8 Random Swiss facts

Three hikers walk past a small wooden cabin standing in an open, gently sloping meadow. In the background, bare mountain slopes and the first patches of snow are visible. The scene depicts a peaceful, natural mountain setting.

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Switzerland - we know it and we love it. Cows, mountains, cheese, watches and chocolate - that's 100% Switzerland. Switzerland is quite small, but there are still some things about chocolate, the Swiss cross or Sundays in Switzerland that you didn't know. We show you some of them in the 8 Random Swiss Facts.

#1 Swiss are addicted to chocolate

The average Swiss eats around 240 bars of chocolate every year. Which is understandable when we consider that Switzerland produces the best chocolate in the world.

#2 A red square with a white cross

Apart from Vatican City, Switzerland is the only country in the world to have a square flag - a red square with a white cross. Some people also say that the cross is a big plus.

The village of Lauterbrunnen is surrounded by imposing cliffs. Tourists stroll through the village. The Staubbach Falls can be seen in the background. — © Jungfrau Region Tourism AG. CC0 (OpenData)

#3 Somehow the numbers must be different in Switzerland

Unlike in most countries, the Swiss use their thumb to show the "1" when counting with their fingers instead of the index finger, as is usual in many places.

#4 Switzerland is the highest

Switzerland has more high peaks than any other country in Europe: 48 that are over 4000 metres high, five of them in the Jungfrau Region.

Aerial View of the Eiger in Winter — © Jungfrau Region Tourism AG. CC0 (OpenData)

#5 We have a lot of water

The land mass of Switzerland is only 0.4 per cent of the land mass of Europe, but it has 6 per cent of the continent's fresh water reserves, which is possible thanks to the many lakes and glaciers in Switzerland. Some of the mountain lakes in the Jungfrau Region are also used to cool off in summer.

View from the Gelmerhütte of Lake Gelmer. The reservoir glows a beautiful glacier blue. — © Jungfrau Region Tourism AG. CC0 (OpenData)

#6 What we are famous for

We may not have many world-famous personalities, but the most famous is the widely used sans serif font Helvetica, which really does come from Switzerland.

#7 The typical Swiss goes hiking on Sundays

No wonder, when we consider that Switzerland has many beautiful mountain landscapes and over 60,000 kilometres of signposted hiking trails. It's probably a rumour that it has to be exactly on Sundays; some Swiss people would probably use the playful term "Bünzli" (petty, stuffy, socially conformist).

Hiking in Wengen across green meadows with a stunning mountain panorama on the horizon. — © Jungfrau Region Tourism AG. CC0 (OpenData)

#8 Sunday is Funday

In Switzerland, it is forbidden to hang out the washing, wash the car or recycle bottles on Sundays. So we should simply enjoy Sundays instead of working.