My most popular post since October 2010 is "
Fun facts about Switzerland". I have therefore decided to continue this series:
The population is 7.34 million. Swiss provinces are called “cantons.” 70% of Switzerland is covered in mountains. There are palm trees in Switzerland! The landscape ranges from 643 feet above sea level in Ascona to 15,199 feet above sea level in The Dufour Peak. They are 43 miles apart. Switzerland has more than 1,500 lakes.
You are never more than 10 miles from a lake!
You can’t turn right at a red light.
There are more banks then dentists.
Switzerland does thing differently. They have no national flower, animal or motto.
The first “Bond Girl” Ursula Andress was Swiss.
60% of Switzerland’s electricity is produced by hydroelectric power. The Swiss rail system extends some 3,100 miles. Swiss rank second behind Japan in relying on trains.
Women are expected to live 6 yrs longer than men.
In 1471, a chicken in Basel was found guilty of laying a brightly colored egg and it was burned at the stake!
It was once against the law to slam your car door! I think that is a good law! You can’t mow your lawn dressed like Elvis!
Freddy Mercury and Queen bought a recording studio on Lake Geneva. There is a statue of Freddy on the shore of Montreux!
There is also a statue of Charlie Chaplin! Charlie died there in 1977.
The song “Smoke on the Water” is about the smoke from a casino fire when Frank Zappa burned down a casino in Montreux.
The average Swiss eats 23lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7lbs consumed by Americans.
James Bonds mother is Swiss.
Only one-quarter own their own homes. Most homes have bunkers, a result of the Cold War concerns of nuclear war.
Albert Einstein was working as a clerk when he proved his Theory of Relativity.
The typeface “Helvetica” was created in Switzerland.
Swiss army knives are red so they can be seen in the snow.
Every citizen is required by law to own a bomb shelter or access to one.
As a landlocked country they do very well in yachting events including the America’s Cup.
Holes in Swiss cheese are caused by carbon dioxide gas given off by the bacteria and also provided flavour and fermentation. Fondue was originally a peasant meal that used up old bread and cheese.
Arthur Conan Doyle brought skiing to Switzerland.
There are over 40 shipwrecks in Lake Geneva! Including 6 railway cars!
Switzerland has the highest consumption of soft drinks in the world!
There is only one Swiss astronaut named Claude Nicollier.
Switzerland has the most hospital beds per 1000 people. 5.8 beds.
FM radio stations are on both even and odd frequencies.
The 1'000-Swiss Francs-bill (which at an exchange rate of 1.20, equals 840 US Dollars) is the highest denomination note in the world.
