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DESCRIPTION:
SWITZERLAND, a republican country of central Europe, comprising the
Swiss Confederation, and bounded N. by the German Empire, E. by Austria
(except where the principality of Liechtenstein intervenes), S. by Italy,
and W. by France. Switzerland extends between the parallels
45 49 2 and 47 48 32 lat. (Greenwich) and the meridians 5 57 26 and
10 29 40 long. (Greenwich). It forms an irregular quadrilateral, of
which the greatest length from east to west is 2261/2 m., and the greatest
breadth from north to south is nearly 137 m. (136-8). It has, however,
no proper physical unity, as it consists of a number of small districts,
differing from each other widely in language, religion, ethnology, customs,
&c., but bound together in a political alliance, made originally
for common defence against a common foe. It is therefore an artificial
land, just as its inhabitants form an artificial nation, though nowadays
it is becoming more homogeneous in both respects. Its political boundaries
thus do not coincide with those of nature. The entire canton of Ticino
is south of the Alps, as are the valleys of Simplon (Valais), Mesocco,
Bregaglia, Poschiavo and Munster (all in the Grisons);
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