Switzerland is a small European country known for its beautiful, snow-capped mountains and freedom-loving people. The Alps and the Jura Mountains cover more than half of Switzerland. But most of the Swiss people live on a plateau that extends across the middle of the country between the two mountain ranges. The Alps are spectacular, but the region of Jungfrau-Aletsch, which includes Switzerland's longest glacier, the 24km Aletsch glacier, has been singled out for World Heritage status. In the Schilthorn Region, the lofty farming village of Gimmelwald (1400 m) makes a good base for walks to waterfalls through rocky crags, forests and, in summer, flower-filled meadows
Climate
The climate of Switzerland varies greatly from area to area because of the wide variety in altitude. In general, temperatures decrease about 3 °F (2 °C) with each 1,000-foot (300-meter) increase in elevation, and higher areas of the country receive more rain and snow. Fog sometimes covers the entire Swiss Plateau like a sea of clouds. Some areas may be covered by fog for as many as 120 days a year. January temperatures average from 29 to 33 °F (-2 to 1 °C) on the central plateau and in the Swiss mountain valleys. During the winter, there is colder though drier and sunnier weather above the layer of fog than below it.
