Swiss Passport

Question 324 of 350 · Economy and transport

What is the Basel region particularly known as?

Als was ist die Region Basel besonders bekannt?

Correct answer: B

  1. Aas a wine regionals Weinland
  2. Bas a location of large pharmaceutical companiesals Standort grosser Pharmafirmen
  3. Cas a land of castles and monasteriesals Land der Burgen und Klöster
  4. Das a location of various international organisations (e.g. UN)als Standort verschiedener internationaler Organisationen (z.B. UNO)

Why

Large pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Novartis have their headquarters in Basel. The region is the centre of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry.

Common mistakes

D: as a location of various international organisations (e.g. UN)
Most international organisations and the UN are in Geneva, not in Basel.
A: as a wine region
Wine is grown mainly in Valais, Vaud and Geneva.

Topic

Pioneers, hydropower, pharmaceuticals

In the 19th century Switzerland became a modern industrial country. An important person in this was the Zurich politician and entrepreneur Alfred Escher (1819-1882). He campaigned for building railways, for example the Gotthard railway. He helped found the ETH in Zurich in 1854/55. In 1856 he founded the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, which later became Credit Suisse.

Culture, economy and Switzerland in the world · Economy and transport

Sources

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.