Central location, mild climate
The
canton of Basel-Stadt lies on the Upper Rhine, in the triangle formed by neighbouring France to the
west and Germany to the north. Basel is the main city of Switzerland's northwestern region and forms
the bridgehead from German-speaking Switzerland to the European Union. Topographically, Basel has the
lowest altitude of all Swiss cities north of the Alps. The ‘Dreiländereck’ (the triangle formed by Switzerland,
France, and Germany) is at 244 meters above sea level. The city covers an area of 37 square kilometers
on both sides of the Rhine, embedded in the triangle between the Swiss Jura, Black Forest (Germany),
and Vosges mountains (France). As it passes through Basel, the Rhine bends sharply northward and, becomes
much wider as it flows into the Upper Rhine Plain. Basel is a traditional traffic junction. The city
lies at the crossroads of the north-south and east-west rail systems; its EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
provides connections to the European and international airline network.
Above-average
sunshine
Its position in the Rhine valley gives Basel an exceptionally mild climate, influenced as it is by Mediterranean air currents that flow up from the Rhone valley through the Belfort Gap. As a result, compared with the Swiss midlands, Basel enjoys an above-average amount of sunshine and only rarely disappears in autumn fog.
