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Where we work

Switzerland

Contents

  1.  Facts
    1. Geography and climate
    2. Politics and economics
    3. People and society
    4. Religion and the church
  2. Latin Link’s work
  3. Meet our team
  4. Mission opportunities
Visit Switzerland Site

Facts about Switzerland

Population: 8.4 million
Area: 41,285 km2
Capital: Bern
Currency: Swiss franc
People: Immigrants 25% of which: Italian 15%, German 14%, Portuguese 12%, Balkan 11%, French 6%, Spanish 4%, Others 38%
Main Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh
Religion: Christian 66.5%, Non-Christian faiths 6.6%, No religious affiliation 26.3%, Unknown 1.4%

Geography and climate

Extending across the north and south side of the Alps in west-central Europe, Switzerland encompasses a great diversity of landscapes and climates on a limited area of 41,285 square kilometres (15,940 sq mi). It contains three basic topographical areas: the Swiss Alps to the south, the Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau, and the Jura mountains on the west. The Alps are a high mountain range running across the central and south of the country, constituting about 60% of the country's total area. Switzerland has more than 1500 lakes and contains 6% of Europe's freshwater stock. Lakes and glaciers cover about 6% of the national territory. The Swiss climate is generally temperate, but can vary greatly between the localities,from glacial conditions on the mountaintops to the often pleasant near Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip.

Politics and economics

Officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. A developed country, it has the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product; it has been considered a tax haven. It ranks highly on some international metrics, including economic competitiveness and human development. Its cities such as Zürich, Geneva and Basel rank among the highest in the world in terms of quality of life, albeit with some of the highest costs of living in the world.

People and society

Although the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centres are, among them Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. Switzerland occupies the crossroads of Germanic and Romance Europe, as reflected in its four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although the majority of the population are German-speaking, Swiss national identity is rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, as well as Alpine symbolism. Swiss culture is characterised by diversity, which is reflected in a wide range of traditional customs. A region may be in some ways strongly culturally connected to the neighbouring country that shares its language, the country itself being rooted in western European culture.

Religion and the church

Switzerland has no official state religion, though most of the cantons (except Geneva and Neuchâtel) recognise official churches, which are either the Catholic Church or the Swiss Reformed Church. Christianity is the predominant religion of Switzerland. Immigration has established Islam as a sizeable minority religion. Non-Christian religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and others. 26.3% of Swiss permanent residents are not affiliated with any religious community. Historically, the country was about evenly balanced between Catholic and Protestant, with a complex patchwork of majorities over most of the country. Switzerland played an exceptional role during the Reformation as it became home to many reformers.

Latin Link's work in Switzerland

One of your offices is here. We have members in Latin America sent from churches in Switzerland.

Meet our team in Switzerland

Mission opportunities in Switzerland

We would welcome involvement from Latin American church based workers and evangelists in Switzerland.

To find out more about mission in Switzerland, please browse our opportunities or contact us.
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