Geography

The total area of Switzerland is 41,285 km2. Characterized by ranges of hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, Switzerland offers a wide variety of landscapes in a small area – 220 km from north to south, and 348 km from west to east. The Swiss Alps, the hilly Mittelland region, which stretches from Lake Constance to Lake Geneva, and the Swiss Jura, a long range of fold mountains, form the three main geographical areas of the country. Due to its central location, Switzerland is a place where different cultures intersect and, at the same time, a communications and transportation hub between northern and southern Europe.

6% of Europe’s fresh water supply is stored in the Swiss Alps, which is why Switzerland is also known as the "reservoir of Europe.” Switzerland has numerous rivers and almost 1,500 lakes, the two largest of which are shared with neighboring countries: Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in the south-west is shared with France, while Lake Constance in the north-east is shared with Germany and Austria.