Switzerland (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft; Confédération Suisse; Confederazione Svizzera) is a Federal Republic divided in 26 states. The country is bordered to the north by Germany and France, to the east by Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy, to th south by Italian, to the west by France. The most important cities besides the capital Bern, are Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano, St. Gallen and Winterthur.

Switzerland comprises three very different regions: to the south the Alpine region (60% of the country's total), in the center a prealpine strip, known as Mittelland (27% of total), to the northwest a series of mountain chains that form the Jura. The mountains of Switzerland reach considerable heights especially in the Valais Alps with the peaks of the Grand Combin (4.314 m), Matterhorn (4.478 m), Weisshorn (4.505 m) and Monte Rosa (Punta Dufour, 4.637 m). In the Alps Grison, is more than 4.000 meters the Bernina (4.050 m). Bernese Alps, are dominated by the Group of Finsteraarhorn (4,274 m) around which rise the imposing granite peaks of the Jungfrau (4158 m) and Aletschhorn (4,195 m), with the great glacier of the Aletsch (101.7 sq km), the largest of the Alps and continental Europe. Among the rivers include the Rhine, the Rhone, the Inn and Ticino. There are numerous lakes, the largest are those of Geneva, Constance, Neuchatel, Zurich, Lucerne, Zug, Biel, Thun and Brienz.