| Location | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 47 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Map references | Europe |
| Area | total: 41,277 sq km land: 39,997 sq km water: 1,280 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,770 km border countries (5): Austria 158 km, France 525 km, Italy 698 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 348 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
| Terrain | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m mean elevation: 1,350 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower potential, timber, salt |
| Land use | agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.) forest: 31.5% (2018 est.) other: 29.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 630 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 53.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | avalanches, landslides; flash floods |
| Geography - note | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
