Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The sovereign state is a federal republic situated in western, central and southern Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of (land area ). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the
Cantons of France Republic), although larger communes may comprise several cantons, since the cantons are intended to be roughly equal in population – unlike the communes, which range from more than two million inhabitants (Paris) to just one person (Rochefourchat). The role of the "canton" is, essentially, to provide a framework for departmental elections. Each "canton" elects a person to represent it at the "conseil général du département" – or general council for the "department", which is the principal administrative division of the French Republic. In urban areas, a single "commune" generally includes several "cantons". Conversely, in rural areas, a "canton" may comprise