The Swiss Confederation is a landlocked nation state in Central Europe. Countries bordering Switzerland are France to the west, Germany to the north, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east and Italy to the south.
Much of Switzerland is mountainous, with the Alps covering about two thirds of the southern part of the country. The highest peak in Switzerland is Dufourspitze on the Italian border at 4,634m or 15,000 ft. Other spectacular mountains include the Eiger, the Jungfrau and the Matterhorn.
The north west border with France has the Jura Mountains which slope up to the Alps through the Swiss Mittelland plateau. Switzerland is well known for its lakes including Lake Geneva on the western frontier with France, Lake Luzern in central Switzerland, Lake Lugano on the southern frontier with Italy and Lake Constance on the western frontier with Germany and Austria.
