Happy birthday Switzerland ! | Flag of Switzerland…
Where is Switzerland ? Keep going till you smell money or step in chocolate. – Robin Williams’ (Chris Nielsen’s) funny quote in the 1998 movie ‘What Dreams May Come’.
725 years of Switzerland ! Now that’s a reason to celebrate! The tiny landlocked nation is known for its stunning beauty. Hundreds of mountains surrounded by a beautiful landscape. Of course tons of different cheeses and the finest chocolate. If you think that you’re rich enough, Switzerland is above all the place to make your money grow.
Since the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291, the Swiss people celebrate their National Day each year on August 1st. The day of independence is typically celebrated with breakfasts at a farm or family picnics and barbecues. The festivities are marked by paper lantern parades and traditional bonfires. And the streets are decorated with hanging strings of Swiss flags. Not to forget the fireworks and the competitive rifle shooting matches. Therefore, this special day wouldn’t be complete without a cup of that famous hot Swiss chocolate – yes, even in August.
Our beautiful designed poster flag shows the national motto: ‘Unus Pro Omnibus, Omnes Pro Uno’ (One for all, all for one). Reminds you maybe of ‘The Three Musketeers’ by Alexandre Dumas. Cross swords and pick yours here.
Just a few Swiss facts:
- Besides the Vatican, Switzerland is one of the only two countries in the world to have a square flag.
- Switzerland has four official national languages French, German, Italian and Rhaeto-Romantsch (with Latin roots).
- Chocolate is a major export good and Swiss chocolate companies are famous for their art of chocolate making. The Swiss eat more chocolate than any other nation in the world – they also eat a record of 11.3 kg per year.
- You’ll find more banks than dentists – there is one bank per 1400 residents.
- About 56% of the national electricity is generated from hydroelectricity and another 39% from nuclear power, resulting in a nearly CO2-free electricity generating network.
- The government has no single head of state. Instead it has a seven-member executive council, which serves as the Swiss collective head of state.
- Did you know that women gained the right to vote in federal elections after a referendum only in 1971?
- You can call it the home to about 450 varieties of cheese. Almost 99% of the cheeses are produced with cow’s milk. As a result, the remaining share is made up of sheep and goat milk.
- The Swiss Army Knife’s corkscrew tool is not made in Switzerland, but in Japan. All other parts of this legendary pocket knife are pure Swiss-made.
- There are 208 mountains over 3000 meters high. 24 of them are over 4000 meters high. The highest is ‘Monte Rosa’ (Dufourspitze) with impressive 4634 meters, situated on the Swiss/Italian border.
Happy Birthday Switzerland !
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