Switzerland Geography

Generally mountainous and landlocked, Switzerland is a small country located in the heart of Europe. It covers total area of 41,000km² of which 1,500km² are water. Switzerland is surrounded by Austria and Liechtenstein in the east, France in the west, Italy in the south and Germany inthe north.

In the south and south east there are Switzerland’s well known Alps. North of the Alps, from east to west, there is the so called Swiss plateau, where most of the country’s population lives. North west of the plateau you’ll find the Jura Mountains. A big part of the northern border with Germany follows the Rhine River; the Rhine enters Switzerland near Schaffhausen. In the east, the border with Germany and a part of Austria is drawn through Lake Constance (German: Bodensee). It is the same for a bit of the southwest border with France – there it is Lake Geneva that acts as the natural border.

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