5. Switzerland has 1,500 lakes
Switzerland is known for its natural beauty and is teeming with beautiful lakes everywhere. In fact, there are about 1,500 lakes in Switzerland! Lake Geneva is the largest one in the country with an area of 580 km2 (though more than 40% of the lake is within French territory). Lake Neuchâtel is the largest lake completely within Switzerland and has a surface area of 218.3 km2 (84 sq mi).
Interestingly, the largest of the lakes in Switzerland were once glaciers and were formed way back during the first ice age.
6. There is a bomb shelter in almost every house
There’s a bomb shelter in literally every house in Switzerland, as the authorities there have planned in advance in case a nuclear war ever breaks out. In fact, there are sufficient nuclear fallout shelters here to accommodate the entire Swiss population! Also, it is a legal requirement for the citizens to have access to one of these heavily armored shelters in their building or a nearby one.
“Every inhabitant must have a protected place that can be reached quickly from his place of residence” and “apartment block owners are required to construct and fit out shelters in all new dwellings”, state the articles 45 and 46 of the Swiss Federal Law on Civil Protection.
7. Amazing public transportation
Switzerland’s public transport network is considered one of the best and safest in the world. The trains always run on time and the transportation both intra-city and inter-city is quite excellent. Even the tram and bus networks are amazingly efficient and cover almost the entire country. You can easily avail of any public transport here and reach even the remotest place in the country.
Moreover, there are also broad cycling routes throughout Switzerland allowing cyclists to move around freely.
8. The Swiss are great inventors
Not many know that the Swiss have been responsible for some great and useful inventions over the past years. Velcro, for instance, was invented by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1940s while he was hunting in the Jura mountains in Switzerland. The vegetable peeler, which is a common item in most kitchens today, was invented and patented by a Swiss man named Alfred Neweczerzal in 1947. The Swiss have also given us absinthe, muesli, the computer mouse, and aluminum foil, among several other cool things.
