Switzerland is a multilingual country that shares it's borders with Austria, France, Germany and Italy so working as an au-pair will give you the opportunity to travel and improve your language skills.

Languages Spoken in Switzerland

The main languages spoken in Switzerland are French, German, Italian and Romansh.

Government

Switzerland is a Federal State and has 26 cantons or states which joined together to form the Federation to which they transferred part of their sovereignty in 1848. Each canton has it's own constitution, parliament, government & courts.

Total Population : 7.1 Million

• German 65%
• French 18%
• Italian 10%
• Romansh 1%
• Other Nationalities 6%

Religions

• Roman Catholic 47.6%
• Protestant 44.3%
• Other 4%

Geography

20% of the Alps mountain range are located in Switzerland. There are more than 100 mountain peaks close to or higher than 4,000 metres (13,125 feet).

Some of the more famous mountains are well known e.g. Eiger, Matterhorn, Jungfrau.

Popular sports in Switzerland are climbing, skiing, snowboarding, biking and hiking.

There are many lakes in Switzerland and many towns and cities such as Geneva have a lake. See the picture below which shows the famous Jet d'eau water spout on Lake Geneva.

Climate

Summer Temperatures are usually between 25 & 35 degrees Centigrade

Winter temperatures are usually below 5 degrees Centigrade in Geneva but much lower in the mountains.

Cinemas

Most cinemas in Switzerland show films in English at least one evening per week with French, German & Italian sub-titles.

Music & Festivals

There are many music events and festivals in Switzerland throughout the summer months. The Fete de Geneve at the beginning of August lasts for more than one week and starts and finishes with a large firework display.