Where is Switzerland Located?

Where is Switzerland located on the map? Switzerland is an independent nation located in Western Europe. Check out the following images to see location of Switzerland on maps.

Switzerland Location in World Map

Switzerland is located in Central Europe. It borders Germany in the north and Austria and Liechtenstein in the east. To the south lies Italy and to the west France. Switzerland has no official capital, but only one seat of government in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country. Switzerland is roughly the same size as the Netherlands. With its 41,284 square kilometers, Switzerland is one of the smaller countries in the world.

The map shows you the location of Switzerland in Europe.

The Swiss landscapes

Switzerland is divided into three larger landscapes. These are the mountains of the Jura, the Central Plateau and the Alps. You can find the Alps in the central and southern parts of Switzerland and they take up 60 percent of the entire area of ​​the country. Only 30 percent is on the Central Plateau and 10 percent of the land area in the Jura region. The Alps are on average 1800 to 2500 meters high, but there are also higher mountains. The Jura is about 1700 meters high and consists of limestone.

There are 74 mountains in Switzerland that are more than 4000 meters high. 55 of them are completely in Switzerland and 19 share the border with Italy. You can climb a mountain in Switzerland and descend or ride again in Italy if there is a mountain railway. Or you strap on your skis. By the way, most of the mountains are over 4000 meters in the canton of Valais, that is in the Valais Alps.

There are many glaciers in Switzerland. A well-known Swiss glacier is the Aletsch Glacier in Valais.

A Swiss specialty: the cantons

Switzerland consists of 26 cantons. They roughly correspond to our federal states. So they are the member states that make up Switzerland. There are small cantons with few residents, such as the canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden, or large ones, such as the canton of Zurich. The term “canton” dates back to 1475. Each canton has its own constitution.

The Matterhorn – a Swiss celebrity

The Matterhorn is not the highest mountain in Switzerland, but due to its special shape it is the best known. The Matterhorn is known all over the world. It is considered a symbol of Switzerland. There is even a chocolate that you probably know too, the Toblerone, whose shape was inspired by the Matterhorn.

Of the many four-thousand-meter peaks, the Matterhorn is the most frequently climbed mountain. But there are always mountaineers who overestimate themselves. More than 400 mountaineers had to lose their lives when climbing the Matterhorn. By the way, Edward Whymper climbed it for the first time on July 14, 1865. Even on this first ascent, there were already the first deaths.

Mountains and Rivers

A large part of Switzerland consists of mountains and forests. Although most people know the Matterhorn, it is not the highest mountain in Switzerland. The greatest height is the Dufourspitze in the Monte Rosa massif with 4634 meters.

The longest river is the Rhine, which also flows through Germany. Other major rivers are the Rhône, the Aare, the Inn and the Ticino. The Rhine and Rhône both arise in the Gotthard massif.

There are many large lakes in Switzerland such as Lake Constance, Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich, Lake Lucerne and Lake Thun. There are also many other smaller lakes. There are a total of 1500 lakes in Switzerland. By the way, the largest lake in Switzerland is Lake Geneva with 580.00 square kilometers, Lake Constance is a bit smaller.

Lake Maggiore is the lowest point in Switzerland. Most of Switzerland is 1000 meters above sea level.

Climate

The Alps act as a climate barrier between the north and the south. In the north the climate is Central European temperate. In the south, however, it is more Mediterranean. In the north there are therefore considerably colder winters than in the south. In the mountains there are also different climatic areas, which mainly depend on the altitude. The weather can be very different even at short distances.

There is sufficient rainfall in Switzerland. From an altitude of 1200 to 1500 meters, the precipitation comes down as snow. There are areas in Switzerland where you can find a closed snow cover all year round. It snows less frequently in western and northern Switzerland as well as in the plains.

The temperatures depend on the altitude. In the flatlands in the north, the average temperature is around 1 degree in January and 17 degrees in July. In the south the temperatures are a little higher. At the altitudes around 1500 meters, the average temperatures remain a little -5 degrees and in July around 11 degrees.

Switzerland Facts

Size	41,285 km²
Residents	8.6 million
Languages	German, French, Italian, Romansh
Capital	Seat of government: Bern
Longest river	Rhine (375 km in Switzerland)
Highest mountain	Dufourspitze (4,634 m)
Currency	Swiss franc