Switzerland

Switzerland is a small country in the middle of Europe. It sits between France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the tiny country of Liechtenstein. About 8.7 million people live there, in an area roughly twice the size of New Jersey. The capital city is Bern. The biggest city is Zurich.

Most of Switzerland is covered by mountains. The Alps run across the southern and central parts of the country. The Jura mountains rise in the northwest. Between them sits a flat strip of land called the Swiss Plateau, where most Swiss people live. The country's most famous peak is the Matterhorn, a sharp pyramid of rock that stands 14,692 feet tall. That is nearly three miles straight up from sea level.

Switzerland has four official languages. People in different regions speak German, French, Italian, or Romansh, depending on which neighbor their part of the country sits next to. A kid in Zurich might greet her grandma in German. A kid in Geneva might greet his in French. Romansh is the rarest of the four. Only about 60,000 people speak it, mostly in mountain valleys in the east.

The country is famous for staying out of wars. Switzerland has been officially neutral since 1815, which means it does not take sides in fights between other countries. It did not join either side in World War I or World War II. It did not even join the United Nations until 2002. Even so, every Swiss man is required to serve in the army and keep military training gear at home.

Switzerland is also known for things people love to eat and use. Swiss chocolate, Swiss cheese with its round holes, and Swiss watches are sold all over the world. The country makes some of the most accurate clocks and watches ever built. Switzerland is also home to the Red Cross, a huge group that helps people hurt by wars and disasters. The Red Cross was started in Geneva in 1863, and its flag is the Swiss flag with the colors switched.

The country has no coastline, but it has more than 1,500 lakes. Rivers that start in the Swiss Alps flow outward in every direction. The Rhine flows north to the North Sea. The Rhône flows west into France. The Po drains south into Italy. Water from a single Swiss mountain can end up in four different seas. That is why people sometimes call Switzerland the water tower of Europe.