A landlocked country in Western Europe, Switzerland is bordered byGermany, Italy, France, Austria and Liechtenstein with French, German and Italian the countries main linguistic and cultural areas. Probably best known for the Swiss Alps, winter sports and breathtaking snow capped landscapes, the northern part of the country has great hilly, open landscapes with pastureland, large lakes and forests. This is also where the largest cities are found. The weather varies with the terrain with glacial conditions in the Alps and a near Mediterranean climate in the south.