Switzerland, the country of four seas

Switzerland is a landlocked country with no direct access to the sea. Yet it is connected to four seas. What sounds paradoxical is a geographical peculiarity in Europe: rain and meltwater from the Swiss Alps flow into four different seas. A drop of rain that falls in the Swiss Alps can at some point later flow into the sea with millions of others in very different places: into the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea or the Adriatic. This is made possible by Switzerland's special location in the heart of Europe. The Alps form one of the continent's most important watersheds. It is from their passes and peaks that the path of the water is decided – often over thousands of kilometres into one of these four seas. The ‘water castle of Europe’ Since the 19th century, Switzerland has been known as the "water castle of Europe". Although it stores only a small proportion of Europe's fresh water, many large rivers originate in Switzerland or receive a significant amount of water from ...