The letters CH stand for the Latin name for Switzerland – Confoederatio Helvetica. These words are therefore an abbreviation for Switzerland. The main reason for this is that using the Latin words avoids favoring any one of the four Swiss national languages.
You will see the CH abbreviation on Swiss cars, especially when they travel internationally and also in Swiss internet addresses as the ending for Swiss websites is “.ch”.
This is also what the two-letter country code is for Switzerland. So, if you are looking to abbreviate Switzerland, then using CH is one way to do it.
The three letter country code on the other hand is “CHE”. All countries have both a two letter and three letter code.
The Origins Of Confoederatio Helvetica
It is hard to pinpoint the exact origins of something so old, however, the Helvetians were the Celtic tribe that inhabited the Swiss territory during the time of the Roman Empire. The Roman name for them was Helvetii.
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This long history of Switzerland lead to the coining of the Confoederatio Helvetica for modern Switzerland using Latin as the obvious basis of this name or course.
Helvetia On Swiss Coins
Another interesting use of their Helvetic past is on Swiss coins. There is always the figure of Helvetica on each coin, surround surrounded by a myriad of stars that represent all the Swiss cantons in the Swiss Confederation.
Helvetia On Swiss Stamps
Although the Helvetia figure is not always on Swiss stamps, the name “Helvetia” and also “CH” often is. So, next time you go to the post office, or receive something in the mail from Switzerland, see if you can spot them written in the corner.
