A report on Swiss Plateau

Satellite image of the Swiss Plateau between the Jura and the Alps
View from the Pilatus on the Swiss Plateau near Luzern
The Napf region in the higher Swiss Plateau
The Swiss Plateau near Muri (AG)
Central Swiss Plateau near Sursee
View from the Rigi on the sea of fog covering the Swiss Plateau
Much of the eastern part of the plateau has become part of the "Greater Zurich Area".
The densely populated Swiss Plateau: view of Zurich from Waidberg
Lavaux and Lake Geneva
Nuclear power plant (Leibstadt)
The Rhine Falls

One of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps.

- Swiss Plateau
Satellite image of the Swiss Plateau between the Jura and the Alps

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Overall

Switzerland

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Landlocked country located at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe.

Landlocked country located at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe.

Founded in 44 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, Augusta Raurica (near Basel) was the first Roman settlement on the Rhine and is now among the most important archaeological sites in Switzerland.
The Old Swiss Confederacy from 1291 (dark green) to the sixteenth century (light green) and its associates (blue). In the other colours shown are the subject territories.
The 1291 Bundesbrief (federal charter)
The Act of Mediation was Napoleon's attempt at a compromise between the Ancien Régime and a Republic.
The first Federal Palace in Bern (1857). One of the three cantons presiding over the Tagsatzung (former legislative and executive council), Bern was chosen as the permanent seat of federal legislative and executive institutions in 1848, in part because of its closeness to the French-speaking area.
Inauguration in 1882 of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel connecting the southern canton of Ticino, the longest in the world at the time
General Ulrich Wille, appointed commander-in-chief of the Swiss Army for the duration of World War I
In 2003, by granting the Swiss People's Party a second seat in the governing cabinet, the Parliament altered the coalition that had dominated Swiss politics since 1959.
Physical map of Switzerland (in German)
Köppen–Geiger climate classification map for Switzerland
The Swiss Federal Council in 2022 with President Ignazio Cassis (bottom) standing on an abstract, reduced railway lines map and positioned at their respective political origins
The Federal Palace, seat of the Federal Assembly and the Federal Council
The Landsgemeinde is an old form of direct democracy, still in practice in two cantons.
The colour-reversed Swiss flag became the symbol of the Red Cross Movement, founded in 1863 by Henry Dunant.
A Swiss Air Force F/A-18 Hornet at Axalp Air Show
Swiss-built Mowag Eagles of the Land Forces
The Old City of Bern
A proportional representation of Switzerland exports, 2019
The city of Basel (Roche Tower) is the capital of the country's pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for around 38% of Swiss exports worldwide.
The Greater Zürich area, home to 1.5 million inhabitants and 150,000 companies, is one of the most important economic centres in the world.
The University of Basel is Switzerland's oldest university (1460).
Some Swiss scientists who played a key role in their discipline (clockwise): Leonhard Euler (mathematics) Louis Agassiz (glaciology) Auguste Piccard (aeronautics) Albert Einstein (physics)
The LHC tunnel. CERN is the world's largest laboratory and also the birthplace of the World Wide Web.
Members of the European Free Trade Association (green) participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area.
Switzerland has the tallest dams in Europe, among which the Mauvoisin Dam, in the Alps. Hydroelectricity is the most important domestic source of energy in the country.
Entrance of the new Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the third-longest railway tunnel in the world, under the old Lötschberg railway line. It was the first completed tunnel of the greater project NRLA.
Population density in Switzerland (2019)
Percentage of foreigners in Switzerland (2019)
Urbanisation in the Rhone Valley (outskirts of Sion)
Alphorn concert in Vals
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was not only a writer but also an influential philosopher of the eighteenth century.
Ski area over the glaciers of Saas-Fee
Roger Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, making him among the most successful men's tennis players ever.
Fondue is melted cheese, into which bread is dipped
National languages in Switzerland (2016): German (62.8%) French (22.9%) Italian (8.2%) Romansh (0.5%)

It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41285 km2 and land area of 39997 km2.

Satellite image of Switzerland in October 2002. On the north side of the Alps, the regions located above 2000m are covered by snow. The canton of Ticino (on the south side) is almost snow-free in early autumn.

Swiss Alps

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Satellite image of Switzerland in October 2002. On the north side of the Alps, the regions located above 2000m are covered by snow. The canton of Ticino (on the south side) is almost snow-free in early autumn.
Swiss Alps seen from the Swiss Jura in December 2010
Map of the western Swiss Alps
Map of the eastern Swiss Alps
Rhine Gorge in Graubünden
The Lac des Dix in Valais
Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Alps, a deep U-shaped valley that resulted from erosion by glaciers
Tree line in the national park
Liskamm (4,527 m), above the Gorner Glacier
Glacier 3000
Highest ski area in Europe above Zermatt
Due to strong political will by the citizenry, Zermatt remains car-free and retains much of its original character
The Glacier Express on the Landwasser Viaduct, Albula Range
Lötschberg railway line
The Alps are featured on the Swiss fifty-franc banknote since 2016.

The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen, Alpes suisses, Alpi svizzere, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions.

Vaud

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One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

Logo of the canton of Vaud
Roman column in Nyon
Bailiwicks of Bern in Vaud in the 18th century
Built by the Bishop of Lausanne during the 15th century, Château Saint-Maire has been the seat of the cantonal government since 1803
Vevey, Lake Geneva, and the Swiss Alps
Vallée de Joux, Jura
Montreux and Lake Geneva
The room of the Grand Council of Vaud, the parliament of the canton of Vaud
Districts of canton of Vaud
Lausanne, capital and largest city in Vaud
Lavaux vineyards above Lake Geneva

The geography of the canton includes all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Plateau and the (Swiss) Alps.

Canton of Bern

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One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

Helveto-Roman settlement Bern-Engehalbinsel
Baths at Engehalbinsel near Bern
Burgundian and Allamanni lands between 534 and 843
Lands held by the main noble families around 1200
The Swiss Confederacy before the Battle of Sempach (1387)
The Swiss Confederacy in 1416
The Swiss Confederacy in the 18th century
The districts of the Bernese Aargau before the creation of the Canton of Aargau
Districts of the Canton of Bern in the 18th Century
Map of the modern Canton of Vaud, which was annexed by Bern from 1536 until 1798
Siege and execution of the garrison at Grandson
The Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1801
View from the Chasseral across the Mittelland to the Bernese Alps
Staubbachfall
Wetterhorn, painting by Joseph Anton Koch, 1824
The Grand Council, the cantonal parliament
Districts of the canton of Bern
Capital city of Bern with the Aare, Gothic Nydeggkirche on left
Emmentaler cheese

The geography of the canton includes a large share of all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains (the Bernese Jura), the Swiss Plateau (the Bernese Mittelland) and the Alps (the Bernese Oberland).

Canton of Fribourg

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Located in western Switzerland.

Located in western Switzerland.

Fribourg Prealps: Dent de Brenleire (2358 m, to the right) and Vanil Noir (2389 m, in the background)
Districts of canton Fribourg
Transports publics Fribourgeois bus station in Fribourg

The canton lies on the elevated Swiss Plateau.

Topographical map (relief map) of Switzerland showing the Jura range proper (Faltenjura) in the northwest and west, and the Alps in the south and east

Jura Mountains

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The Jura Mountains (, , , ; Massif du Jura; Juragebirge; Massiccio del Giura, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border.

The Jura Mountains (, , , ; Massif du Jura; Juragebirge; Massiccio del Giura, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the French–Swiss border.

Topographical map (relief map) of Switzerland showing the Jura range proper (Faltenjura) in the northwest and west, and the Alps in the south and east
Creux du Van

The Swiss Jura is one of the three distinct geographical regions of Switzerland, the others being the Swiss plateau and the Swiss Alps.

Construction of the Untertorbrücke (Lower Gate Bridge) in Bern, Tschachtlanchronik, late 15th century

Bern

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De facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city" .

De facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city" .

Construction of the Untertorbrücke (Lower Gate Bridge) in Bern, Tschachtlanchronik, late 15th century
Bern in 1638
The Old City of Bern with the Minster and its platform above the lower Matte quarter and the Aare
The Aare flows in a wide loop around the Old City of Bern.
View of Bern from the ISS. The Old City is in the lower right-hand side.
Aerial view by Walter Mittelholzer (1919)
Erlacherhof
Rathaus
Apartment blocks at Bern-Bethlehem
Houses in the Old City of Bern
The central building of the Federal Palace of Switzerland
The Ogre of the Kindlifresserbrunnen has a sack of children waiting to be devoured.
The Zytglogge clock tower and the city's medieval covered shopping promenades (Lauben)
Zentrum Paul Klee
Stadttheater
Gurtenfestival, 2003
Stade de Suisse Wankdorf
Main building of the University of Bern
Tram station on the Bahnhofplatz, with the Heiliggeistkirche in the background
J J Grynaeus
Statue of Adrian von Bubenberg
Anna Feodorovna, early 1800s
Albrecht von Haller, 1736
Albert Einstein, 1921
Johann Rudolf Wyss
Daniel Albert Wyttenbach
Lukas Hartmann, 1985
Niklaus Manuel, 1530
Mani Matter, 1970
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, 2012
Otto Hess, c.1906
Jenni Oehrli, 2013
Tram on the Kirchenfeldbrücke, with the Bern Minster and Casino Bern in the background

It is notably surrounded by the Aare, a major river of the Swiss Plateau.

Canton of Lucerne

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Canton of Switzerland.

Canton of Switzerland.

Reconstruction of several stilt houses at Wauwilermoos
Ruins of an early medieval church at Sursee
The Battle of Sempach solidified Lucerne's place in the Swiss Confederation
Amstaldenhandel, an event in the history of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland
Districts and municipalities (as of 2013)
Lucerne area and Lake Lucerne from Pilatus

Around 17,000 BC the glaciers disappeared from the Swiss plateau and recolonization is likely at that time.

Canton of Schwyz

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Canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz.

Canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz.

Modern wooden bridge on Obersee between Rapperswil and Hurden, near the site of the ancient bridges
The Abbey of Einsiedeln and Schwyz town were two of the major powers in Schwyz.
Schwyz valley, with Schwyz town in the center foreground, Rigi mountain in the right background, Lake Lucerne and Brunnen on the left and Lake Lauerz on the right
Pfäffikon Castle, one of the castles built by outside landlords to control their lands in Schwyz
The Federal Charter of 1291, on display in Schwyz
The Battle of Morgarten, the first battle of the new Confederation against the Habsburgs
The growth of the canton of Schwyz
The Battle of Sempach from the Luzerner Schilling (1513)
The First Battle of Villmergen
Landsgemeinde in Glarus in 2006, similar assemblies took place in Ibach until 1848.
Alois von Reding led Central Swiss troops against the French.
The Helvetic Republic, as at the constitution of 12 April 1798, showing the canton of Waldstätten in orange, center
Switzerland following the Congress of Vienna, with the borders of Outer Schwyz and Inner Schwyz
Map of the Sonderbund War
Pen and ink drawing of Federal troops fighting at the bridge of Gislikon
The Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation in Schwyz was built during the 1930s to house the Federal Charter of 1291 which was seen as the origin of Switzerland.
Farm land and industrial buildings side by side in Pfäffikon. Only a small percentage of the population is still active in agriculture in the canton.
The logo of the cantonal administration
View from hiking trail between Ibergeregg and Spirstock
Districts of the canton of Schwyz
Schwyz town at the base of the Mythen mountains
Freienbach in the foreground, on the shores of Lake Zürich
The Town Council House in Schwyz is also used for regular sessions of the Kantonsrat.
OC Oerlikon and LGT Group in Pfäffikon
Kantonsschule Kollegium Schwyz, an upper Secondary school in Schwyz

In contrast to the Swiss Plateau, where the local nobility and knights ruled extensive landholdings for the regional counts, in Schwyz there were few local nobles.

Aargau

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One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

One of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation.

Aarau
Switzerland in 1416, showing the part of the Aargau under Bernese control, the county of Baden and the Freie Ämter.
Districts in Bernese controlled Unteraargau
Map of the Freie Ämter, including the 1712 line dividing the Upper and Lower Freie Ämter
County of Baden
Helvetic Republic c. 1798/99, with the newly created cantons of Aargau and Baden
Swiss Confederation following the 1803 Act of Mediation, with the modern canton of Aargau formed
Two separate doors (one for Jews and one for Christians) on a house in Lengnau
View of the Lägern from Bözberg
Districts in Aargau
Catholic City Church in Baden, Aargau
Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant

The canton of Aargau is one of the least mountainous Swiss cantons, forming part of a great table-land, to the north of the Alps and the east of the Jura, above which rise low hills.