Timeline: Switzerland

A chronology of key events:

1291 - Origin of the Swiss confederation when three cantons form an alliance to resist outside control.

Alpine peak of Matterhorn straddles Swiss-Italian border 2004: Monks seek homes for St Bernards

1815 - In the wake of the Napoleonic wars, the borders of Switzerland - and the territory's neutrality - are established at the Congress of Vienna.

1848 - Federal constitution defines the political system, providing for a centralised government.

1874 - Revised constitution allows for the exercise of direct democracy by referendum.

1914-18 - Switzerland organises Red Cross units during World War I.

1919-20 - Treaty of Versailles reaffirms Swiss neutrality.

1920 - Joins League of Nations. League's headquarters established in Geneva.

1923 - Customs union with Liechtenstein.

1939-45 - Federal Council issues a declaration of neutrality at start of World War II. Refuses to join United Nations.

Magic formula

SWISS ARMY Swiss defence is based on compulsory military service Men are liable for duty between ages of 20 and 42 They keep their arms and ammunition at home Force of 210,000 can be mobilized within hours

1959 - Founder-member of European Free Trade Association (Efta).

Four party government system comes into being in a political agreement know as the "magic formula" which lasts for decades and brings a large measure of political stability.

1963 - Joins Council of Europe.

1967 - Right-wing groups campaign to restrict entry of foreign workers.

1971 - Women granted right to vote in federal elections.

1979 - After referendum, French-speaking part of Bern becomes separate canton of Jura.

1985 - Referendum guarantees women legal equality with men within marriage.

1986 - Referendum opposes UN membership by three to one. Immigrant numbers restricted.

1992 - Switzerland joins World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) but December referendum rejects membership of European Economic Area - a free-trade zone.

Geneva - once known as the "Protestant Rome" Geneva population: 177,000 Red Cross founded in Geneva in 1864 Home to second largest UN office after New York HQ of World Trade Organisation, World Health Organisation

1994 - Referendum approves law making racial discrimination and denial of Nazi Holocaust illegal. Laws tightened against drugs traffickers and illegal immigrants.

1995 - Swiss Banking Association announces - after pressure from Jewish groups - it has uncovered dormant pre-1945 bank accounts containing millions of dollars.

1998 August - Swiss banks agree $1.25bn compensation deal with Holocaust survivors and families.

Right-wing gains

1999 October - General election strengthens right-wing vote. The People's Party (SVP), led by Christoph Blocher, becomes second strongest political force in the country with nearly a quarter of the vote.

2001 March - Voters reject moves to open talks on joining the European Union.

2001 June - Swiss vote narrowly in favour of allowing their soldiers to carry weapons during peacekeeping missions abroad.

2001 September - Parliament votes overwhelmingly in favour of United Nations membership, paving the way for a referendum on the issue.

2001 October - Eleven die as huge fire breaks out after crash in Gotthard tunnel.

Zurich is a hub of global finance 2004: Swiss provide best urban living

2001 December - Voters reject proposal to scrap the army.

2002 January - Bankrupt national carrier Swissair relaunched as Swiss.

2002 March - A narrow majority of Swiss vote in favour of joining the United Nations in a referendum.

Bergier report by independent panel of historians finds that Swiss authorities knew what lay in store for Jewish refugees to whom Swiss borders were closed in 1942. The report also concluded that Switzerland had bolstered the economy of Nazi Germany but not to a degree that prolonged the war.

2002 June - Swiss people vote in referendum to decriminalise abortion which will be allowed in first 12 weeks of pregnancy. A proposal which would have tightened the already strict abortion law is rejected in a separate referendum.

UN membership

2002 September - Switzerland formally becomes a member of the UN.

2002 November - By narrowest of margins, referendum rejects drastic tightening of asylum laws.

Christoph Blocher's cabinet entry changed the political landscape Profile: Christoph Blocher 2003: Swiss right in political avalanche

2003

May - Nine different issues put to referendum. Swiss vote against abolition of nuclear power, new proposals on rights for the disabled and the introduction of car-free Sundays but in favour of army cuts and changes to civil defence.

2003 October - The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) becomes the biggest force in parliament after winning almost 28% of the vote in general elections.

2003 December - Parliament agrees to grant right-wing Swiss People's Party second post in seven-seat government at the expense of the Christian Democrats, altering the "magic formula" which had brought stability to Swiss politics since 1959.

2004 May - Agreement signed with EU on taxing accounts held in Swiss banks by EU taxpayers.

2004 September - Voters in a referendum reject moves to relax strict naturalisation laws. The result is seen as a victory for the right-wing.

2004 November - Referendum votes in favour of allowing scientific research using stem cells taken from human embryos.

2007 RACE ROW Swiss People's Party was accused of racism over its poster campaign urging expulsion of foreigners who commit crimes Row over black sheep poster

Immigration debate

2005 June - Voters in referendum support joining EU Schengen and Dublin agreements and extending rights for same-sex couples.

In the most serious breakdown in Swiss railway history, power failure brings trains to a standstill for several hours.

2005 August - Several die as severe flooding causes landslides.

2005 September - Referendum vote goes in favour of opening job market to workers from the 10 newest European Union countries.

2005 November - Referendum backs five-year ban on use of genetically modified crops.

2006 September - Voters in a national referendum back plans to make their asylum laws among the toughest in the West.

2007 January-May - Ex-directors of Swissair, which collapsed in 2001, are in the dock in Switzerland's biggest corporate trial. They are all cleared.

2007 September - Row over Swiss People's Party's ''kick out the black sheep'' poster aimed at deporting foreigners who commit crimes.

2007 October - Elections. Swiss People's Party (SVP) boosts its standing as the biggest group in parliament, scooping nearly 29% of the vote.

2007 December - Swiss People's Party (SVP) quits the governing coalition after one of its leaders, Christoph Blocher, is forced from his cabinet seat.

2008 June - Voters reject referendum initiative to limit naturalisation of foreigners by allowing Swiss communes to vote on individual cases.

2008 October - Libya cancels all oil deliveries to Switzerland and withdraws assets worth billions of dollars from Swiss banks in response to the arrest of leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Hannibal. Mr Gaddafi and his wife were detained for assault but the charges were later dropped.

Switzerland unveils a $5.3bn rescue plan for its largest bank, UBS, which was badly hit by the global credit crisis.

2008 December - Swiss People's Party (SVP) rejoins the governing coalition with the election of party member Ueli Maurer to the Federal Council.

Switzerland scraps routine passport controls at all its borders after joining the EU's Schengen Agreement.

2009 January - Swiss economy officially goes into recession.

2009 March - Switzerland's government announces it will relax its rules on banking secrecy to allow Swiss financial institutions to co-operate with international investigations into tax-evasion.

2009 September - Switzerland overtakes the United States as the world's most competitive economy, according to a report from the World Economic Forum. The US was knocked off the top spot due to its weakening financial markets.

2009 October - Swiss troops will not take part in the EU Atalanta mission anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia after parliament rejected the government proposal by 102 votes to 81.