Physical Geography
The city of Zurich is located on the northern tip of Lake Zurich and is split down the middle by the River Limmat.





Climate
The climate of Switzerland varies with altitude, especially because 70% of the country is covered in mountains.  In Zurich, the average summer temperature is 72-77 degrees F, and it is usually sunny and warm, but rarely gets really hot. In the winter, snow is expected in higher elevations, and Zurich usually does not get much snow, and the temperature is between 28-38 degrees F.




Physical Features
Lake Zurich- This lake is located at the southeast tip of Zurich. The city is just one of the many that surround this lake. It is a popular destination for swimming and relaxing on the beaches of. The River Limmat in Zurich flows through the canton, then empties into Lake Zurich.
Limmat River- The Limmat River runs through the old town of Zurich, before emptying into Lake Zurich.




Flora
Most parts of Switzerland are covered by forests. The Swiss value plants very much, so when most countries in Europe were cutting down their forests, Switzerland was preserving theirs. The types of forests include deciduous and pine forests. The mountains of the Alps host many species of plants. The Swiss people understand that they need to preserve their forests, and continue to try and keep their biodiversity alive.

Fauna
Marmot- The marmot usually lives in the mountains of the Alps, that lives in family groups and is found during the summer, diving underground for safety.










Wild Ibex- Once extinct, this animal was released back into the wild. It is usually seen on mountains, and can be referred to as a Mountain Goat.


 Chamois- The chamois is found in the Alps, and is usually hunted for its soft leather and fur.


Birds
Birds such as the eagle, vulture, nutcracker, and black grouse are common.

Black Grouse

The biodiversity of Switzerland is very great. There are over 50,000 species of plants and animals, including mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians.

Environment
The Swiss people are very aware about conservation in the environment. They consider recycling to be very important, and in 2003, over 41% of urban waste , 70% of paper, 95% of glass, and 71% of plastic bottles were recycled. Air pollution is a growing problem, with large amounts of greenhouse gas being released from transportation and industrial factories. The government is trying to cut the amount of gas used for vehicle fuels.



Water Power
Hydroelectric power is very important in Switzerland. People have harnessed the power of the rivers and  built dams and power stations along the banks. They want to increase use of this "clean" energy and continue to improve the conditions of the environment.

Works Cited

"Switzerland." City Population - Statistics & Maps of the Major Cities, Agglomerations & Administrative Divisions for All Countries of the World. City Population. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.citypopulation.de/>.

Switzerland, Presence. Switzerland's Information Portal - Switzerland - Information. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, General Secretariat, Presence Switzerland. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.swissworld.org/en/>.

Weather and Climate: Zurich, Switzerland, Average Monthly Rainfall, Sunshine, Temperature (fahrenheit). Photograph. Weather and Climate: Average Monthly Rainfall, Sunshine, Temperatures. World Weather and Climate Info. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine-fahrenheit,Zurich,Switzerland>.

"Top Attractions." Visit Zurich. 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.visitzurich.org/>.

"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. CIA, 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html>.

"Food in Switzerland." About Switzerland. About.ch, 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.about.ch/culture/food/index.html>.

"Zurich Weather and Climate: Zurich, Switzerland." Zurich Travel Guide and Tourist Information: Zurich, Switzerland. 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.zurich.world-guides.com/zurich_weather.html>

"European Travel - Switzerland (Swiss), Zurich Photos - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Youtube, 09 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyhpeBmEH90>.

"Zurich - Switzerland." Mechatronics2010. ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mechatronics2010.com/zurich_-_switzerland.html>.

Egli, Gregory. "Culture: Traditions." Library.thinkquest.org. Oracle, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.

Chaikin, Alexander. "Old Street In Zurich Decorated With Flags For The Swiss National.. Royalty Free Stock Photo, Pictures, Images And Stock Photography. Image 8036890." Stock Photos and Royalty Free Image Subscription from 123RF Stock Photography. 123RF, 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.123rf.com/photo_8036890_old-street-in-zurich-decorated-with-flags-for-the-swiss-national-day-1st-of-august.html>.

"Kunsthaus Zurich." Monique Spaeti, Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.kunsthaus.ch/en/>.

"Fraumunster Zurich." Zuerich. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://www.zuerich.com/en/Visitor/Experience/Attractions/Fraumuenster-details.htmlhttp://www.musee-suisse.ch/e/zuerich/dienstleistungen/>.

Notter, Markus. "Musee Suisse." Swiss National Museum. 2011. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://www.musee-suisse.ch/e/ueberuns/organisation/index.php>.

"Swiss - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major Holidays, Rites of Passage, Relationships, Living Conditions." Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg Inc., 2012. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Swiss.html>.

Pallmert, Sigrid. The Textiles and Costumes Collections. Digital image. Schweizerische Landesmuseum. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://webcollection.nationalmuseum.ch/en/sammlungen/textilien/ http://us.makemytrip.com/international-holidays/4637-so>.

"Swiss Rivers Linth/Limmat, Sihl." Geography: Switzerland's Landscape, Rivers, Lakes. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://geography-landscapes.all-about-switzerland.info/rivers-linth-limmat-sihl.html>.

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Levy, Patricia, and Richard A. Lord. Switzerland. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2005. Print.

World Cultures. Vol. 8. Detroit: UXL, 1999. Print.

Economics

The standard of living is very high in all of Switzerland, but especially Zurich. The whole city is industrial, cultural, and economic, and known to be rich and clean. Switzerland has one of the world's highest living standards, ranked at 11th in 2011. Since it is such a small country, it is easier for them to maintain this standard. The whole country is run on hydroelectric power, a very clean, green source of energy, with less than 3% of the country being run of fossil fuels.

Per Capita GDP
The Per Capita GDP is about $66,367. This is similar to the United States's, indicating that the standard of living is similar.

Major Industries
In Zurich, the most abundant industries are banking, tourism, and appliances. Zurich attracts many tourists with its churches and popular places to shop, such as Bahnhofstrasse, the Main Street. Banking is huge, with many people employed in this industry. Most of the economy is based on trade with foreign trade, seeing as Switzerland has little resources. They export large amounts of materials to other countries. Switzerland holds about 10% of the worlds assets and specializes in investment and insurance.

This is a map of all of the locations of banks in Zurich. As you can see, there are many!

Natural Resources
Switzerland has little to no natural resources, so they base most of their economy on exports and trading.

Currency
As they are not part of the European Union, Switzerland does not use the Euro, but the Swiss Franc. However, because they are not part of the EU, Switzerland can be a trading partner, and is their most important one. Using the Swiss Franc allows the country to be a safe haven for foreign investors because the value of the Franc continues to climb, even in tough economic times.

Swiss Bank Notes

Literacy Rate

The literacy rate of Switzerland is 99%, indicating that most people are educated. It is the responsibility of each canton to monitor their education system. Typically, students go to primary, secondary, tertiary, and adult education. At the age of 16, children have the choice to continue a higher education or attend vocational training for direct entry into the job market. 

RAFT
Role: Blogger/ Traveler
Audience: People who read my blog
Format: Blog
Topic: Document Zurich, Switzerland

Human Geography
Wow! There are lots of people here, over 1,373,068 total, including the surrounding suburbs. The culture of the Swiss is very different from our, but similar in some ways.
Food
In Zurich, there are man types of restaurants, from high end, fancy restaurants, to family restaurants, to fast food places. The food varies with each, but there are some main things usually eaten at each meal. For example, all kinds of bread are served; at breakfast, toast with jam or butter, at lunch, usually a sandwich on any type of bread, and at dinner, bread is served with cheese.  Some other popular dishes are Burli (small bread), Fondue (usually cheese), Sauerkraut, Pasta tri colori (three colors), Zurcher Eintopf ( meat and veggies in a pot), Zurcher Geschnetzeltes (meat and potatoes).  Food is usually very expensive in Switzerland, where you pay up to 10 CHF for a burger and a drink.
(talk about chocolate and cheese)

 Burli

 Zurcher Geschnetzeltes

Zurcher Eintopf

Traditions

Most Swiss people celebrate holidays traditionally every year. Since most people are Christian, over 91% of the population, Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are celebrated each year. There are other traditions, such as playing certain instruments, like the Alphorn, and on August 1 every year, Swiss National Day, fireworks are set off and people celebrate, much like our Fourth of July. Another popular holiday celebrated is Six O'Clock Ringing. People dress up in historical costumes and parade through the streets of the city. American holidays are celebrated, like Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and Advent. On December 6th, it is Santa Claus Day, when Santa comes and gives children gifts like chocolate, oranges. It is a tradition for children to leave their shoes outside to be filled with small treats.

A street in Zurich decorated for Swiss National Day.

Religion

Most people are Christian in Switzerland. They make up the bulk of the population, and people are equally divided between the Christian religions of Catholicism and Protestantism. The newest religion increase are in Islam, who now make up 4% of the population. 

Famous Landmarks

Lake Zurich- Lake Zurich is on the tip of Zurich, Switzerland. It is a popular tourist attraction and known to be a calm, serene place for a walk.

Kunsthaus Museum- This museum is full of modern and fine art. They have certain exhibits that are temporary, but over 4000 paintings, sculptures, ect.

 Fraumünster Gothic Church- This church is a popular tourist attraction, with the largest organ in Europe and gorgeous stained glass windows.

Fraumunster Gothic Church

Landesmuseum- This museum, also know as the Swiss National Museum, is a historical attraction that details Switzerland's history.

Lindenhof- This historical site of the Roman Castle is located in the old town of Zurich.

Lindenhof Castle

St Peter's Church- This church is one of the main churches in Zurich and located next to Lindenhof. It has the largest church clock face in Europe, with a diameter of 20 feet.


Languages
Most of the people in Zurich speak a dialect of German, called Swiss German. It is very similar to German, but has some variations on words. Currently in Switzerland people speak German 63.7%, French 20.4%, and Italian 6.5%.


Music
In a city like Zurich, people listen to all kinds of different music.


Folk instruments- Schwyzerörgeli (a type of accordion), the Hackbrett (hammered dulcimer) and the Trümpi (Jew's Harp)


Classical Music- Usually played at religious festivals.


Rock/Jazz/Pop- There are lots of music festivals for these types of music, especially jazz, but people mainly listen to whatever kind of music they want to.


Dress
People in Zurich mainly dress in Western style clothing, like us, but there are some traditional costumes common at festivals and parades that show off detailed embroidery.

This shows some of the traditional Swiss embroidery. 

This is a traditional women's dress, that would be worn at a festival. 

Hi Everyone!
My very first post on my blog! I am so excited to travel to Zurich, Switzerland. I have been doing my research. I know that the currency conversion rate is 1 US dollar = 0.9127 Swiss Franc.

Picture of a Swiss Franc (also called CHF)

 That means that each of my dollars about equal to one Swiss Franc. 

This is a video showing some photos of Zurich. Enjoy!

Map of Switzerland