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EU-dan-jezika- EŠV

Pješački prijelazi u Bernu (napravljeni nakon 2012.godine) obloženi su dijamantnom prašinom Swarovski kristala kako bi se povećala vidljivost noću

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Jungfraujoch je jedno od najljepših mjesta u Švicarskoj, a nazivaju ga još i Vrhom Europe. Riječ je o planinskom vrhuncu u Bernskim Alpama koji se izdiže na 4158 metara. Na visini od 3454 metara tu ćete naći najvišu europsku željezničku postaju.

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Za mnoge je Ženevsko jezero najpoznatije mjesto Švicarske te ujedno i jedno od najposjećenijih. Ovo ledenjačko jezero ima prosječnu dubinu od 150 metara, a u njegovom sklopu nalazi se i slavna fontana Jet d’Eau.

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SWITZERLAND

Switzerland has a few different names…The English name for Switzerland unsurprisingly means “Land of the Switzer”, which is an old name for the Swiss people. However, there are actually a few other names that you will see dotted throughout the country. This includes La Suisse in French and Die Schweiz in Germany. You will often see its Latin name Confoederatio Helvetica used, too. This is also abbreviated to .ch in Switzerland’s internet code domain.

Many people think that Switzerland is the country of pacifists because it remains neutral in any military conflict. But this is not entirely true. The military service for men there is obligatory and it starts at the age of 18. The biggest part of the male population is in the army reserve, that's why men have weapons at home and are ready to use them at any moment. There are 8 million people in the country and 4 million guns (that's 50 guns for evey 100 people). However, the crime rate in Switzerland is one of the lowest in the world. And alcohol is sold only until 10:00 p.m.

In 2017, Switzerland took the 3rd place in the rating of the countries which actively fight bribery. What's curious is that Switzerland decided to make bribery "legal" in a form of payment for a specific service. They thought that it would be more effective than fighting bribery.

The citizens of Switzerland can't have only one guinea pig as a pet. This is because scientists figured out that these animals are very sad when they are alone and they need company. So, when one guinea pig dies, its owner must buy the other one a friend which means that the owner could have guinea pigs forever. In order to avoid this, there is a special rental service. You can buy a guinea pig at a regular price and return it for half the price at any time. When it comes to cats, you allowed have one cat only on the condition that it's allowed to go outside or see other cats from the window. Otherwise, you have to buy two.

In Bern, more than 7 million bars of Toblerone are produced every year. And not a long time ago, a new kind of chocolate was invented — the ruby chocolate. The Swiss company Valcambi produces gold bars, called CombiBar, shaped like chocolate bars. You can easily break these bars into small bits, which weigh 1 gram, and use them to pay for things.

In Switzerland, you could have to pay the biggest fine in the world for speeding. A local car driver was driving at 180 miles per hour and he received a 650 thousand euro fine. The thing is, the fines in this country are not fixed, and they depend on the amount of money that you earn. The more you earn, the more you pay. This is how they perceive justice in Switzerland.

Switzerland is bordered to the west by France, to the north by Germany, to the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, and to the south by Italy. It extends about 135 miles (220 km) from north to south and 220 miles (350 km) at its widest extent from west to east. Despite its location in central Europe, the country is neither a member of the European Union or the European Economic Area. Unlike many of its neighbors, it’s also not a member of NATO and didn’t join the United Nations until 2002.

With much of the country covered by the Alps, Switzerland is one of the highest countries in Europe. In total, there are precisely 208 Swiss mountains that stretch up past 3,000 meters. These include the legendary Matterhorn, which can be seen on bars of the famous Swiss chocolate brand, Toblerone.

Swiss laws also prohibit giving your child a name that could damage their future interests. This includes giving them brand names and place names, as well as biblical names derived from unsavory characters, such as Judas or Cain.

Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. The most widely-spoken language is Swiss German, a dialect of standard German. French is largely spoken in the west of the country, while Italian is the prominent language in the south. However, you’ll find that English is widely spoken, particularly among young Swiss people.

For a small country, Switzerland certainly aces it on the tennis court. The alpine nation has brought the world Martina Hingis, Stanislas Wawrinka, and, of course, Roger Federer. Hingis was just 16 when she won the first of her 25 Grand Slam titles, while Federer has notched up a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

Coming in at a staggering 57km in length, Switzerland’s Gotthard Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the world. Located 2.3km beneath the Alps, the tunnel was built to strengthen rail connections between the north and south of the country. The tunnel took 17 years to complete, and cost an eye-watering €11 billion.

The Swiss flag is among the most iconic in the world: the simple white cross on a red background. You’ll see it throughout the country, on official buildings, and during sports events. However, there’s one noticeable difference between the Swiss flag and others. It’s square, and entirely unique among sovereign states, apart from tiny Vatican City.

The English name for Switzerland unsurprisingly means “Land of the Switzer”, which is an old name for the Swiss people. However, there are actually a few other names that you will see dotted throughout the country. This includes La Suisse in French and Die Schweiz in Germany. You will often see its Latin name Confoederatio Helvetica used, too. This is also abbreviated to .ch in Switzerland’s internet code domain.