Although most Swiss are German-speaking, national identity is fairly cohesive, being rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbolism. It has four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Switzerland is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern.
It is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), but not part of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area, or the Eurozone however, it participates in the European single market and the Schengen Area through bilateral treaties. Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross, one of the world's oldest and best-known humanitarian organisations, and hosts the headquarters or offices of most major international institutions, including the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, FIFA, and the United Nations. It joined the United Nations only in 2002, but pursues an active foreign policy that include frequent involvement in peace-building processes worldwide. Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century and has not fought an international war since 1815.
Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognised in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Switzerland originates from the Old Swiss Confederacy established in the late 13th century, following a series of military successes against Austria and Burgundy the Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the country's founding document. Switzerland is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, whereas most of the country's 8.7 million are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts the largest cities and economic centres, including Zürich, Geneva and Basel. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe.
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