Switzerland officially Swiss Confederation Country, central Europe. Area: 15,940 sq mi (41,284 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 7,519,000. Capitals: Bern (administrative), Lausanne (judicial). The popu¬ lation is German, French, and Italian. Languages: German, French, Italian,
Romansh (all official, with Romansh used locally). Religions: Christianity (Roman i ■■ f ■■ . 4 '° mi Catholic, Protestant); also Islam. Currency:
-----^2- Swiss franc. Switzerland is divided into
three regions: the meadow-covered Jura Mountains; the central Mittelland, a rich agricultural and urbanized area; and the lofty crags of the Alps. It is one of the world’s major financial cen¬ tres; its economy is based largely on international trade and banking, as well as light and heavy industries. Manufactures include watches, preci¬ sion instruments, machinery, and chemicals. Tourism and agriculture are also important; products include grains, sugar beets, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, chocolate, and wine. Despite diverse ethnic groups, reli¬ gions, and languages, Switzerland has maintained the world’s oldest democracy for some 700 years. It is a federal state with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president of the federal council. The original inhabitants were the Helvetians, who were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century bc. Germanic tribes penetrated the region from the 3rd to the 6th century ad, and Muslim and Magyar raiders ven¬ tured in during the 10th century. It came under the rule of the Franks in the 9th century and the medieval empire (later the Holy Roman Empire) in the 11th century. In 1291 three cantons formed an anti-Habsburg league that became the nucleus of the Swiss Confederation. It was a centre of the Ref¬ ormation, which divided the confederation and led to a period of political and religious conflict. The French organized Switzerland as the Helvetic Republic in 1798. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna recognized Swiss inde¬ pendence and guaranteed its neutrality. A new federal state was formed in 1848 with Bern as the capital. Switzerland remained neutral in both World War I and World War II and has continued to defend this neutrality. It joined the European Free Trade Association in 1960, but it has opted against joining the European Union. It joined the United Nations in 2002.
Swope, Gerard (b. Dec. 1, 1872, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.—d. Nov. 20, 1957, New York, N.Y.) U.S. business leader. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined Western Electric in 1895 and became a director in 1913. He was made president of General Elec¬ tric Co.’s international subsidiary in 1919 and greatly increased the com¬ pany’s foreign business. As president of General Electric (1922-39, 1942- 44), he expanded its line of consumer products and pioneered profit sharing and other employee benefit programs. He also served on the Department of Commerce’s Business Advisory Council, and his ideas and support underlay such important New Deal programs as the National Recovery Administration and Social Security.
sword Hand weapon consisting of a long metal blade fitted with a handle or hilt. Roman swords had a short, flat blade and a hilt distinct from the blade. Medieval European swords were heavy and equipped with a large hilt and a protective guard, or pommel. The blade was straight, double- edged, and pointed. The introduction of firearms did not eliminate the sword but led to new designs; the discarding of body armour required the swordsman to be able to parry, and the rapier, a double-edged sword with a narrow, pointed blade, came into use. Swords with curved blades were used in India and Persia and were introduced into Europe by the Turks, whose scimitar, with its curved, single-edged blade, was modified in the West to the cavalry sabre. Japanese swords are renowned for their hardness and extreme sharpness; they were the weapon of the samurai. Repeating firearms ended the value of the sword as a military weapon, though its con¬ tinued use in duels led to the modem sport of fencing. See also kendo.
sword dance Folk dance by men, with swords or two-handled blades, expressing themes such as human and animal sacrifice for fertility, battle mime, and defense against evil spirits. It originated in Greek and Roman times. A sword dance appeared in Germany in 1350 and later was part of the court ballet when mock battles were staged. The Scottish sword dance is a descendant of the early crossed-sword dances, and the Morris dance retains remnants of the sword dance. Outside of Europe, such dances are found in India, Borneo, and the Balkans.
swordfish Species ( Xiphias gladius) of prized food and game fish, found in warm and temperate oceans worldwide. A slender, scaleless fish, it has a tall dorsal fin and a long extension of the snout, used for slashing at prey. The “sword” is flat, rather than rounded as in marlins. The sword¬ fish is also distinguished by its lack of teeth and pelvic fins. It is purplish or bluish above, silvery below, and grows as large as 15 ft (4.5 m) and 1,000 lb (450 kg). Though a popular food fish, it may have dangerous levels of mercury concentrated in its flesh.
Sybaris Ysi-bd-rssX Ancient Greek city, southern Italy, on the Gulf of Tarentum. Founded c. 720 bc by Achaeans and known for its wealth and luxury (hence, the English word sybarite ), it was one of the oldest cities of Magna Graecia. Twice razed by the Crotoniates (510 bc and c. 448 bc), it attempted rebuilding and relocating but never regained its importance.
Sycaminum See Haifa
sycamore \'si-k3-,m6r\ Any of several distinct trees called by the same name though in different genera and families. In the U.S. the term refers to the American plane tree or buttonwood ( Platanus occidentalis), a hardy street tree. The sycamore maple, or mock plane (Acer pseudoplatanus), is sometimes also called simply sycamore. The biblical sycamore, actually the sycamore FIG (Ficus sycomorus ), was used by the ancient Egyptians to make mummy cases.
Sydenham \'si-d 3 n-9m\, Thomas (b. 1624, Wynford Eagle, Dorset, Eng.—d. Dec. 29, 1689, London) British physician. His Observationes medicae (1676) was a standard textbook for two centuries, noted for its detailed observations and the accuracy of its records. His treatise on gout (1683) is considered his masterpiece. He was among the first to explain the nature of hysteria and St. Vitus dance (Sydenham chorea) and to use iron to treat iron-deficiency anemia. Sydenham also named scarlet fever and differentiated it from measles, first used laudanum (a solution of opium in alcohol) as a medication, and helped popularize the use of qui¬ nine for malaria.
Sydney City (pop., 2001: 3,997,321), capital of New South Wales, Aus¬ tralia. Located on Australia’s southeastern coast, it is the oldest and larg¬ est city in Australia and a major commercial and manufacturing centre. It was founded in 1788 as a penal colony (see Botany Bay) and quickly became a major trading centre. It is built on low hills surrounding one of the world’s finest natural harbours, which supports extensive port facili-
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