Do you get confused between Sweden and Switzerland?

You would think that only a moron in a hurry would struggle to tell the difference between Switzerland and Sweden.

Other than the fact that both countries are in Europe and have names that begin with the same letter, they are fairly easy to tell apart.

But they are apparently being mixed up all the time, perhaps by the same folks who cannot get their heads around the fact that Australia and Austria are different countries.

Incredibly, about 120,000 people each year Google the question: “Are Sweden and Switzerland the same?”.

Now tourism officials in Sweden want to end the confusion, Travel Mole reports.

The Visit Sweden tourist board wants to make the distinction between the two clear and the first draft of a proposed  agreement between Sweden and Switzerland has been drafted.

Research from Visit Sweden suggests that over two-thirds of British people were unable to locate Sweden on a map. But that is not really a surprise. I suspect many could not find London on a map either.

The survey found 13% of Britons thought Sweden and Switzerland were the same place and that 50% of American respondents confessed to a lack of confidence in distinguishing between Swedish and Swiss cultures.

A number of Brits also wrongly highlighted Ikea (15%) and Abba (13%) as things they loved about Switzerland.

“If people struggle to separate our two countries, we need to help them," said Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.

"We can’t change the names of our nations, but we can become more distinct.

“It’s time to decide who promotes what, and hopefully we can reach an agreement.”

Check out https://visitsweden.com/sweden-not-switzerland/

Image: Stockholm Old Town in Sweden, not Switzerland. Credit: Visit Sweden