Switzerland. Brief description.
In Switzerland, you can fully enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Swiss Alps, beautiful lakes and clean air. In winter, it is a great pleasure to ride from the mountains on sleds, skis, snowboards. And in the summer you can go hiking in alpine meadows and fast mountain rivers. There are numerous tourist routes. All conditions are created for lovers of mountaineering. This sport is extremely popular among the Swiss. They begin to study since childhood.
Switzerland has common borders with Austria, Germany, Italy and France. Most of the country is located in the Alps. The highest point is Dufour Peak, its height reaches 4634 meters. The area of the country is about 41.3 thousand square kilometers, the population is about 7.2 million people. The official languages are German, French, Italian, Romansh. The monetary unit is the Swiss franc. Switzerland consists of 26 administrative regions - 23 cantons and 3 semi-cantons. Each canton has the rights of an independent state with its own government, laws and courts.
In the Swiss Alps is the largest glacier in Europe - Alech. Its length is more than 22 kilometers. Near the glacier is the famous valley of Löcenthal. In this valley on Maslenitsa carnival called "Cheggetta". During the carnival, everyone dresses up in ghost costumes and the entire valley is filled with their wandering crowds. They wait for their victims and sprinkle ash on them. But at seven o'clock in the evening church bells begin to ring, and all the evil spirits disappear, a real festival begins with music and dancing.
A bit of history. In 1291, a union was formed between the cantons of Szwitz, Uri and Unterwalden, which laid the foundation for the formation of Switzerland. Canton Schwyz gave it its historical name. Then neighboring lands joined the union. In 1648, the Holy Roman Empire recognized the independence of this state. Since 1815, the country has declared perpetual neutrality and since then has not participated in any war.
When you think of Switzerland, you think of chocolate and cheese. In the high mountain areas in the alpine meadows graze cows, which give a lot of milk. On its basis make the famous Swiss cheese with a large number of holes and in the shape of a mill wheel. Porous milk chocolate, which was first produced by the inventive Swiss, is very popular. The famous cheese fondue was also invented in Switzerland. Real fondue is prepared here on the basis of Emmental cheese and gouda cheese. In addition, Switzerland hosts many international exhibitions of all kinds of topics.