Fun Facts about Switzerland

The CHF1,000 bill is the highest denomination note in the world.

" The average Swiss eats 23 lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7 lbs consumed by each American annually.

" The Swiss are a nation of tenants with only one-quarter of the population owning their own home.

" Most homes have bunkers, a result of Cold War concerns about nuclear war.

" The population of Switzerland is approximately 7.34 million, just under the population  of New York City (approx. 7.39 million).

" James Bond's mother is Swiss.

" Albert Einstein was working as a clerk in a Swiss Patent Office when he proved his  Theory of Relativity.

" The Swiss flag is the only square banner in a sea of rectangle-shaped flags at the United Nations.

" The popular typeface "Helvetica" was created in Switzerland and is named after the country's Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica.

" Switzerland's diverse landscape ranges from 643 feet above sea level in Ascona (the Ticino region), where the climate is Mediterranean, to 15,199 feet above sea level in the Dufour Peak. These locations are just 43 miles apart.

" Extending for some 3,100 miles, the Swiss rail system is one of the world's most extensive.
In addition, the Swiss rank second in reliance upon trains (behind Japan) making more than 40 trips and clocking over 1,100 miles annually.

" Some 60% of Switzerland's electricity is produced by hydroelectric power.

" Switzerland has more than 1,500 lakes, and it is said that you are never more than 10 miles from a lake anywhere in the country.