Confoederatio means “confederation” and Helvetica refers to the Helvetii, an ancient Celtic people who settled in the region of present-day Switzerland roughly 2000 years  ago.


Switzerland has evolved over the course of more than seven hundred years from the alliance of the original three cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, to today’s federal state that unites the various interests of the individual cantons with the collective interests of the country.

The Confederation has responsibilities in those areas where it is granted powers by the Constitution – for example in foreign and security policy, in customs and financial matters, in enacting legislation that applies throughout the country and in defence.

Tasks that are not expressly designated federal matters are the responsibility of the next highest political unit, i.e. the cantons.

This federally governed country has four official national languages: German (63.7%), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%) and Rhaeto-Romanic (0.5%). The remaining 9% of the Swiss population speak “other languages” and represent a diversity of languages and
cultures. The percentage of foreigners in Switzerland is high at 23%. With an obligation to traditional ethical values, Switzerland has a liberal attitude towards victims of political persecution.
 
Although it is embedded in the geographical heart of Europe, Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. 

Despite the fact that Bern is the political capital, by far the largest area of concentration is the Greater Zurich area, followed by Geneva in the Frenchspeaking part of Switzerland and Basel at the tri-country border to Germany and France. Zurich is considered the financial capital of Switzerland, while Geneva is the headquarters of various international organizations and the home of world-famous luxury goods manufacturers. Basel, on the other hand, has been a leader in the pharmaceutical industry for years.

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