Top 10 Switzer­land facts

Gotthard-Basistunnel (Switzerland-Italy). Tunnel da basa dal Son Gottard) is a railway tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland. With a route length of 57.09 km (35.5 mi),it is the world's longest and deepest traffic tunnel and the first flat, low-level route through the Alps.

Swabia. Habsburg dynasty is a royal dynasty whose members became the hereditary rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and held authority over the largest realm in Europe during the Renaissance. The Habsburgs originated in Swabia, a duchy of southwestern Germany. In 1246 they took control of the duchy of Austria.

26. Since Middle Ages Switzerland grew from a union of 3 cantons into one of 26.

Matterhorn. Sometimes referred to as the Mountain of Mountains, the Matterhorn has become an iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and of the Alps in general. Since the end of the 19th century, when railways were built in the area, the mountain has attracted increasing numbers of visitors and climbers. Each year, numerous mountaineers try to climb the Matterhorn.

In Switzerland. The longest stairway in the world runs along the tracks of Niesen funicular near Bern, Switzerland. The stairway is 11,674 steps long. Built in 1907, it is currently closed to the public (with the exception of Niesen Stairway-Run event organized every year in June).

In German, French, Italian and Romansh. The anthem of Switzerland has a separate text in each of the country's four official languages.

A mountain range in Switzerland. The Jurassic period is named for the Jura Mountains in between France and Switzerland, where many fossils have been found.

Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. With a population of 137,000 it is the fifth most populous city in Switzerland, after Zurich, Geneve, Basel and Losanne.

United Nations. Switzerland has been a neutral country since the Vienna Congress of 1815 (after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte). It barely joined the United Nations in 2002 thanks to a 52 % majority vote in countrywide referendum.

German. Switzerland has four official languages: German (spoken by 63.3% of the population); French (22.7%), Italian (8.1%) and Romansh (0.5%).