Federalism in Switzerland

Introduction The Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica) in its full name, is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. Switzerland is situated in Western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285km2 (15,940 sq mi), with the population of approximately 8 million people. Switzerland comprises three main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, and Italian to which the Romansh-speaking valleys are added. The Swiss therefore, though predominantly German-speaking, do not form a nation in the sense of a common ethnic or linguistic identity. The strong sense of belonging to the country is founded on the common historical background, shared values (federalism and direct democracy) and Alpine symbolism. Based on this, Switzerland as a federation conforms to Karl .J. Federick’s definition of a federation. To Karl .J. Federick a federation is a union of groups united by one or more interests or common objectives but retaining their group character for other purposes; while federalism is the process of federalising, that is, the process of achieving or maintaining a union of groups which retain their respective identities. The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291.

1. ETYMOLOGY OF SWITZERLAND: The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, an obsolete term for the Swiss, which was in use during the 16th to 17th centuries. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an