Switzerland or the Swiss Confederation is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. Switzerland is located in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps and the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, which extends over an area of 41285 km2 (15.940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the bulk of the land, and Switzerland's population is concentrated nearly 8 million people in mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found.
