Key Facts and Figures

Essential basics and useful websites for planning a move to <strong>Switzerland…</strong>

Formal Name	Swiss Confederation
Capital	Bern
Main Cities	Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne
Official Language	German, French, Italian, Romansch
Currency	Swiss francs (CHF)
Dialling Code	+41
Emergency numbers	117, 118 and 144
Time Zone	CET (UTC + 1)
Daylight Savings Time	Last Sunday in March (clocks go forward by an hour) through to the last Sunday in October (clocks go back by an hour).
Units of Measure	Metric System
Electricity	230 volts AC; frequency of 50 hertz
Government	Formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
Population	7,639,961 (July 2011 est.)
Climate	Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Land Surface	39,99 sq km
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)
	Swiss flag

Useful Web References

• Swiss Government website 
• The official Swiss Tourism website
• The CIA World Factbook publishes extensive details on Switzerland
• The official European Union website with comprehensive information on living in the European Union (EU): EUROPA

• Country Overview
• Country Facts
• Public Holidays
• Conversion Tables
• Daylight Saving Time
• Telephone Directories