Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0353/03537.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 16KB | 286 lines

$Unique_ID{COW03537}
$Pretitle{442}
$Title{Switzerland
Chapter 1.    The Country}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Kummerly and Frey}
$Affiliation{Embassy of Switzerland, Washington DC}
$Subject{alps
jura
switzerland
central
lakes
plateau
swiss
country
region
protection}
$Date{1990}
$Log{Population and Language Map*0353702.scf
Flags of the Cantons*0353703.scf
Table 1.*0353701.tab
Table 2.*0353702.tab
Table 3.*0353703.tab
Table 4.*0353704.tab
Table 5.*0353705.tab
}
Country:     Switzerland
Book:        Switzerland People And State Economy Culture
Author:      Kummerly and Frey
Affiliation: Embassy of Switzerland, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Chapter 1.    The Country

[See Population and Language Map: Courtesy Embassy of Switzerland, Washington
DC.]

[See Flags of the Cantons: Courtesy Embassy of Switzerland, Washington DC.]

Diversity!

     If one were to try to capture in one word the essence of Switzerland as a
whole, it would surely be the world 'diversity' that would be the most
appropriate. More essentially, one could say that overall it is this diversity
which gives Switzerland its unique identity. It is rare to find so small a
country encompassing such scope, variety and individuality in its national
life and above all in its natural features. Situated in southern central
Europe, Switzerland is first and foremost a land of hills and mountains. There
is no direct access to the sea: the nearest port to the south of the country
being Genoa, in Italy, some 250 kilometres away. The most northerly point of
Switzerland, near Oberbargen/Schaffhausen, lies on a latitude north of 47
degrees 48'35"; the most southerly point being on a latitude of 45 degrees
49'8" near Chiasso/Ticino. The country stretches from Geneva, 5 degrees 27'24"
longitude east, to the Grisons on 10 degrees 29'36", and it operates by
Central European Time (ie GMT + 1). Switzerland embraces the central part of
the Alps, with its four main passes-Grimsel, Furka, St. Gotthard and Oberalp;
here also spring the sources of the Rhone and the Rhine. The Swiss rivers,
Ticino and Inn, also feed the Po and the Danube, giving rise to its popular
description as the 'Fountain of Europe'. Due to its central position,
Switzerland has been, throughout its history, an important link in
communications and transport between northern and southern Europe.

[See Table 1.: Size Statistics]

Geology

     The geological structure of Switzerland is complex. It forms part of the
Alpine arc which stretches almost 1,000 kilometres from Nice (French Maritime
Alps) to Vienna (Austrian Alps). The Jura and the Central Plateau do not form
part of the Alps but their development and variety of shapes have been very
much affected by the Alpine chain. Although the country boundaries stretch as
far as the upper Italian plateau in the south and to the Black Forest beyond
the Rhine in the north, the major regions of Switzerland are, however,
geologically speaking, the Alps and Pre-Alps (60%), the Central Plateau (30%)
and the Jura (10%).

     - When it concerns maintaining a people's feelings of identity and
affection for their homeland, great value is placed on careful treatment and
preservation of natural beauty and cultural heritage. Depicted is a view of
St. Prez on the Lake of Geneva, which has been able to keep its medieval
character. As late as the 18th century it was still sealed off from the
outside world with moats and ring wall. The unique triangular layout
corresponds to its site on a spit of land, which provided excellent protection
at the time of founding (about 1 250 by the Bishop of Lausanne).

     The Alps. Switzerland contains the central part of the Alps, roughly a
fifth of the total range. The massif is devided up by the Rhone and Upper
Rhine valleys lengthwise and by the Reuss and Ticino valleys crosswise; this
produces a northeastern group of ranges (Alpstein-Toggenburg, Glarner,
Schwyzer and East Urner Alps), the north-western Alps (West Urner,
Unterwaldner Bernese, Fribourg and Vaud Alps) and the southern Alps (Valais,
Ticino and Grison Alps). On the whole a young massif (in geological terms),
the Alps are the remnants of a range with a complicated stratification system
composed of folds and fold packets which have in many cases been superimposed
on each other by thrust pressure and then reduced in height by erosion. The
mean altitude is around 1,700 metres. While some 100 summits average around
4,000 metres, the highest peak (Dufourspitze of the Monte Rosa massif in the
Valais Alps) reaches 4,634 metres.

     The core of the Alpine range is formed of ancient massifs of granites and
gneiss, surrounded later by sedimentary nappes in great variety. The present
landscape is also very rich and varied: glacial and fluvial erosion have
carved out valleys, terraces and peaks, whose continuing evolution makes the
Alps a constantly changing region. Very precise measurements taken along the
central region have shown that the Alps continue to 'grow' by an average of
one millimetre a year, this growth being balanced, however, by erosion.

     The Pre-Alps. On the north-west fringe of the main range, the Pre-Alps,
made up mainly of conglomerates, have a less complex structure. They often
reach heights of around 2,000 metres.

     The Central Plateau. The Central Plateau was also formed by the Alps. As
the Alps and Jura mountains developed, arms of the sea or lakes persisted in
this region. The erosion which set in with the uplifting of the mountains was
particularly intensive in the Alps and torrents brought down enormous amounts
of sand, gravel and pebbles into the foreland hollows where the deposits were
compressed to form new layers of rock - nagelfluh and other molasse rocks
which combine to constitute depths of almost 3 kilometres in the Central
Plateau area. During the various ice ages, the last of which ended around
10 000 BC, the surface of the molasse was almost completely covered by the
moraines of the Alpine glaciers. Many lateral and terminal moraines occur as
elongate hills. Glacial erosion and deposition have created an undulating
landscape which favours the formation of lakes.

     At a mean altitude of 580 metres, this wide plateau, stretching from Lake
Geneva to Lake Constance, enjoys a milder climate than the Alps and the Jura.
Lying as it does between these two chains, it forms a corridor which provides
a natural setting for communications, commercial and cultural activity.

     The Jura. With its delightful landscape of scarps, valleys and plateaux,
this range has a much less complex structure than the Alps. Its mean altitude
of 700 metres includes some peaks rising to around 1,600 metres (Mont Tendre
in the Vaud Jura reaches 1,679 metres). The Jura can be roughly divided into
three types of mountains: the Folded Jura in the south; the Jura Plateau and
the Jura Tables to the north, or rather east. The whole of the Jura is related
to the uplift of the Alps. It is assumed that during this uplift immense push
forces crossed the Central Plateau and folded the strata in the Jura region.
The Jura folds feature fairly regular, parallel undulations; they are at their
maximum intensity at the southwestern end of the Jura chain and diminish in
amplitude toward the north-east. In the Jura Tables, the sedimentary layer has
simply been lifted and fractured. Over the years, valleys have been opened up
along the crests of numerous folds, by the erosional power of running water.
From some of these valleys, rivers and streams have cut right through the
mountain chains, creating deep gorges in order to reach the Central Plateau.
In other places, water has penetrated the permeable limestones to form
underground courses. In certain dead-end valleys, these streams disappear
abruptly into sinks and swallow-holes, to reappear in a parallel valley or
even at the foot of the range.

[See Table 2.: Mountain summits]

Climate

     Because of its Central position, Switzerland's weather is influenced by
the four main European air current