Brenda Davis

December 2, 2014
The connection between the environment and culture in Switzerland

Man is the product of earth; the environment in which he lives shaping him each and
every day. He has adapted and has been taught to live off the land. The culture he thrives on
reflects this world in which he has grown and dwells on. He only eats certain foods because
they are the only types accessible, based off the resources available to him. The same reasoning
explains his shelter and clothing as well. All of the resources that create man are from
environment.
Switzerland is a small landlocked country located in the middle of Western Europe. It is
south of Germany, east of France, North of Italy and west of Austria. 60 percent of Switzerland
is in an alpine region. 30 percent is hills and mainly flat valleys while the outstanding 10 percent
left forms a chain of older mountains called Jura. The country is highly populated in the
midlands with about 500 inhabitants per square mile (Jud, M. (Ed.). (n.d.)). All the major cities
are near lakes and or rivers for the advantages in trade and defense. The countries total area is
about 15,943 sq. miles and within these thousands of square miles is a lot of natural and
cultural diversity (Switzerland. (n.d.)).
Because of the huge differences in height from 640 ft. above sea level to over 14,000 ft.,
Switzerlands various altitudes create a vast amount of climates. Within these climates lie many
different types of flora, plants, and animals. In the southern parts of Switzerland the plants are
basically Mediterranean. Pines, chestnut trees, apricots and tomatoes are some of the common
vegetation while in the Alps there are mainly only alpine flowers. The north parts of Switzerland

are cooler and a mix of deciduous trees and coniferous trees can be found. There is a small
amount of variety of animals that live throughout the country but there is a variety of about
200 different species of birds (Jud, M. (Ed.). (n.d.)).
But like every country Switzerland has many environmental concerns. Air pollution is a
major concern with automobiles and other transportation vehicles as the main contributors. In
2000, the total emissions from carbon dioxide were at 39.1 million metric tons. Water pollution
has also been a problem due to the presence of phosphates, fertilizers, pesticides and other
harmful toxins in the water supply (Switzerland. (n.d.)). The environment of Switzerland is so
beautiful, diverse and the nature is simply unreal. The environment is the culture of the country
so many regulations are planned to intervene with these concerns. In fact Switzerland leads the
world in addressing environmental challenges. In 1876 Switzerland passed the federal forestry
law protecting the forests and that law is among the world's earliest pieces of environmental
legislation. (Switzerland tops the 2014 Environmental Performance Index. (n.d.)). This is also an
extremely important issue because the country depends on tourism to these exquisite
landscapes. It helps keep the connection between the countries culture and its nature.
Most of the income in the country is because of tourism to the beautiful scenery. The
area attracts guest year round with a plentiful amount of summer and winter sports and never
ending landscapes. In the summer there is mountain biking, climbing and paragliding. In the
winter there is cross country skiing, Apres Ski, tobogganing and downhill skiing. The country is
also filled unique architecture and monuments (Jud, M. (Ed.). (n.d.)). With tourism the Swiss
people can use their connections to the environment to express their culture as a nation.

Jud, M. (Ed.). (n.d.). Switzerland's Major Tourist Destinations. Retrieved December 2,

2014, from http://travelguide.all-about-switzerland.info/major-swiss-tourist-destinations.html
Switzerland. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Switzerland.aspx
Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from
http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Switzerland.html
Switzerland tops the 2014 Environmental Performance Index. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 2, 2014, from http://www.law.yale.edu/news/17903.htm