環球之旅:"人間天堂"——瑞士

在最新公佈的全球生活質量最佳城市排行中，瑞士的蘇黎世、日內瓦和伯爾尼分列前十名中的第一名、第二和第五名。世人於是驚呼，小小的瑞士真的是“人間天堂”。

A country of west-central Europe. The region was conquered by Germanic tribes in the 5th century and by Swabia and Burgundy in the 9th, becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1033. Protesting Hapsburg control in the 13th century, the Swiss formed a defense league made up of cantons that became the basis of their confederation, and by 1499 they had achieved independence. The Reformation in the 16th century led to religious civil wars that lasted through the next two centuries. The French took brief control of Switzerland during the French Revolution, but the confederacy was restored in 1815. Switzerland later adopted a federal constitution (1848) and maintained a policy of neutrality through both World Wars. Bern is the capital and Zurich the largest city. Population: 7,550,000.

　　　　瑞士是位於歐洲中南部的多山內陸國。東界奧地利、列支敦士登，南鄰意大利，西接法國，北連德國。其領土東起東經10°29'26"格勞賓登州的沙瓦拉茨峯，西至東經5°57'24"的日內瓦的尚希鎮，最南端位於北緯45°49'8"，靠近提契諾州的基亞索，最北面在北緯47°48'35"，系沙夫豪森州的巴爾根。南北長220.1公里，東西長348.4公里。

Country, central Europe. Area: 15,940 sq mi (41,284 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 7,519,000. Capitals: Bern (administrative), Lausanne (judicial). The population is German, French, and Italian. Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh (all official, with Romansh used locally). Religions: Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant); also Islam. Currency: Swiss franc. Switzerland is divided into three regions: the meadow-covered Jura Mountains; the central Mittelland, a rich agricultural and urbanized area; and the lofty crags of the Alps. It is one of the world's major financial centres; its economy is based largely on international trade and banking, as well as light and heavy industries. Manufactures include watches, precision instruments, machinery, and chemicals. Tourism and agriculture are also important; products include grains, sugar beets, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, chocolate, and wine. Despite diverse ethnic groups, religions, and languages, Switzerland has maintained the world's oldest democracy for some 700 years. It is a federal state with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president of the federal council. The original inhabitants were the Helvetians, who were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC. Germanic tribes penetrated the region from the 3rd to the 6th century AD, and Muslim and Magyar raiders ventured in during the 10th century. It came under the rule of the Franks in the 9th century and the medieval empire (later the Holy Roman Empire) in the 11th century. In 1291 three cantons formed an anti-Habsburg league that became the nucleus of the Swiss Confederation. It was a centre of the Reformation, which divided the confederation and led to a period of political and religious conflict. The French organized Switzerland as the Helvetic Republic in 1798. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna recognized Swiss independence and guaranteed its neutrality. A new federal state was formed in 1848 with Bern as the capital. Switzerland remained neutral in both World War I and World War II and has continued to defend this neutrality. It joined the European Free Trade Association in 1960, but it has opted against joining the European Union. It joined the United Nations in 2002.

　　全境分中南部的阿爾卑斯山脈（佔總面積的60％）、西北部的汝拉山脈（佔10％）、中部高原（佔30％）三個自然地形區。平均海拔約1350米，最高點是接近意大利的杜富爾峯（DUFOUR-PEAK,海拔4634米），最低點是位於提契諾州的馬祖爾湖（LAKE MAGGIORE，海拔193米）。瑞士是一個山國，山清水秀。其森林面積達12523平方公里，佔全國面積的30.3％。如果再加上農業、綠地面積（10166平方公里，佔全國面積24.6％），則全國一半以上的土地被綠地所覆蓋。

Between the Jura and the Central Alps, which occupy the southern section (more than half) of the country, there is a long, relatively narrow plateau, crossed by the Aare River and containing the lakes of Neuchâtel and Zürich. Alpine communications are assured by numerous passes and by railroad tunnels, notably those of Lötschberg, St. Gotthard, and Simplon. Switzerland consists of 26 federated states, of which 20 are called cantons and 6 are called half cantons. The cantons are Zürich, Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Glarus, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Schaffhausen, Saint Gall, the Grisons (Graubünden), Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva, and Jura. Of the half cantons, Obwalden and Nidwalden together form Unterwalden, Basel-Land and Basel-Stadt form Basel, and Ausser-Rhoden and Inner-Rhoden form Appenzell.

瑞士是歐洲大陸三大河流發源地，有“歐洲水塔”之稱。主要河流有：萊茵河(在瑞士境內375公里，是瑞士最大的河流)、阿爾河(在瑞士境內295公里，是瑞士最長的內陸河)、羅納河(在瑞士境內264公里，是瑞士第二大內陸河)。湖泊共有1484個，其中最大的是萊蒙湖（又名日內瓦湖），面積582平方公里，最深處310米，其它有：康斯坦茨湖、紐沙泰爾湖、馬喬雷湖、四州湖、蘇黎世湖等。瑞士的河湖面積達1726平方公里，佔瑞士全國面積的4.2％。

　　　　　　　　　　（萊茵河）
　　瑞士地處北溫帶，地域雖小，但各地氣候差異很大。阿爾卑斯山由東向西伸展，形成了瑞士氣候的分界線。阿爾卑斯山以北受溫和潮溼的西歐海洋性氣候和冬寒夏熱的東歐大陸性氣候的交替影響，變化較大；阿爾卑斯山以南則屬地中海氣候，全年氣候宜人。瑞士年降雨量爲1500毫米,但各地分佈不均。年平均氣溫爲8．6攝氏度。在城市中，夏季氣溫可達華氏86度（攝氏30度），空氣溼度適宜；冬季氣溫經常低於華氏32度（攝氏0度），時有下雪結冰的現象。