Miscellaneous & weird facts

No other country has more Nobel Prize winners

No country in the world has produced, in terms of population, more Nobel laureates than Switzerland. Every 1.1-millionth inhabitant since 1950 has become a Nobel Prize winner (comparison: UK 0.8, USA 0.7, Germany 0.3, France 0.2 Nobel prizes per million inhabitants). This high number of awards is (unfortunately) not due to the fact that the Swiss are far more intelligent than everyone else. Rather, it is a consequence of the high education and research level in Switzerland which attracts good foreign scientists to Switzerland and retains the local academic elite.

Water castle of Europe

Switzerland is referred to as "the water castle of Europe". The Rhine, Rhone, Po and Danube have their sources in Switzerland. Water protection is taken seriously. You can swim in lakes and rivers, and it is a particular pleasure to swim in lakes and rivers in Basel, Berne and Zurich, and to enjoy some sight-seeing.

Women's right to vote

Women's suffrage was introduced on a national level in Switzerland in only 1971. Most of the cantons also realised this on the cantonal level. The half canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, however, stubbornly refused to grant women the right to vote until the Swiss Federal Court in 1990 (!) forced Appenzell to do so.

World champions

Switzerland and its inhabitants put a lot of effort into exemplary and sensible behaviour. Thanks to the high disposable income level, the following 'world titles' are the result:

• Organics World Champion: 170 CHF per capita spent on organic food
• Fair Trade World Champion: 270 million CHF in sales (2008) for fair trade products
• Recycling World Champion. 95% glass, 85% aluminium cans and 75% tins are recycled