located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity meteoswiss
___MASK19___ , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic in Europe . It consists ___MASK84___ 26 cantons , and the city ___MASK84___ Bern is the seat ___MASK84___ the federal authorities . The country is situated in Western - Central Europe , and is bordered by Italy to the south , France to the west , Germany to the north , and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east . ___MASK19___ is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps , the Swiss Plateau and the Jura , spanning an area ___MASK84___ . While the Alps occupy the greater part ___MASK84___ the territory , the Swiss population ___MASK84___ approximately eight million people is concentrated mostly on the plateau , where the largest cities are to be found : among them are the two global cities and economic centres Zürich and Geneva . Romandy is the French - speaking part ___MASK84___ western Switzerland . In 2010 about 1 . 9 million people , or 24 . 4 % ___MASK84___ the Swiss population , lived in Romandy . The bulk ___MASK84___ ' population lives in the ' region along Lake Geneva , connecting Geneva , Vaud and the Lower Valais . The Federal Council is the seven - member executive council which constitutes the federal government ___MASK84___ Switzerland and serves as the collective executive head ___MASK84___ government and state ___MASK84___ Switzerland . ___MASK38___ ( or ' , sometimes ' ) is a lake on the north side ___MASK84___ the Alps , shared between Switzerland and France . It is one ___MASK84___ the largest ___MASK10___ in Western Europe and the largest on the course ___MASK84___ the Rhône . 59 . 53 % ___MASK84___ it comes under the jurisdiction ___MASK84___ Switzerland ( cantons ___MASK84___ Vaud , Geneva , and Valais ), and 40 . 47 % under France ( department ___MASK84___ Haute - Savoie ). The ___MASK61___ ___MASK84___ Vaud is the third largest ___MASK84___ Swiss cantons by population and fourth by size . It is located in Romandy , the French - speaking western part ___MASK84___ the country , and borders the canton ___MASK84___ Neuchâtel to the north , the cantons ___MASK84___ Fribourg and Bern to the east , Valais and Lake Geneva to the south , the ___MASK29___ to the south - west and France ( Bourgogne - Franche - Comté ) to the west . ___MASK52___ (; Ticinese : ; formerly in ) is a southern Swiss town and municipality in the district ___MASK52___ ( and its capital ), located on the ___MASK81___ shore of Lago Maggiore at its northeastern tip in the canton of Ticino at the southern foot of the Swiss Alps . It has a population of about 16 , 000 ( proper ), and about 56 , 000 for the agglomeration of the same name including Ascona besides other municipalities . ___MASK25___ , formally the Republic and ___MASK61___ ___MASK84___ ___MASK25___ (; ; see also in other languages ) is the southernmost canton ___MASK84___ Switzerland . ___MASK25___ borders the ___MASK61___ ___MASK84___ Uri to the north , Valais to the west ( through the Novena Pass ), Graubünden to the northeast , Italy ' s regions ___MASK84___ Piedmont and Lombardy to the south and it surrounds the small Italian exclave ___MASK84___ Campione d ' Italia . ___MASK37___ (, , , ) is the second ___MASK30___ populous city in Switzerland ( after ___MASK77___ ) and is the ___MASK30___ populous city ___MASK84___ Romandy , the French - speaking part ___MASK84___ Switzerland . Situated where the Rhône exits Lake ___MASK37___ , it is the capital ___MASK84___ the Republic and ___MASK29___ . MeteoSwiss ( German : MeteoSchweiz , French : MétéoSuisse , Italian : MeteoSvizzera ) , officially the Federal Office ___MASK84___ Meteorology and Climatology , is an office ___MASK84___ the federal administration ___MASK84___ Switzerland . It employs 290 people at locations in Zurich , Zurich Airport , Geneva , Locarno and Payerne . Originally established as the Central Meteorological Institute ( MZA ) , by 1863 it operated 88 weather stations . Its name was changed in 1979 to Swiss Meteorological Institute ( SMA ) . Since 1996 , it has been operating as MeteoSwiss . Since 2006 , its official name is `` Federal Office ___MASK84___ Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss '' . The office observes the weather around the clock , creating weather forecasts and alerting authorities and population , when strong winds , heavy rainfall , storms or heat waves are forecast . In addition , it provides weather services for the civil , military and private aviation . The office also carries out a program ___MASK84___ research and development to understand the weather and climate in the Alps . They also officially represent Switzerland at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva . ___MASK98___ is a municipality in the ___MASK85___ ___MASK84___ Locarno in the canton ___MASK84___ Ticino in Switzerland . The ___MASK39___ (; Walliser German : " Rotten " ) is one ___MASK84___ the major rivers ___MASK84___ Europe , rising in the ___MASK39___ Glacier in the Swiss Alps at the far eastern end ___MASK84___ the Swiss canton ___MASK84___ Valais , passing through Lake Geneva and running through southeastern France . At Arles , near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea , the river divides into two branches , known as the Great ___MASK39___ ( French : " Le Grand ___MASK39___ ") and the Little ___MASK39___ (" Le Petit ___MASK39___ "). The resulting delta constitutes the Camargue region . ___MASK15___ is a municipality in the Swiss ___MASK61___ ___MASK84___ Vaud . It was the seat ___MASK84___ the district ___MASK84___ ___MASK15___ , and is now part ___MASK84___ the district ___MASK84___ Broye - Vully . The federal administration ___MASK84___ Switzerland (, ) is the ensemble ___MASK84___ agencies that constitute , together with the Swiss Federal Council , the executive branch ___MASK84___ the Swiss federal authorities . The administration is charged with executing federal law and preparing draft laws and policy for the Federal Council and the Federal Assembly . The ___MASK73___ region ___MASK84___ Switzerland , conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (, ), represents a major natural feature ___MASK84___ the country and is , along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion ___MASK84___ the Jura Mountains , one ___MASK84___ its three main physiographic regions . The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps , encompassing an area sometimes called " Central Alps ". While the ___MASK81___ ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland , the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France , Italy , Austria and Liechtenstein .