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Basel




Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked Alpine country in Central Europe. The country, which borders Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, was historically a confederation, and has been a federation since 1848. Switzerland is a federation of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than seven hundred years, arguably putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. With an area of forty one thousand two hundred and eighty five square kilometers, Switzerland is a relatively small country. Switzerland comprises three basic topographical areas namely the Swiss Alps, the Swiss plateau, and the Jura Mountains. Switzerland has four official languages namely German, French, Italian and Romansh.
 
Basel is Switzerland's third most populous city with 166,563 inhabitants as of 2004 census. It has 690,000 inhabitants in the conurbation stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerland's second-largest urban area as of 2003. It has a total surface area of 22.75 square kilometers.
 
Located in north-west Switzerland on the river Rhine, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany and France. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three states in the modern Latin name Regio TriRhena. It has the oldest university of the Swiss Confederation.
 
A city known for its historic myths and traditions, scenic beauty, luxurious hotels and cottages, Basel is one of the favorite holiday destinations for most of the vacation lovers. It is also considered as the preeminent, historical and potential tourism destination that enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers to become one of the most visited places.

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