Switzerland is located in Western Europe, a landlocked, multi-lingual country with four national languages including German, French, Italian and Romansh. It is bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Economically, Switzerland rates highly in international standards which also maintain a long and strong tradition of political and military neutrality. This background along with endless scenic beauty of the country for trekking, hiking, and skiing makes it a strong and robust tourism region.
Some of the famous topographical features of Switzerland include the Swiss Alps, the Swiss plateau and the Jura mountains along the northwest border with France. Perhaps the most famous mountain in Switzerland is the Matterhorn in Kanton Wallis and Pennine Alps which borders Italy. Then there are also the well-known Lake Geneva, Lake Zurich, Lake Neuchatel and Lake Constance. Weather conditions vary between localities, from glacial conditions to Mediterranean-type climate at the southern tip of the country.
Switzerland has no country-wide state religion, but Christianity is the predominant religion divided between the Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. Minority religions include Islam and Eastern Orthodoxy. Culturally speaking, Switzerland is greatly influenced by its neighbors and over the years, a distinctive culture with some regional differences has developed. For instance, French-speaking regions tend to associate themselves more on French culture. Swiss German speaking regions tend to be more analogous to German culture while Italian-speaking Swiss tend to have a more Italian culture and traditions. In addition, many mountain settlements have a robust and highly energetic ski town culture in winter with world-class winter holiday resorts and a calmer hiking/trekking culture in summer. A traditional farmer and herder culture also prevails in many regions, which provides a strong bond holding all the Swiss together.