| |
| | Countries of the world (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-13) |
 | | It dates its independence to 1291; historically it was a confederation, and it has been a federation since 1848, with a current division into 26 cantons or "counties/states". |
 | | In Early Modern Switzerland, the conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712, and the growing authoritarianism of the patriciate families combined with a financial crisis in the wake of the Thirty Years' War led to the Swiss peasant war of 1653. |
 | | The Swiss National Independence Day, centered on the Rütli meadow in the center of Switzerland on August 1, is very popular with the Swiss themselves, and this celebration is a festive day across Switzerland, with large and impressive fireworks displays in all the towns, on the lakes, and even remote locations scattered across the mountainsides. |
| wikipediaworld.blogspot.com /2007/02/switzerland-from-wikipedia-free.html (5917 words) |
|