Question 3 of 350 · Name, symbols and National Day
Confoederatio Helvetica ...
Confoederatio Helvetica ...
Correct answer: B
Why
«Confoederatio» is Latin for «confederation», and the Helvetii once lived in the area of Switzerland. So the name means Swiss Confederation in Latin.
Common mistakes
- C: is the name of Switzerland's first parliament.
- The first Federal Parliament of 1848 was called the Federal Assembly, not Confoederatio Helvetica.
- D: is a parliamentary group in Parliament.
- Parliamentary groups are groups of members of Parliament from one party; none of them has this name.
Topic
Names of Switzerland: Confederation, Confoederatio Helvetica, CH
Switzerland has several names. The official name in the Federal Constitution is «Swiss Confederation» (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft). In everyday life people often just say «Confederation» (Eidgenossenschaft). In Switzerland the word means roughly «state». It comes from «Eid», an oath, which is a solemn promise. In the Middle Ages the first places promised each other mutual help. Anyone who made such an alliance was a «Confederate» (Eidgenosse).
Switzerland at a glance · Name, symbols and National Day
Sources
Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.