Background

Geography & Climate of Switzerland

Switzerland is situated centrally in Europe, and shares a border with five other countries, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. One can easily encounter three or four different languages being spoken, depending upon the part of the country in which you are travelling. Its central location has contributed to its development as a “neutral” country, one that brings together the diverse cultures of northern and southern Europe.

Having an overall area of 41.285 square kilometres, it measures 220 kilometres from north to south and 350 kilometres from east to west.
Since Switzerland possesses a great diversity of geographic areas, its climate is correspondingly varied. The Alps form a barrier between nine different weather patterns, often separating cold and wet conditions on one side of the mountains from warm and dry conditions on the other side. The snowy and icy conditions at the peaks of the Alps are contrasted by the temperate climate of the more populated areas located at lower elevations, such as Geneva, Basel and Locarno, where average temperatures in winter hover close to freezing and in summer are only around 20ºC.

The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) is the national weather service for Switzerland. In addition to providing general weather forecasts, MeteoSwiss warns the appropriate authorities of potential severe weather.