Neighbouring countries

Switzerland borders on five countries. To the north is Germany. To the east are Austria and Liechtenstein. To the south is Italy. To the west is France. Switzerland does not reach the sea anywhere. Spain, Portugal or Croatia are in Europe, but they are not direct neighbours of Switzerland. There are always other countries between them and Switzerland.

The neighbours also explain the languages. On the border with France, people speak French. On the border with Italy, in Ticino and in parts of Graubünden, people speak Italian. In the north and east people speak German, as in Germany and Austria. Liechtenstein is a small country between Switzerland and Austria. It uses the Swiss franc.

Memory aid: Clockwise from the north: Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein, Italy, France.