• Area: 41285 km² (approx. 10'201'746 acres or 15'940 square miles)
• Boundary: 1882 km (1170 miles)
• Largest extension north - south: 220 km
• Largest extension west - east: 348 km
• Most northern dimension: Oberbargen (N 47° 48' 35")
• Most eastern dimension: Piz Chavalatsch (E 10° 29' 36")
• Most southern dimension: Chiasso (N 45° 49' 08")
• Most western dimension: Chancy (E 5° 57' 24")
• Highest elevation: Mount Monte Rosa ("Dufourspitze"), 4634 m.a.s
• Lowest elevation: Lake Maggiore ("Lago Maggiore"), 193 m.a.s
• Time Zone: Central Europe (GMT +1 hour)

Switzerland is divided in three major geographical areas:

• Alps ("Alpen"): 60%
• Middle land ("Mittelland"): 30%
• Jura: 10%

• Switzerland may be neutral but it is certainly not flavourless. The fusion of German, French and Italian ingredients has formed a robust national culture, and the country's alpine landscapes have enough zing to reinvigorate the most jaded traveller.

  
  

  Goethe summed up Switzerland succinctly as a combination of 'the colossal and the well-ordered'. You can be sure that your trains and letters will be on time. The tidy, just-so precision of Swiss towns is tempered by the lofty splendour of the landscapes that surround them.

• Water noise! But water view as well! The largest waterfall in Europe crashes down a 23m (75ft) drop. The average flow is 600 cu metres per second in summer and 250 cu m (21188 cu ft) in winter. The falls on the north bank of the river are less steep and less violent. Cross the bridge to the south side to get an impression of the impact of the water.