Switzerland , [ e ] officially the Swiss Confederation , [ f ] is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. 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 nearly 9 million people are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts its largest cities and economic centres, including Zurich , Geneva , and Lausanne.
Switzerland is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons , with federal authorities based in Bern. 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 , [ 15 ] and Alpine symbolism.
Switzerland originates from the Old Swiss Confederacy established in the Late Middle Ages as a defensive and commercial alliance ; the Federal Charter of is considered the country's founding document. The confederation steadily expanded and consolidated despite external threats and internal political and religious strife.
Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognised in the Peace of Westphalia in Switzerland remained a network of self-governing states until , when revolutionary France invaded and imposed the centralist Helvetic Republic. Napoleon abolished the republic in and reinstated a confederation.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, Switzerland restored its pre-revolutionary system , but by faced growing division and conflict between liberal and conservative movements; this culminated in a new constitution in that established the current federal system and enshrined principles such as individual rights, separation of powers, and parliamentary bicameralism. Switzerland has maintained a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century and has not fought an international war since It joined the United Nations only in but pursues an active foreign policy that includes frequent involvement in peace building and global governance.
