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About Switzerland

Facts about Switzerland

Switzerland, also known as Confoederatio Helvetica (CH) in Latin, is famous for its neutral position throughout history. In the immortal words of Frank Liebkind, from “The Producers”: “I had nothing to do with the war! I didn't even know there was a war on! We lived at the back, near Switzerland. All we heard was yodelling.” The history behind that joke is the almost 500 years of independence of the Swiss; aside from Napoleon’s occupation, at the beginning of the 19th century, Switzerland was independent since 1499.

That’s one of the reasons why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guards, these men being the only ones allowed to serve foreign armies. That can be a very good thing, too, seeing how the Swiss are rather bad at the whole “military” thing: let’s not forget that, in 2007, Switzerland accidentally invaded Lichtenstein. Makes the time you forgot the milk on the stove feel rather small, when put into perspective.

Now, getting back to praising Switzerland.

Everybody can tell you that it’s really famous for its chocolate, cheese, banking system, watches, alpine areas, and, let’s not forget, that the flag is, also, a huge plus. Heh!

Also, Switzerland is the quintessence of a perfect destination for students. For instance:

• The first convenience food was invented here, by Julius Maggi and Carl Knorr, in 1886. By convenience food, we mean the famous “just add water” cup of soup. So you could say the Swiss invented the broke student’s menu;
• The APPP was founded here, APPP standing for the Anti-PowerPoint Party. It is exactly what you imagine: a bunch of politicians working to decrease the number of PowerPoints used in professional presentations, claiming that “Microsoft PowerPoint and its other software products are economically harmful”. Also, their motto? “Finally do something!”
• Finally, the Swiss government mandated a program to provide every Swiss citizen a bomb shelter, making it one of the safest and readily equipped countries in the world.

Before we go, you should also know that Switzerland has a law that makes owning only one guinea pig illegal, so they wouldn’t get lonely. If this fact doesn’t make you happy, nothing will.

Frequently asked questions about PTE Academic in Switzerland

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