By ELEANOR HEDGES DUROY, age 11
PHOTO: Eleanor Hedges Duroy
Name: Miriam “Mimi” Borella
Age: 12
Lives In: Bellinzona, Canton of Ticino, Switzerland
Languages Spoken: Italian, English and French. In Ticino we speak Italian in school. At home I also speak French and English.
Parents’ Jobs: My mother is the dean at a college and my father works for the police.
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite School Subject: Mathematics
Favorite Activities: Playing outside with friends, as it is often nice outside
What She Wants to Be When She Grows Up: A doctor
Where She Wants to Live When She Grows Up: Bellinzona, Switzerland
Favorite Animal: Dog
PHOTO: Jasper180969/Flickr
Switzerland at a Glance
Official Country Name: Schweiz (Swiss-German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian), Svizra (Romansch)
Capital: Bern
Official Languages: 65.3% Swiss-German, 22.4% French, 8.4% Italian, 0.5% Romansch
Population: 8,061,516
Geography: Switzerland is a mountainous, landlocked country in central Europe about twice the size of New Jersey.
Interesting Fact: 55% of Switzerland’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric power.
Brief History: Switzerland was founded in 1291, and its current constitution was written in 1848. Switzerland is a neutral country, as it has not been involved in an international armed conflict since 1815. It did not join the United Nations until 2002. It is not a member of the European Union but is completely surrounded by European Union countries.
