Swiss Delight

Switzerland is a small, mountainous, and prosperous nation with a population of only 7.4 million. The country is famous for its enviable quality of life that moves along with the same precision of a Swiss watch. The people of Switzerland are very quality conscious and products manufactured in the country are sought after the world over. Some of the quality products manufactured in the country and exported to the rest of the world include Swiss cheese, chocolates, luxurious watches, and the most famous, the Swiss army knife.

The country is well known for its political neutrality and is geographically isolated by the Alps mountain range and other high altitude areas. All these factors have helped the country to play a safe, but central political role in the international affairs afflicting the European Union. These factors have also helped in the successful launch of the desirable Swiss bank accounts that offer anonymity along with tax benefits. Swiss banks are perhaps the safest in the world and have helped the city of Zurich in becoming one of Europe's major financial hubs. The country's fortuitous location in the center of Europe has made it the most preferred meeting place for conventions and international conferences. The official headquarters of the United Nations are located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Apart from being one of the main financial and commercial centers in the European Union, Switzerland is also a very popular tourist destination. It is home to world-class ski resorts such as Zermatt and St. Moritz that are often frequented by world-renowned celebrities. The snow-capped peaks of these mountain resorts against the backdrop of an azure sky provide the perfect conditions for summertime hiking. Berne, the ancient and current capital of Switzerland has many attractions such as picturesque locales, shopping, nightclubs, and restaurants that offer delectable local as well as international cuisine.

Switzerland's national and international policies are based on building consensus, as the country's population is a mix of different cultural groups speaking different languages such as Swiss, German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Rumantsch. However, the international political scenario is changing very fast and there are signs that the nation's leaders are increasingly willing to get more deeply involved in world affairs and deploy on the international stage, the skills in democracy and diplomacy they have developed domestically. The most obvious sign of these policy shifts was witnessed in 2002 when Switzerland finally became a member of the United Nations.