THE TOP OF EUROPE One sunny summer morning a family boards a train in the city of Grindelwald Carrying winter jackets and mittens they enjoy the Alpine scenery as the train climbs Jungfrau Mountain It goes through a long tunnel and stops for a view of a glacier called the Sea of Ice Before long they are at the Jungfraujoch the Top of Europe 4
OTHER TOP SITES ALBERT EINSTEIN HOUSE JUNGFRAUJOCH LION OF LUCERNE PIZ GLORIA RESTAURANT ST PIERRE CATHEDRAL They explore the elaborate Ice Palace White snow crunches underfoot as they climb to the Sphinx Observatory They admire the views as cold air reddens their cheeks Snowcapped mountaintops tower overhead while summery flowers bloom below This is Switzerland 5
LOCATION Switzerland is a small country in the heart of Europe It separates the northern and southern regions of the continent Switzerland covers only 15,937 square miles 41,277 square kilometers The capital Bern is in the west-central part of the landlocked country Germany lines Switzerland’s northern border Austria is to the east The tiny country of Liechtenstein is sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland on the eastern border Italy lies to the south France wraps around Switzerland’s curvy western border 6 FRANCE
THE RHINE TRIANGLE The borders of Germany France and Switzerland all meet at a point It is in the middle of the Rhine River in the city of Basel about 60 miles 97 kilometers north of Bern GERMANY LIECHTENSTEIN ZURICH AUSTRIA BASEL BERN SWITZERLAND GENEVA ITALY 7
