
In the years 1474-1477, Switzerland was drawn into the Burgundy War in alliance with France and Austria. In 1477, at the decisive battle of Nancy, the Swiss defeated the troops of the Duke of Burgundy Karl the Bold, and he himself died in this battle. This victory significantly increased the international authority of Switzerland. Her 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 Guard of the Holy See is still manned by the Swiss. There are more and more lands wishing to join the Union, but the old cantons are not too eager to expand their borders.
In the end, in 1481 an updated 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 brought to ten. In 1499, victory was won in the war with the Swabian Union, supported by the emperor. After this, an agreement was concluded that actually 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 accepted into the Union as cantons, and in 1513 Appenzel. The amount of land 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 spirit world, was striding across Europe in broad steps. In the city of Geneva, the founder of one of the leading currents of the Reformation, Jean Calvin, lived and died for a long time. Another outstanding 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, in 1618 the pan-European Thirty Years War broke out. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was signed, in which the emperor acknowledged his defeat and the right of the princes to choose a religion for their land, and the exit of Switzerland from the Holy Roman Empire was legally secured. 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 externally by Napoleonic France. The French occupied the country, and in 1798 a unitary state was created here - the Helvetic Republic. After the Allies defeated Napoleon in 1815, the previous device returned to Switzerland with minor changes, however, the number of cantons was increased to 22, and later to 26. But the movement for centralizing power began to rise in the country. In 1848, a new Constitution was adopted. According to her, 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 was the key to the fact that since then Switzerland has become one of the most peaceful and quiet 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. And indeed, only Sweden and the territory of Switzerland turned out to be free from war in Europe. The area of the country was not affected by enemy bombs or invasions of foreign armies.
The country has actively developed industry and the banking sector. This allowed Switzerland to become a world leader in providing financial services, and the standard of living of citizens of the Alpine state has become one of the highest on the planet.
Switzerland Square
Now let's find out what area of Switzerland. This indicator is a 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 of the world.
For comparison, the area of the Volgograd region alone is 112.9 thousand square meters. km
Administrative division of Switzerland
In the administrative-territorial plan, Switzerland is divided into 20 cantons and 6 half-cantons, which, in general, is equal to 26 subjects of the confederation.
The largest areas are the cantons of Graubünden (7.1 thousand square kilometers), Berne (6.0 thousand square kilometers) and Valais (5.2 thousand square kilometers).
Population size
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 this indicator easy to calculate. It is equal to 188 people / sq. km
Ethnic composition
In the country, 94% of the inhabitants consider themselves ethnic Swiss. This does not stop them from speaking different languages. So, 65% of the population are German-speaking, 18% are French-speaking and 10% are Italian-speaking.
In addition, about 1% of the population are 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. About 50% of the population are Protestants, and 44% are Catholics.
In addition, Switzerland has small Jewish and Muslim communities.
general characteristics
We learned the area of Switzerland in apt. km, population and history of this country. As you can see, she had a long way from a fragmented alliance of the 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 indicators and more than 150 years of peace in the country.