The Swiss Confederation originated from the so-called founding cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered an unofficial and mythologized founding document; it is the oldest surviving alliance document. In the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Switzerland achieved recognition of its constitutional independence. The current federal state has existed since 1848. The name Switzerland comes from the canton of Schwyz. The country is one of the more densely populated countries in Europe, with the population concentrated in the Mittelland, the basin area between the Jura and the Alps. The six major cities in Switzerland are the economic centers of Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Bern, and Winterthur. The author Julius Studer attempts in this 1896 volume to explain Swiss place names historically and ethnologically (etymology). This is a reprint of the original edition from 1896.