Located in the Alps, Switzerland has a long history in neutrality, direct democracy and federalism. Switzerland is also home to many important international organizations, such as the Red Cross, the International Olympic Comittee and the World Economic Forum, just to mention a few of them. In spite of the fact that Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union, it signed the Schengen Agreement, which affords you the opportunity to travel around Europe without the need for additional visas.