Switzerland lies in the south west
of Europe, entirely land locked by Germany,
France,
Italy,
Austria
and Liechtenstein and is home to
a climate which varies largely across the small country, a result of the
topography which rises and falls across the land. The Swiss Alps affect the
climate to a great deal, at the point which rise above 4000 metres there will
be heavy snow cover for the entirety of the year.
Switzerland has a long history of neutrality,
which has resulted in the country not being involved in a war since 1815.
Though in world war two Zurich was
accidentally bombed, when 12.5 tons of heavy explosives and 12 tons of
incendiaries hit the capital killing seven people, it is believed that the
bombs fell off target in an attempt to bomb Freiburg which lies about 300km to
Zurich’s north. Switzerland
didn’t retaliate and remained neutral and were repaired damaged by the US
government. It is an accepting and intriguing country which is home to four
official languages- German, French, Italian and Romansh.
Zürich
When visiting Switzerland
most people’s first stop will be the beautiful lakeside city of Zurich, which
at 377,000 people is the largest city in Switzerland
and the country’s main commercial and cultural centre. With a picturesque
setting, beautiful architecture and a quaint feel, Zürich was named the city
with the "best quality of life" in the world in both 2006 and 2007. The
climate in Zurich
is fairly mild, with summer highs only reaching an average
maximum of 21 ºC to 24 ºC in June and August respectively. August is
generally the warmest month, though minimums can still fall to 10
ºC to 11 ºC in the evenings.
Zurich lies about 30 km north of the Alps
upon the north-western end of Lake
Zürich.
The city sits amongst wooded hills including the Gubrist, the Hönggerberg, the
Käferberg, Adlisberg and the Oettlisberg. So, like the majority of Switzerland is
topographic location is influential on the climate. The conditions are
moderated by the winds that blow from the Atlantic
and off the mountain tops. These mountain winds blow throughout the year
but can see winters getting quite chilly. The average high in December and
January is a mere 2 ºC or 3 ºC, while the average
minimum falls to about -3 ºC or -4 ºC.
Zurich is a
beautiful city with a cosmopolitan nightlife, many fantastic restaurants and
cafes with a picturesque location complete with a mild climate and beautiful
cobbled streets. Zurich
benefits from a quaint feel whilst still having the hustle and bustle of a
large city. Zurich,
along with Geneva,
is one of the richest cities in the world and their financial status in Global
markets have lead Switzerland
to being one of the worlds richest countries
Geneva
Geneva in the far
west of Switzerland
and it’s the second most populated city in Switzerland
after Zurich.
Geneva,
like Zurich
lies in an enviable location where the Rhône
River
exits Lake Geneva, surrounded by the Alps
and Jura mountain ranges. Summers in Geneva
are warm to hot and can occasionally get rather humid. Although Geneva, like
the majority of Switzerland,
sees changeable weather. Mornings remain relatively fresh, before the humidity
picks up in the daytime. Throughout summer when rain falls it falls
hard, though less frequent than in the winter months. Summer plays host to
thunderstorms and occasional hail. Occasionally the summer temperatures continue
into September, however the mercury will drop rapidly come November and by the
end of November the winter is well and truly on its way. Autumn in Geneva
sees many mornings covered with mist, which can be quite picturesque once set
against the mountain backdrop. However, at times the fog can get very intense,
and vision can be restricted to less than 100 meters in areas outside the
city. Winters in Geneva
are cold and in general fairly cloudy. During the winter season there are one
or two day’s severe freezes where the barometer sees a bitterly cold
−10 °C. Winters are generally not overly long though, fortunately, and the
mercury begins to rise come the end of March. Spring can see heavy rainfall though
and May can be particularly stormy. These storms may be short but strong storms
depositing several tens of millimetres of rain over the course of a few
minutes.
BERNE
Berne
is the country’s capital and lies in the Swiss plateau, west of
the centre of Switzerland
and about 20km north of Alps.
Around Berne the
landscape was formed by glaciers in the last ice age. Berne is built on
very uneven ground so there are several dozens of meters in height difference
from the quarters down at the river Aar (the river) to the higher ones
quarters. This means that the higher quarters are often windier and a fraction
cooler than the areas that lie at lower altitude.
Switzerland is affected by the anticyclones which cross
across the country and surrounding countries. Anticyclones are exactly that,
the opposite of cyclones. When they cross across Switzerland
they bring with them pleasant weather and clear skies. The years most settled
weather occurs when the anticyclones blow, in summer they bring warm sunny
weather, absent of heavy rainfall, and in winter they bring cold, sunny weather
with crisp beautiful mornings. The anticyclones are more common in the winter
months, meaning that winter weather can often be refreshing and amazing- albeit
quite chilly. August
is generally the wettest month across Switzerland,
though altitude does play a factor in how much rain a region sees and
precipitation is common throughout the whole year.
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