Travel the World - Week 24

This is the 24th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Switzerland

In Switzerland, you’re never more than 10 miles away from a lake. In total, there are about 1,500 of them in the country. 

Around 8 million people live in Switzerland. It is one of the smallest countries in Europe.

There’s a festival held every three years in Switzerland with 10,000 yodelers, flag-throwers and alphorn players showing off their special skills.

Switzerland produces the most chocolate in the world. They also consume more chocolate than people in any other country.

Hydroelectric power is popular in Switzerland. Over 60% of the country's electricity comes from a hydroelectric power source.

Most of the world's luxury watches are produced in Switzerland.

Switzerland’s Aarau railway station holds Europe’s second largest clock face; only the railway station clock in Cergy, France is larger. 

Nescafe, the world’s first instant coffee was invented in Switzerland.

Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web in Switzerland in 1989.

Bank tellers are protected by bulletproof glass in Switzerland.

In Switzerland citizens can challenge any law passed by Parliament – provided they can gather 50,000 signatures against the law within 100 days. If successful, a national vote is held and voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law.

Switzerland is one of the only two countries to have a square flag – the Vatican has the only other square flag in the world. The Swiss flag is a red square with a white cross in the centre.

Snowboarding, skiing, and mountaineering are popular sports in Switzerland.

Globi, a Swiss cartoon character, is the most popular character in Switzerland.

Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life in Switzerland.

Coffee in Zurich is the most expensive in the world.

There are Swiss taxes for owning a dog – annual taxes are determined by the dog’s size and weight. Dog owners are also required to take a training course to learn how to properly care for their pets.

It’s against the law to keep only one guinea pig. You need to have a pair. 

Switzerland’s Gotthard tunnel is the longest in the world.

The people of Switzerland can lease, or rent, cows. The person that rents the cow is entitled to receive all of the cheese created by the milk taken from the cow.

Swiss men have the longest life expectancy in the world.

Almost half of marriages in Switzerland end in divorce.

I decided to let this Switzerland fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Teaching in Switzerland is one of the uppermost paid professions.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set:Picket Fence Good Teacher stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Vintage Violet CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Kaiser Droplets and Washi Tape from an unknown vendor