Apart from Germany, the German language is spoken in Austria and is an official language in Switzerland. There is a part of Belgium where German is also extensively spoken. This page will concentrate on Austria and Switzerland. Don't forget to check out the Photo Albums on the right!
Austria
Austria ('Österreich' in German) is a country in Central Europe. Around Austria there are Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Currently, the Chancellor is called Alfred Gusenbauer.
The people in Austria speak German. A few also speak Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian. The capital of Austria is called Vienna (or 'Wien' in German). Austria is more than a thousand years old. Austria has nine States, and deems itself a neutral country, i.e. one that does not take part in wars with other countries. Austria has been a member of the European Union since 1995 and a member of the United Nations since 1955.
Switzerland
Switzerland is located to the south of Germany and to the east of France. East of Switzerland is Austria and south of Switzerland is Italy. Switzerland is known for its neutrality (see above) and has been neutral for more than 150 years. Many international organisations are in Switzerland. The United Nations, for example, has a main office in Geneva.
There are about 7.5 million people in Switzerland. The official languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansch. About 64% of the people speak German as their first language, mostly in nothern and central Switzerland. In the west 19% speak French as their first language. Only one percent of the population speak Romansch, in south-eastern Switzerland. Romansch is an old language similar to Latin.
About 60% of Switzerland is mountains! The highest mountain is the Dufour Peak at 4634 metres.
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