https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa AJ Friedman en-us 2019-10-07 18:52:14 UTC 2025-10-26 03:23:02 UTC hello@padlet.com alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/394669164 I chose a picture of the Swiss Alps because it is one of the main geographical features in Switzerland, and part of the largest mountain range in Europe. The alps cover more than half of the country’s land, but only about one fifth of the population lives there, which shows are vast and secluded the range is. Many rivers also flow out of the Alps, including the Rhine and Rhone rivers, which are large rivers in Switzerland. Some of the larger lakes in Switzerland are on the Swiss Plateau. The Swiss Plateau is another large region of Switzerland high above sea level and covered with rolling plains and hills. Most of Switzerland’s farming happens on the plateau, and there are also lots of large towns and cities there.]]> 2019-10-07 18:59:20 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/394669164 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/394669950 This is a picture of farmland in Switzerland, which I chose because agriculture is one of the larger businesses in Switzerland, and many of the population are farmers. Switzerland, despite its lack of natural resources such as coal and iron, is a thriving industrial country, having lots of exports including watches, chocolate, dairy products, gold, pharmaceuticals, and many other things. Switzerland also has many good sources of energy. The rivers flowing out of the Swiss Alps are a huge source of energy for the Swiss people, as more than half of Switzerland’s energy is hydroelectric. Nuclear power is also big in Switzerland, and fossil fuels take up only about 3% of Swiss energy usage.]]> 2019-10-07 19:00:42 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/394669950 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395251837 This is a chart of religious dominance in different areas of Switzerland. I chose this to show that most of the Swiss population is Roman Catholic. Roman Catholicism is a part of Christianity, and they follow the teachings of the Bible and most of the Christian religion. Another large part of Switzerland is Protestant, which is another branch of Christianity. It is similar to Roman Catholicism, but there are a few differences. About 20% of the Swiss population also chooses not to follow a religion, and there are various other religious minorities such as Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. ]]> 2019-10-08 18:50:39 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395251837 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252040 The picture above is of a Swiss street decorated for Christmas. I chose this so that I could show some of the decorations that people put up for Christmas, just like in America. Celebrations for Christmas are a little bit different in Switzerland, with presents arriving on December 6th instead of the 25th. In Swiss culture, Santa also has a mysterious friend called Schmutzli. Swiss people also celebrate other religious holidays such as Good Friday, which honors the crucifixion of Jesus, and they celebrate Ascension Day, which celebrates the ascension of Jesus into heaven after his crucifixion.]]> 2019-10-08 18:50:58 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252040 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252281 This is a picture from a Swiss military training exercise. I chose this image to show that all men must complete training, even if they never use it. All able-bodied Swiss men are required to complete a few months of military training, and they are also required to keep a gun in their home for security. As a result of this, even though the military itself is small, more than 1 million men have enough proper military training to be enlisted in the Swiss army. They also have a rich military history, as they were ruled by the Hapsburgs until 1291, and their independence wasn’t recognized until the 1600’s. They fought many wars for land and independence, and they rarely lost. They have been neutral in all wars, including both World Wars, since 1815, when they fought Napoleon. The country also has great non-military security. Almost all roads and bridges into and out of the country are rigged to blow, and there is hidden artillery in a lot of them. There is also a lot of hidden artillery and shelters in the Swiss Alps. Since there are laws and guidelines about shelters in houses, there is enough nuclear shelter space to safely house 114% of their population.]]> 2019-10-08 18:51:21 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252281 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252558 This is a picture of the spending for the Swiss healthcare system, which is extraordinarily low compared to other countries. I chose this picture to show how low their spending is, and their system is still very efficient. They have universal healthcare, and it is free for all people. There are also low wait times on a lot of procedures, and it really helps the government and the people reduce how much money they spend. Partly because of how efficient the healthcare system is, Switzerland is one of the most wealthy countries in the world. The average wealth per adult is over $500,000 USD, which is much higher than the second place Australia. An average Swiss adult is about 11 times higher than the average world wealth. Switzerland also thrives in industry and manufacturing, although they don’t have many natural resources. They develop and export most of the world’s watches, and they also export lots of chocolate and dairy products. ]]> 2019-10-08 18:51:44 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395252558 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254038 This is a picture of the Federal Council of Switzerland, which is the executive branch that is elected by the citizens of Switzerland. The picture is important as it shows the seven members of the council being inaugurated. The current members of the council are president Ueli Maurer, Ignazio Cassis, Alain Berset, Karin Keller-Sutter, Viola Amherd, Guy Parmelin, and Simonetta Sommaruga. Switzerland’s not shown Supreme Court is called the Federal Tribunal, and it has 38 judges, all appointed for six year terms by the Federal Assembly, which is the legislative branch of Switzerland, which is made up of the Council of States which has 46 members. Each of the 20 full cantons elect two members, and the six half-cantons each elect one. There is also the National Council, which has 200 members, all elected by different cantons based on canton population. All Federal Assembly members serve for four years. The Swiss get a lot of control of their laws through referendum and initiative, which are votes by the Swiss people. A referendum can demand a vote on a passed law within 100 days of passing, given that 50,000 citizens request it, and an initiative lets citizens vote on specific issues, given that they have a petition signed by 100,000 people over 18 months, and it must have the majority of the popular vote and the cantons.

]]> 2019-10-08 18:53:53 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254038 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254241 Above is a diagram of the crime rate in Switzerland, which is extraordinarily low for a country where about 25% of the population owns guns. The diagram shows that even the worst areas have very low crime, and that is very impressive. It is ranked as the 11th safest country in the world, ranking very well in both violent and non-violent crime. Only about 50 murders are committed in Switzerland per year, and most of them are solved. As a result of this low crime rate, there is a very low prison population, at about 80 people for every 100,000 citizens, as compared to about 700 for America. There are only about 7,000 imprisoned people in Switzerland, even though the population is just under 8.5 million people. There are also many small laws in Switzerland that, although they usually don’t lead to prison time, they can lead to punishment. For example, there is a law in place that it is illegal to own only one guinea pig at a time in Switzerland, as they are social animals and it is considered animal cruelty. ]]> 2019-10-08 18:54:12 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254241 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254558 The Swiss franc is the national currency of Switzerland, although the euro is widely accepted by many larger shops and businesses. This picture is important because it shows some of the different Swiss franc notes, which are widely used. The Swiss franc is valued at almost exactly the same as the US dollar, but it is a very stable and strong currency, especially compared to the euro because of the European Debt Crisis. In 2015, the franc jumped 30% against the euro and 25% against the US dollar, further proof that it is a very strong and stable national currency. The equivalent of a penny for the franc is called a rappen, and is is valued at 1/100 of a franc. Their coins include five rappen, 10 rappen, 20 rappen, 50 rappen, one franc, two francs, and five francs. The notes include 10 francs, 20 francs, 50 francs, 100 francs, 200 francs, and 1000 francs.]]> 2019-10-08 18:54:40 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254558 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254658 Above is a picture of some of the main Swiss imports and exports that they make and spend the most money on. I chose this picture to show that Switzerland has a large variety of imports and exports that they make money off of. Some of the main imports include gold, pharmaceuticals/medicine, jewellery, and cars, mostly importing from Germany, the US, Italy, the UK, and France. Switzerland had roughly $273 billion worth of exports, ranking 17th in the world. Some of their main exports are gold, pharmaceuticals/medicine, watches, and assorted foods such as dairy products and chocolate. They mostly export to Germany, the US, China, India, and Hong Kong. In 2017, they had a GDP of $678 billion.]]> 2019-10-08 18:54:48 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395254658 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395255128 This is a chart of the wealth separation in Switzerland vs. the average wealth separation of the entire world, which shows that Switzerland is an incredibly wealthy country compared to the rest of the world, and there are a lot more people that own a large amount of money. As a result of the amount of wealthy people, the top 20% of the population owns over 80% of the country’s total assets. There are also very few people in poverty compared to the rest of the world. Part of the reason that the poverty rate is so low is the welfare system, which is incredibly efficient and helps make it so that most people that are in poverty are usually out of it within four years. Whether you are rich or poor, people usually keep their economic status hidden, as it is generally frowned upon to publicly show large wealth, but it is also considered shameful to be in poverty.]]> 2019-10-08 18:55:34 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395255128 alexfriedman2025 https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395255277 This is a painting by Swiss modernist artist Paul Klee, who lived from 1879 to 1940. He is one of the most famous Swiss artists, and there are many other artists make art of Switzerland’s lakes and mountains. Music is also important in Swiss culture, as a lot of towns and cities in Switzerland have symphony orchestras and singing groups that practice and perform constantly. There is a music festival called the Lucerne Festival that takes place in Switzerland, and it attracts thousands of visitors every year. Literature is a big part of Switzerland, and there is a lot of very famous literature that was written in Switzerland. For example, there is The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, and Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse.]]> 2019-10-08 18:55:51 UTC https://padlet.com/alexfriedman2025/xkeaurlgpzsa/wish/395255277