| Background: |
Switzerland's
independence and neutrality have long been honored by the
major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in
either of the two World Wars. The political and economic
integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as
Switzerland's role in many UN and international
organizations, may be rendering obsolete the country's
concern for neutrality. |
| Location: |
Central Europe,
east of France, north of Italy |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
47 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
41,290 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly less
than twice the size of New Jersey |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573
km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
temperate, but
varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
| Terrain: |
mostly mountains
(Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of
rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
| Natural
resources: |
hydropower
potential, timber, salt |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
10%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 28%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 28% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
250 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
avalanches,
landslides, flash floods |
| Environment
- current issues: |
air pollution
from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain;
water pollution from increased use of agricultural
fertilizers; loss of biodiversity |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Law of the Sea |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked;
crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with
southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest
elevations in Europe |
| Population: |
7,283,274 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
16.97% (male 634,030; female 601,929)
15-64 years: 67.73% (male 2,505,450; female
2,427,408)
65 years and over: 15.3% (male 453,366; female
661,091) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.27% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
10.12
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.77 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
1.37 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.48 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 79.73 years
male: 76.85 years
female: 82.76 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.47 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.46% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
17,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
150 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
| Ethnic
groups: |
German 65%,
French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990) |
| Languages: |
German (official)
63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%,
Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9% |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Swiss Confederation
conventional short form: Switzerland
local long form: Schweizerische
Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French),
Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse
(French), Svizzera (Italian) |
| Government
type: |
federal republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
26 cantons
(cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular -
cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German);
Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern,
Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura,
Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen,
Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri,
Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich |
| Independence: |
1 August 1291
(Founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
| National
holiday: |
Founding of the
Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) |
| Constitution: |
29 May 1874 |
| Legal
system: |
civil law system
influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative
acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general
obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1
January 2001); Vice President Kaspar VILLIGER (since 1
January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Moritz
LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2001); Vice President Kaspar
VILLIGER (since 1 January 2001); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in
German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in
Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly from among its own
members for a four-year term
elections: president and vice president elected
by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the
Federal Council for one-year terms that run concurrently;
election last held 6 December 2000 (next to be held NA
December 2001)
election results: Moritz LEUENBERGER elected
president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 76%; Kaspar
VILLIGER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote
- 72% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Federal
Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee
Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian)
consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German),
Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in
Italian) (46 seats - members serve four-year terms) and the
National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil
National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200
seats - members are elected by popular vote on a basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held in
1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be
held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to
be held NA October 2003)
election results: Council of States - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP
7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS
22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties
all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP
35, Greens 9, other small parties 18 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Federal Supreme
Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal
Assembly) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Christian
Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische
Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien
Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare
Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or
PCD) [Adalbert DURRER, president]; Green Party (Grune Partei
der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts,
Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica
Svizra or La Verda) [Ruedi BAUMANN, president]; Radical Free
Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der
Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD,
Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Franz STEINEGGER,
president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische
Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS,
Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida
Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Christiane BRUNNER,
president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei
or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione
Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center
or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA,
ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO
chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900
FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Boston |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador J. Richard FREDERICKS
embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3001 Bern
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [41] (31) 357 70 11
FAX: [41] (31) 357 73 44 |
| Flag
description: |
red square with a
bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not
extend to the edges of the flag |
| Economy
- overview: |
Switzerland, a
prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per
capita GDP 20% above that of the big western European
economies, experienced solid growth of 3% in 2000, but
growth is expected to fall back to about 2% in 2001. The
Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices
largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their
international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not
pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern
and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade
ties, and the agreements should come into force in 2001.
Switzerland is still considered a safe haven for investors,
because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has
kept up the franc's long-term external value. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $207 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $28,600 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
2.8%
industry: 31.1%
services: 66.1% (1995) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
3.9 million
(964,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian) (1998 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 69.1%,
industry 26.3%, agriculture 4.6% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
1.9% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$32.66 billion
expenditures: $34.89 billion, including capital
expenditures of $2.3 billion (1998 est.) |
| Industries: |
machinery,
chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8.6% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
66.768 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
3.44%
hydro: 59.16%
nuclear: 35.43%
other: 1.97% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
51.862 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
31.955 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
21.723 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
grains, fruits,
vegetables; meat, eggs |
| Exports: |
$91.3 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery,
chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 65.8% (Germany
22.6%, France 9.2%, Italy 8.0%, UK 5.5%, Austria 3.2%), US
12.4%, Japan 4.0% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$91.6 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 77.7% (Germany
31.0%, France 12.0%, Italy 9.7%, Netherlands 5.1%, UK 5.7%),
US 7.1%, Japan 2.9% (1999) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $1.1 billion
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Swiss francs per
US dollar - 1.6303 (January 2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022
(1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997), 1.2360 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
4.82 million
(1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
1.967 million
(1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: excellent domestic and international
services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio
relay networks
international: satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 4, FM 113
(plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios: |
7.1 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
115 (plus 1,919
repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
3.31 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ch |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
44 (Switzerland
and Liechtenstein) (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2.4 million
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
4,492 km (1,564 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,317 km 1.435-m gauge (3,288
km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,165 km 1.000-m gauge (1,165 km
electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (1998) |
| Highways: |
total:
71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways)
paved: 71,059 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the
Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there
are also 12 navigable lakes |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 314 km;
natural gas 1,506 km |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 435,966 GRT/780,458
DWT
ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 6, chemical
tanker 5, petroleum tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: UK 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 15 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
25
under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Air Force,
Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,849,034 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 1,570,918 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
42,597 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$3.1 billion
(FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.2% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
because of more
stringent government regulations, used significantly less as
a money-laundering center; transit country for and consumer
of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin |
|
