INSIDE DAVOS: The World's Elites Just Invaded This Tiny Town [PICS]

Every year about 2,200 of the world's top businesspeople, political leaders and selected journalists gather in Davos, Switzerland to discuss the biggest issues affecting the world and how to solve them. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, referred to simply as "Davos" by attendees, turns the sleepy Swiss skiing town into a mecca for the world's elite.

This year the World Economic Forum is embracing tech and social media like never before, with Twitter lists, live streaming on Facebook, YouTube Q&A and more. What's more, they've invited selected tech publications -- including Mashable -- to see what goes on at the annual meeting. We'll be reporting on the web's impact on the world in 2011 and asking top technologists, politicians and businesspeople for their take on how social media is reshaping industries, organizations and even entire countries.

It's a strange combination: Suited business leaders, politicians and journalists trudging through snow-covered streets and squeezing into the town's limited number of hotel rooms. Here's a guide to the town that's playing host to the world's elites this week.

Images courtesy @mostlylisa.