Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic and landlocked country in Europe at the intersection of Central, Western, and Southern Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, and Italy to the south. Geographically divided among the Swiss Alps, the Swiss Plateau, and the Jura mountains, the Alps cover most of the territory, while the majority of its approximately 9 million people live on the plateau, which includes major cities and economic centers such as Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Winterthur, and Lucerne. Switzerland hosts the headquarters of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva.