Switzerland is situated in the central Alpine region of Europe, adjoining Italy in the south,
Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein in the east, Germany in the north and France
in the west. It is without direct access to the sea. Total area: approx. 41,300 km2.
The Alps, situated in the south of the country, reach heights of over 4,000 m (highest point:
Dufourspitze 4,634 m). In the west and north is the Jura mountain range. Between the
Alps and the Jura lies the hilly, densely-populated central plateau.
Thanks to its position in the Alps, at the cross-roads formed by the Gotthard, Furka and
Oberalp passes, Switzerland contains the sources of several major European rivers - the
Rhine, the Rhone, the Inn (Danube) and the Ticino (Po) - and is important as a country for
travel and transit. This has been crucial in determining the course of its history.
Swiss geography: www.swissworld.org
Aerial photograph/map: www.map.search.ch
Local maps on the Internet: www.ortsplan.ch
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