Switzerland occupies 41,285 square kilometers in central Europe. The country extends 220 kilometers north to south and 348 kilometers east to west. Three distinct geographic regions divide the territory: the Swiss Alps cover 60 percent of the landmass in the south and east, the Jura Mountains occupy 10 percent along the northwestern border with France, and the Swiss Plateau (Mittelland) fills the remaining 30 percent between these mountain ranges. This plateau, stretching from Lake Geneva in the southwest to Lake Constance in the northeast, contains most of Switzerland's population and agricultural land. The lowest point sits at 193 meters above sea level at Lake Maggiore on the Italian border. The highest point reaches 4,634 meters at Dufourspitze on Monte Rosa, though the Matterhorn at 4,478 meters claims greater fame. Fifteen peaks exceed 4,000 meters, all located in the Pennine and Bernese Alps.
The Swiss Alps form the country's dominant topographic feature. The range divides into several sub-groups: the Pennine Alps run along the Italian border from the Simplon Pass to the Great St. Bernard Pass, the Bernese Alps stretch from the Rhône Valley to the Grimsel Pass, the Lepontine Alps occupy the area around the Gotthard Pass, and the Rhaetian Alps fill the eastern regions of Graubünden canton. The Aletsch Glacier, measuring 23 kilometers in length, holds the title of the longest glacier in the Alps. Ice covered approximately 1,063 square kilometers of Swiss territory in 2016, down from 1,735 square kilometers in 1850. The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network has documented retreat in 93 percent of measured glaciers since the 1970s. The Morteratsch Glacier near Pontresina has retreated 2.6 kilometers since 1860, with markers along the access path documenting the ice front's historical positions.
Alpine topography creates extreme local variation. The Lauterbrunnen Valley drops 1,000 meters between near-vertical rock walls, with 72 waterfalls descending its cliffs. Staubbach Falls plunges 297 meters in a single drop. The Engadine Valley in Graubünden sits at 1,800 meters elevation yet stretches 80 kilometers in length, creating a high-altitude corridor that has supported human settlement since Bronze Age times. The valley's orientation allows unusual amounts of sunshine for its latitude—St. Moritz records 322 sunny days annually. The Verzasca Valley in Ticino canton carved through gneiss rock produces water of exceptional clarity, with the Verzasca River's pools revealing submerged rocks at depths exceeding 10 meters.
The Jura Mountains form a lower range along Switzerland's northwestern boundary. The range extends 360 kilometers in a northeast-southwest arc from the Rhine River at Basel to the Rhône River near Geneva, reaching maximum elevation at Mont Tendre (1,679 meters) in Vaud canton. The Jura consist of folded limestone, creating parallel ridges separated by longitudinal valleys. This geology produces characteristic features including Creux du Van, a natural rocky cirque 1,400 meters wide and 160 meters deep in Neuchâtel canton, formed by erosion of horizontal limestone beds. The Swiss portion of the Jura occupies approximately 4,200 square kilometers. Forests cover 50 percent of Jura terrain, dominated by European beech and silver fir. The region's name derives from Celtic roots and now designates the Jurassic geological period, whose limestone layers were first systematically studied in these mountains by Alexandre Brongniart in 1829.
The Swiss Plateau extends approximately 300 kilometers from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance, varying between 50 and 70 kilometers in width. Elevation ranges from 400 to 600 meters in most areas. The plateau formed during ice ages when glaciers advancing from the Alps deposited moraines and ground rock into the depression between the Alpine and Jura ranges. This deposited material reaches depths exceeding 300 meters in places. The plateau contains Switzerland's most productive agricultural land and holds all cities exceeding 100,000 population except for Lugano and Basel. Numerous hills interrupt the plateau's surface—the Zürichberg rises 676 meters, the Gurten near Bern reaches 858 meters, and Mount Rigi between Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug climbs to 1,798 meters. These molasse hills consist of compressed sedimentary rock eroded from the early Alpine uplift and deposited in a shallow sea that occupied this region 30 million years ago.
Switzerland contains 1,500 lakes, though only seven exceed 100 square kilometers in surface area. Lake Geneva, at 580 square kilometers, ranks as the largest body of water in the Alps. The lake measures 73 kilometers long and up to 14 kilometers wide, reaching maximum depth of 310 meters. The Rhône River enters at the eastern end near Aigle and exits at Geneva, dropping 7 meters between inlet and outlet. France controls 234 square kilometers of the northern shore, Switzerland 346 square kilometers of the remaining perimeter. Lake Constance at 536 square kilometers total area includes 305 square kilometers claimed by Germany, 173 square kilometers by Switzerland, and 58 square kilometers by Austria, though no formal borders exist on the water itself. The lake reaches 252 meters depth and holds 48 cubic kilometers of water. The Rhine River flows through Lake Constance, entering near Bregenz and exiting at Stein am Rhein after depositing sediment that extends the delta into the lake at a rate of 3 meters annually.
Lake Neuchâtel covers 218 square kilometers entirely within Switzerland, making it the largest lake contained wholly within national borders. Maximum depth reaches 152 meters. The lake surface sits at 429 meters elevation. Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) occupies 114 square kilometers and divides into four distinct basins separated by narrows, creating a complex shape that extends 38 kilometers despite relatively small surface area. The lake reaches 214 meters depth. Its name translates to "Lake of the Four Forest Cantons," referencing Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and Lucerne. Lake Maggiore at 212 square kilometers total straddles the Italian border, with only the northern 20 percent (36 square kilometers) lying in Switzerland. This lake reaches Switzerland's lowest elevation at 193 meters above sea level and descends to 372 meters below the surface, creating the country's deepest point when measured from sea level.
The Rhine River originates in the Swiss Alps and flows 375 kilometers across or along Swiss territory before continuing 865 kilometers through or along five other countries to the North Sea. Two source streams, the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein, merge near Reichenau in Graubünden canton. The river crosses Lake Constance, then turns sharply north at Basel in the Rhine Knee, marking the transition from High Rhine to Upper Rhine. Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) near Schaffhausen measures 150 meters wide and drops 23 meters, making it Europe's largest plain waterfall by volume. Average flow reaches 700 cubic meters per second, increasing to 1,000 cubic meters during snowmelt. The Rhine drains 68 percent of Switzerland's territory. The Aare River, at 295 kilometers, ranks as Switzerland's longest river flowing entirely within national borders. The Aare drains water from the Bernese Oberland, passes through Lakes Brienz and Thun, flows past Bern, and joins the Rhine near Koblenz. The river's drainage basin covers 17,779 square kilometers, comprising 43 percent of Switzerland.