World Factbook
Switzerland
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)/ Confederation Suisse (French)/ Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)/ Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
39,997 sq km
water
1,280 sq km
total
41,277 sq km
Climate
temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Land use
other
32.6% (2023 est.)
forest
32% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
37.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 10% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 27.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point
Dufourspitze on Monte Rosa 4,634 m
mean elevation
1,350 m
Irrigated land
494 sq km (2020)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
1,770 km
border countries
Austria 158 km; France 525 km; Italy 698 km; Liechtenstein 41 km; Germany 348 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
avalanches, landslides; flash floods
Geography - note
landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
Natural resources
hydropower potential, timber, salt
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Geographic coordinates
47 00 N, 8 00 E
Population distribution
population distribution corresponds to elevation, with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Constance (shared with Germany and Austria) - 540 sq km; Lake Geneva (shared with France) - 580 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Rhein (Rhine) river source (shared with Germany, France, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth