Essay about Switzerland: Switzerland and Switzerlands Native Population

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History
Switzerland is a small country located in the heart of Central Europe and shares a lot of its culture and history with Germany, Austria, and France. Archeology shows that Stone Age hunters have been living in Switzerland even before the last Ice Age (approximately 350,000 B.C.). Switzerlands official latin name “Confederatio Helvetica” originates from a Celtic tribe called the Helvetians. Originally inhabited by the Helvetians, or Helvetic Celts, the territory comprising modern Switzerland came under Roman rule during the Gallic wars in the 1st century BC and remained a Roman province until the 4th century AD. Under Roman influence, the population reached a high level of civilization and enjoyed a flourishing commerce. Important cities, such as Geneva, Basel, and Zurich, were linked by military roads that also served as trade arteries between Rome and the northern tribes(http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Switzerland-history.htm).Research shows that the majority of Switzerlands native population settled during the Germanic Migration of Nations, which set an end to the Roman Empire in Western Europe. Around 400 A.D. Switzerland was officially accepted as an independent nation by its neighboring countries in 1648 under the European peace treaty (http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/).

Unique Historical Facts
-Switzerland has a long and strong tradition of political and military neutrality. However, the country finally opted to join the United Nations in 2002, and the Schengen Agreement in 2005.
-Switzerland is the first and only country to implement a system of government based on the people's administration, also known as direct democracy, which involves the constitutional initiative (public petitions) and the referendum.
-There are 26 cantons in Switzerland, each of which acts as a state, with its own constitution, legislature, government and courts. http://www.eupedia.com/switzerland/trivia.shtml

Unique Facts about the people
-There are 4 official languages in Switzerland : Swiss German (64%, many dialects), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%), and Romansh (< 1%).
-Swiss cities regularly rank amongst the most liveable on Earth and The Economist Intelligence Unit computed a Quality-of-Life Index, for which Switzerland came second out of 111 countries.
-Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates of all industrialised countries
-As of 2012, Switzerland had the 2nd highest life expectancy in the world (after Japan).
-Swiss people consume the most chocolate per capita in the world.
-The environment and its protection are important issues in Switzerlands culture.

Business and Economy
-As of 2013, Switzerland had the 4th highest nominal GDP per capita in the world (after Luxembourg, Qatar and Norway).
-Switzerland has the highest employment rate of the 36 OECD countries (2010 data). http://www.eupedia.com/switzerland/trivia.shtml

Demographics
Switzerland has a population of 8,016,516 as of July 2014 with about 73% of the population being Swiss citizens. 20% of the population is made up of people age 0-19, about 27% ranging from 20-39, 35.5% ranging from 40-64, and about 16% being 65 and older. http://www.swissworld.org/en/people/the_swiss_population/demographic_trends/
There is a slightly higher female population than male population due to women having longer life spans. The life expectancy rate for a male is 78.7 years and 83.9 years for females. Women have kids much later with most
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