Switzerland



Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country situated at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. Switzerland is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi) and land area of 39,997 km2 (15,443 sq mi). Although the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centres are located, among them Zürich, Geneva and Basel. These cities are home to several offices of international organisations such as the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, the headquarters of FIFA, the UN's second-largest office, as well as the main building of the Bank for International Settlements. The main international airports of Switzerland are also located in these cities.

In the Space 1999 reality, Western Switzerland was destroyed on 30 June 1987, by a nuclear device of unknown origin. The blast is centered near the site of the peace talks at Geneva, called to ease global tensions by halting the escalation of global conflicts, and all participating diplomatic negotiators are lost. John Koenig's wife, Jean, a UN translator, is killed. A North Korean terrorist group claims responsibility for the initial detonation at Geneva, following a limited global exchange, trigged by nuclear retaliatory strikes.