1963 International Cross Country Championships
Team Results -- Men 's
Table:
Rank
Country
Team
Points

1
Belgium
Gaston Roelants
Henri Clerckx
Hedwig Leenaert
Marcel Vandewattyne
Denis Jouret
Frans van der Hoeven
110

2
France
Robert Bogey
Hamoud Ameur
Michel Jazy
Salah Beddiaf
Noel Tijou
Yves Martinage
113

3
England
Roy Fowler
Tim Johnston
Basil Heatley
Tim Briault
Eddie Strong
Mike Turner
113

4
Tunisia
Mohamed Gammoudi
Ali Khamassi
Labidi Ayachi
Youssef Mastouri
Hedi Hamrouni
Ammar Khemiri
127

5
Spain
Mariano Haro
Francisco Guardia
Manuel Alonso
Luis García
Fernando Aguilar
Iluminado Corcuera
128

6
Morocco
Abdeslem Bouchta
Bakir Benaissa
Rhadi Ben Abdesselam
Lahcen Ben Allal
Mohamed Ben Mohamed
Hammadi Ben Mohamed
173

7
Ireland
Pat Killeen
Tom O'Riordan
Sean O'Sullivan
Derek Graham
Mick Neville
Jim Hogan
210

8
Scotland
Andy Brown
Alastair Wood
John Linaker
Tom Cochrane
Callum Laing
Robert McKay
266

9
Portugal
Manuel Marques
Maximiano Pinheiro
Hélio Duarte
Armando Aldegalega
Joaquim Ferreira
Manuel de Sousa
384

10
Wales
Bob Roath
Brian Jeffs
Hedydd Davies
Ken Flowers
Roy Profitt
Norman Horrell
417

11
Switzerland
Alfons Sidler
Yves Jeannotat
Karl Schaller
Edgar Friedli
Arthur Hess
Fritz Holzer
432

Considering the tabular data along with the supporting text listed at the end.

Answer the following question: How many islands make up the country where Alastair Wood was from ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

Belgium , [ A ] officially the Kingdom of Belgium , is a country in Western Europe . It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north , Germany to the east , Luxembourg to the southeast , France to the southwest , and the North Sea to the northwest . It covers an area of 30,689 km2 ( 11,849 sq mi ) and has a population of more than 11.5 million , making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe , with a density of 376 per square kilometre ( 970/sq mi ) . The capital and largest city is Brussels ; other major cities are Antwerp , Ghent , Charleroi and Liège . The sovereign state is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds . It is divided into three highly autonomous regions : the Flemish Region in the north , Wallonia in the south , and the Brussels-Capital Region . Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region , as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita . Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities : the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community , which constitutes about 60 percent of the population , and the French-speaking Community , which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians . A small German-speaking Community , numbering around one percent , exists in the East Cantons . The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual ( French and Dutch ) , although French is the dominant language . Belgium 's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance , made up of six different governments .
Gaston , Baron Roelants ( born 5 February 1937 ) , a Belgian former elite steeplechaser and cross country runner . He won the 1962 European and 1964 Olympic titles in the 3000 m steeplechase and twice broke the world record .
Marcel Vandewattyne ( 7 July 1924 - 18 September 2009 ) was a Belgian long-distance runner who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
Robert Bogey ( born 26 November 1935 ) is a French former long-distance runner who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics .
Hamoud Ameur ( born 6 January 1932 in Algeria ) is a French former long-distance runner who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics .
Michel Jazy ( born 13 June 1936 ) is a French former middle-distance runner and long-distance runner . He won the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics , as well as two golds ( in 1962 and 1966 ) and one silver ( in 1966 ) at the European Championships . He set nine world records in the mile ( once ) , 2000 metres ( twice ) and 3000 metres ( twice ) , the two miles ( twice ) and the 4×1500 metres relay ( twice ) .
Noël Tijou ( born 12 December 1941 ) is a French long-distance runner . He competed in the men 's 10,000 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics .
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north . The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest . England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain , which lies in the North Atlantic , and includes over 100 smaller islands , such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight . It is the largest country of British Isles . The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period , but takes its name from the Angles , a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula , who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries . England became a unified state in the 10th century , and since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century , has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world . The English language , the Anglican Church , and English law - the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world - developed in England , and the country 's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations . The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England , transforming its society into the world 's first industrialised nation . England 's terrain is chiefly low hills and plains , especially in central and southern England . However , there is upland and mountainous terrain in the north ( for example , the Lake District and Pennines ) and in the west ( for example , Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills ) .
Henry Roy Fowler ( 26 March 1934 - 27 June 2009 ) was an English long-distance runner who competed mainly in track and cross country running competition . His greatest achievement was a gold medal at the International Cross Country Championships in 1963 . He won five other medals at that competition , including an individual bronze in 1968 and team gold medals with England in 1966 and 1968 . Fowler 's sole high level track medal was a bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 1962 European Athletics Championships . He had won that event at the AAA Championships that year in a Commonwealth record time of 27:49.8 minutes . He also represented England at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and was a four-time champion at the World Masters Athletics Championships in the over-40s category .
Tim Johnston ( born 11 March 1941 ) is a British long-distance runner . He competed in the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics .
Benjamin Basil Heatley ( 25 December 1933 - 3 August 2019 ) was a British competitive long-distance runner , who was an Olympic marathon silver medallist and former world marathon record-holder . Although he favoured cross country running , he was also a skilled marathon runner and , despite running shoe technology being in its infancy , he was able to adapt easily to the change of conditions underfoot . Heatley was a three-time winner of the English National Cross Country title ( 1960 , 1961 , 1963 ) . He competed in the International Cross Country Championships seven times between 1957 and 1964 , winning the world title in 1961 . In the early 1960s , he set a British record and a world record for the 10-mile run , then on 13 June 1964 he broke the record for the world 's fastest marathon . Four months later , he won a silver medal for Great Britain at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics when he finished second in the Olympic marathon ( defending champion Abebe Bikila broke Heatley 's world record on winning his second gold medal ) . The 1964 Olympics marked the end of Heatley 's international career .
Tunisia [ a ] , officially the Republic of Tunisia [ b ] , is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa , covering 163,610 square kilometres ( 63,170 square miles ) . Its northernmost point , Cape Angela , is also the northernmost point on the African continent . Tunisia is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest , Libya to the southeast , and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east . Tunisia 's population was 11.5 million in 2017 . Tunisia 's name is derived from its capital city , Tunis ( Berber native name : Tunest ) , which is located on its northeast coast . Geographically , Tunisia contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains , and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert . Much of the rest of the country 's land is fertile soil . Its 1,300 kilometres ( 810 miles ) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin and , by means of the Sicilian Strait and Sardinian Channel , feature the African mainland 's second and third nearest points to Europe after Gibraltar . Tunisia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic . It is considered to be the only fully democratic sovereign state in the Arab world . It has a high human development index . It has an association agreement with the European Union ; is a member of La Francophonie , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa , the Arab Maghreb Union , the Arab League , the OIC , the Greater Arab Free Trade Area , the Community of Sahel-Saharan States , the African Union , the Non-Aligned Movement , the Group of 77 ; and has obtained the status of major non-NATO ally of the United States .
Mohammed Tlili ben Abdallah ( Arabic : محمد التليلي بن عبدالله ) , also known as Moham ( m ) ed Gammoudi , ( born February 11 , 1938 ) is a Tunisian athlete who competed as a long distance runner in international track and field competitions . He represented Tunisia in the Tokyo , Mexico City , and Munich Olympiads and recorded four medals , including a gold medal in the 5000 metres event in Mexico City . Gammoudi was also competitive at 10,000 metres . Born in Sidi Aïch , in Tunisia , Mohammed Gammoudi was one of the pioneers of the African long distance running revolution that changed the face of the sport in the final decades of the 20th century .
Labidi Djaouadi Ayachi ( born 15 March 1938 ) is a Tunisian middle-distance runner . He competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1968 Summer Olympics .
Spain ( Spanish : España [ esˈpaɲa ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( Spanish : Reino de España ) , [ a ] [ b ] is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of Spanish territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean . Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula . Its territory also includes two archipelagoes : the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa , and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea . The African enclaves of Ceuta , Melilla , and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country ( Morocco ) . [ h ] Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory . The country 's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar ; to the north and northeast by France , Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay ; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean . With an area of 505,990 km2 ( 195,360 sq mi ) , Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe , the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union , and the fourth largest country in the European continent . By population ( about 47 million ) , Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Zaragoza , Málaga and Bilbao . Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago . Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician , Greek , Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE , after which the region was named Hispania , based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp ( a ) n or Spania . At the end of the Western Roman Empire the Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe , invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces , including the Suebi , Alans and Vandals .
Mariano Haro Cisneros ( born May 27 , 1940 ) is a former Spanish athlete , competing in the long-distance events . He was born in Becerril de Campos . Haro ran almost compulsively using his gifted legs to run errands and handle odd jobs . [ citation needed ] He soon became prominently competitive in a sport he hardly chose . In the 1960s he won almost every 5,000 and 10,000 meter event held in Spain . [ citation needed ] His closest Spanish competitor was Javier Alvarez Salgado . Haro placed 4th in the 10,000-meter 1972 Summer Olympics final at Munich in an epic battle against Lasse Virén , Emiel Puttemans , Miruts Yifter , and Frank Shorter . He qualified for the 5,000-meter final in those Games , but defaulted at the eleventh hour . He also competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics at the age of 36 , placing 6th in the 10,000-meter event . Traditionally a cross-country runner , he was runner-up in the Cross World Championships in 1972 , 1973 , 1974 and 1975 ; a Spanish National Cross champion from 1971 through 1977 ; and two-time winner of the International Lasarte Cross Country race in 1974 and 1975 . Haro held Spanish national records in all distances from 1,500 meters to 20 km . He also still holds the Spanish record in the hour race .
Fernando Aguilar Camacho ( 14 February 1938 - 20 June 2013 ) was a Spanish long-distance runner . He competed in the men 's 5000 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics .
Morocco ( /məˈrɒkoʊ/ ( listen ) ; Arabic : المغرب , romanized : al-maġhrib , lit . 'place the sun sets ; the west ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : lmeɣrib ; French : Maroc ) , officially the Kingdom of Morocco ( Arabic : المملكة المغربية , romanized : al-mamlakah al-maghribiyah , lit . 'The Western Kingdom ' ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ , romanized : tageldit n lmaɣrib ; French : Royaume du Maroc ) , is a country located in the Maghreb region of North Africa . It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west , with land border with Algeria to the east and Western Sahara to the south ( status disputed ) . Morocco also claims the exclaves of Ceuta , Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , all of them under Spanish jurisdiction , as well as several small Spanish-controlled islands of its coast . The capital is Rabat and the largest city is Casablanca . Morocco spans an area of 710,850 km2 ( 274,460 sq mi ) and has a population of over 36 million . Since the foundation of the first Moroccan state by Idris I in 788 AD , the country has been ruled by a series of independent dynasties , reaching its zenith under Almoravid and Almohad rule , when it spanned parts of Iberia and northwestern Africa . The Marinid and Saadi dynasties resisted foreign domination into the 17th century , allowing Morocco to remain the only northwest African country to avoid Ottoman occupation . The Alaouite dynasty , which rules to this day , seized power in 1631 . The country 's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean attracted the interest of Europe , and in 1912 , Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates , with an international zone in Tangier . It regained its independence in 1956 , and has since remained comparatively stable and prosperous by regional standards , with the fifth largest economy in Africa .
Rhadi Ben Abdesselam ( Arabic : راضي بن عبد السلام ; 28 February 1929 - 4 October 2000 ) was a Moroccan long-distance runner . He competed at the 1960 Olympics in the marathon and 10,000 meters events . He also ran in the International Cross Country Championships in 1958-1963 . In March 1960 , he and Belgium 's Gaston Roelants quickly broke away from the field , and he became the first African athlete to win the individual gold medal in that event , defeating Roelants by 40 yards . On September 8 , 1960 , he finished in 14th place in the finals-only 10,000 meters , in 29:32.0 , almost a minute behind the winner , the Soviet Union 's Pyotr Bolotnikov , who broke the Olympic record for the event . Just two days later , the blazing pace through the first 20 kilometers in the marathon helped result in an eventual world record for the barefoot winner , Ethiopia 's Abebe Bikila . After they dispatched the rest of the field by 25 kilometers , the leading pair stayed stride-for-stride until the final 500 meters , with Ben Abdesselam finishing a close second in 2:15:41.6 , 25.4 seconds behind Abebe 's new world record . Abebe 's mark trimmed 8/10ths of a second off Sergei Popov 's world record of 2:15:17.0 , set in 1958 . Ironically , Abebe had been advised to watch out for Ben Abdesselam , but the latter wore his 10,000 meter competition number , so Abebe was unaware of the identity of his pursuer . Popov finished 5th in Rome , two minutes behind New Zealand 's Barry Magee , who took the bronze medal .
Ireland ( /ˈaɪərlənd/ ( listen ) ; Irish : Éire [ ˈeːɾʲə ] ( listen ) ; Ulster-Scots : Airlann [ ˈɑːrlən ] ) is an island in the North Atlantic . It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel , the Irish Sea , and St George 's Channel . Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles , the third-largest in Europe , and the twentieth-largest on Earth . Geopolitically , Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland ( officially named Ireland ) , which covers five-sixths of the island , and Northern Ireland , which is part of the United Kingdom . In 2011 , the population of Ireland was about 6.6 million , ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain . As of 2016 , 4.8 million live in the Republic of Ireland , and 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland . The geography of Ireland comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain , with several navigable rivers extending inland . Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature . Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the Middle Ages . Today , woodland makes up about 10% of the island , compared with a European average of over 33% , and most of it is non-native conifer plantations . There are twenty-six extant land mammal species native to Ireland . The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate , and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area , although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe .
Thomas O'Riordan ( born 12 July 1937 ) is an Irish long-distance runner . He competed in the men 's 5000 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics .
Derek Graham ( born 3 September 1941 ) is a retired distance athlete from Northern Ireland . The first Northern Irish runner to break 4 minutes for the mile , he was ranked number 1 in the U.K. and Ireland over 2 miles/3000 m , 3 miles/5000 m and cross country at various periods in the 1960s . He was selected for nine consecutive International cross country races ( later to be recognised as the World Cross country ) , finishing second in 1966 in Rabat , Morocco . He competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for Great Britain , finishing seventh in his initial heat for the 5000m race . He also competed in the 1966 European Championships , and the 1966 and 1970 Commonwealth Games . He was the Irish record holder for various distances [ which ? ] through this time . At the 1970 Commonwealth Games , Graham picked up a virus which later developed into myalgic encephalomyelitis , ultimately ending his athletics career .
James Joseph Jim Hogan ( né Cregan ; 28 May 1933 - 10 January 2015 ) was an Irish distance runner who competed for both Ireland and Great Britain . He was born in Croom , County Limerick , Ireland . Hogan 's athletic career saw him compete for Ireland at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and for Great Britain at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City . He won the marathon title at the 1966 European Championships .
Scotland ( Scots : Scotland , Scottish Gaelic : Alba [ ˈal̪ˠapə ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain , with a border with England to the southeast , and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west , the North Sea to the northeast , the Irish Sea to the south , and more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the European Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707 . By inheritance in 1603 , James VI , King of Scots , became king of England and Ireland , thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms . Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain . The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain , which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England . In 1801 , Great Britain entered into a political union with Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( in 1922 , the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom , leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927 ) . Within Scotland , the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles , titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland . The legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland ; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law . The continued existence of legal , educational , religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the 1707 union with England . In 1997 , a Scottish Parliament was re-established , in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members , having authority over many areas of domestic policy . The head of the Scottish Government is the first minister of Scotland , who is supported by the deputy first minister of Scotland .
Portugal ( Portuguese : [ puɾtuˈɣal ] ) , officially the Portuguese Republic ( Portuguese : República Portuguesa [ ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ puɾtuˈɣezɐ ] ) , [ note 5 ] is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula , in southwestern Europe . It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe , being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain . Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira , both autonomous regions with their own regional governments . Portugal is the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe and the world , its territory having been continuously settled , invaded and fought over since prehistoric times . The pre-Celtic people , Iberians , Celts , Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and Suebi Germanic peoples . After the Muslim conquests of the Iberian Peninsula , most of the territory was part of Al-Andalus until their expulsion . Portugal as a country was established during the early Christian Reconquista . Founded in 868 , the County of Portugal gained prominence after the Battle of São Mamede in 1128 . The Kingdom of Portugal was later proclaimed following the Battle of Ourique in 1139 , and independence from León was recognised by the Treaty of Zamora in 1143 . On 12 December 2017 , the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal . Tracing its origins back to the 12th century , it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world . In the 15th and 16th centuries , Portugal established the first global empire , becoming one of the world 's major economic , political and military powers .
Armando Aldegalega ( born 23 November 1937 ) is a Portuguese long-distance runner . He competed in the marathon at the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics .
Wales ( Welsh : Cymru [ ˈkəmri ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It is bordered by England to the east , the Irish Sea to the north and west , and the Bristol Channel to the south . It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 ( 8,023 sq mi ) . Wales has over 1,680 miles ( 2,700 km ) of coastline and is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas , including Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa ) , its highest summit . The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable , maritime climate . Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century , and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations . Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England 's conquest of Wales , though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century . The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century . Welsh Liberalism , exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George , was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party . Welsh national feeling grew over the century ; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962 . Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998 , the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters .
Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a country situated in the confluence of western , central , and southern Europe . [ note 4 ] It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons , with federal authorities seated in Bern . [ note 1 ] Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south , France to the west , Germany to the north , and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east . It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau , the Alps , and the Jura , spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 ( 15,940 sq mi ) , and land area of 39,997 km2 ( 15,443 sq mi ) . While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory , the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau , where the largest cities are located , among them the two global cities and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva . The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the late medieval period , resulting from a series of military successes against Austria and Burgundy . Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 . The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the founding document of Switzerland which is celebrated on Swiss National Day . Since the Reformation of the 16th century , Switzerland has maintained a strong policy of armed neutrality ; it has not fought an international war since 1815 and did not join the United Nations until 2002 . Nevertheless , it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world . Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross , one of the world 's oldest and best known humanitarian organisations , and is home to numerous international organisations , including the second largest UN office . It is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association , but notably not part of the European Union , the European Economic Area or the Eurozone .