Why.ch

Berlin, London, Madrid, Moscow and more — almost every European country follows the same rule: the largest city becomes the capital city. By now, you probably won't be surprised when we tell you that Switzerland does things a bit differently here, too. The de facto capital of Switzerland is not Zurich or Geneva.

Bern offered a central location, the support of the French-speaking cantons and the necessary real estate — for free. But why do we say de facto? Well, because Switzerland indeed has no official capital. The devil is in the details: Bern is not mentioned anywhere in writing as the official capital of Switzerland.

The laws mention simply that 'the Federal Assembly meets in Bern' and 'the official seat of the Federal Council, the departments and the Federal Chancellery is the City of Bern'. You may be astonished, but Switzerland is indeed one of the world's most expensive countries, with the highest cost of living.

While Hong Kong seems to be the most expensive city to live in, Switzerland is up there in the Top 10 of a recent Mercer survey, with no less than three cities Zurich, Bern and Geneva. And when we take a closer look, things aren't so bad after all. Because Switzerland also has the highest per capita income, with an average of USD 85, Many elements of modern Swiss culture, including its currency, reflect its Celtic past. By the time the Swiss Confederation was formed in , Helvetica was a long-forgotten name.

When the French armies overran Switzerland in they renamed the area the Helvetic Republic in an attempt to foster the notion of a grand European empire with grand and historic roots. The Swiss resented attempts to impose a central authority over their self-governing cantons, so the Helvetic Republic was abolished in and returned to being a confederation. What are the other eight names, you ask? In a country with four national languages there are four official names:.

So there you have the nine proper names for the Switzerland. As Switzerland encompasses German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic linguistic and cultural areas, it has opted for an international label with its Latin name. In this way, none of the four official languages are preferred over the others as the official Switzerland country code. Interested in reading more content like this? Click subscribe to receive an email when a new post is published.

End of insertion. More More. Swiss CO2 emissions: Small country, big footprint The much-lauded Swiss quality of life has a dark side — namely levels of consumerism and convenience that jack up the national carbon footprint.

Articles in this story Swiss CO2 emissions: Small country, big footprint. Newest first Oldest first. Share this story. Join the conversation! With a SWI account, you have the opportunity to contribute on our website.