The first thing that comes to our minds when we hear Switzerland is chocolates, swiss knife, watches and for the more sophisticated ones banks!!! But Switzerland is so much more than just that. From the glacier covered mountains to the serene rivers and lakes to the quaint and compact cities, Switzerland is one of the most sought after travel destinations for people around the world.
That said let’s take a look at some interesting stuff about the Swiss.
#1- There are 7000 lakes in Switzerland-
The lakes here are the some of the best one can swim in and you have loads of options by the looks of it. Lake Geneva is the largest of the 7000 lake but the interesting thing here is 40% of its area lies in France where it is called Lac Leman. The largest lake completely within the country is Neuchatel.
#2- Lots of guns, but lowest Crime Rates-
Gun ownership amongst industrialized nations ranks Switzerland as one of the top most country. Interesting thing is that it doesn’t lead to a high crime rate. Compared to the USA, the Swiss have nearly half the gun related death. The important thing to note is that, it is mandate to serve in the military and post finishing the service, all of them are to take their assault rifles or pistols home.
#3- Switzerland is Nobel Prize winning machine-
The Swiss are a global player in the academic field. They’ve produced 113 Nobel Laureates and most of them are scientists.
#4- Guess how many national languages Switzerland has-
3 cheers to the ones who got it right!!! Its FOUR. They are French (20.4%), German (64%), Italian (6.5%) and Romansh (1%). This is mainly due to the high percentage (25%) of foreign people living there. Out of which 80% are Europeans.
#5- Assisted suicide is legal-
According to Swiss law, a person with a sound mind who has over the course of time, shown consistent wish to end their life can request for a assisted voluntary death or AVD. However the act of killing oneself has to be committed by the person themself. This has led to a flux of tourists called ‘Suicide Tourists’ to flock the country for the sole reason of committing suicide.
#6- Sundays are considered to be “Sacred”-
In Switzerland, Sundays are meant to be lazy, which means no work what so ever. No mowing the lawn, no laundry, no hammering or anything. Generally it is frowned upon to work on Sundays. The day is spend a quiet time with family and friends.
#7- Switzerland is very Eco-Friendly-
At-least their electricity generation is. Roughly about 56% of the electricity generated is via hydro-electricity and another 39% through nuclear power. This results in a nearly CO2 -free electricity generating network.
#8- Smallest vineyard in the world-
Switzerland has the smallest vineyard in the world which has an area of 1.67 meters square. This vineyard consists of only 3 vines. And who owns it? The Dalai Lama!!! Bet you didn’t see that coming now.
#9- Almost half the marriages end in divorces-
Surprising considering that Switzerland is one of the happiest places to be that almost 42% of the marriages end in divorce. People in the Swiss marry relatively late. 31.8 and 29.6 Years being the average age for men and women to marry. The average number of kids per woman is also less than the European average.
#10- Aarau railway station holds Europe’s second largest clock face-
With a measurement of 9m in diameter, only the Cergy railway station clock (10m diameter) is larger. Another clock, the St. Peter’s Church in Zurich has the largest church face clock in Europe with a 8.7m diameter.
