Switzerland

[Country map of Switzerland]

Map ©1996 NGS Cartographic Division. Developed in association with GeoSystems Global Corp. World Map

Geography

Location: Central Europe, east of France

Map references: Europe

Area:
total area: 41,290 sq km
land area: 39,770 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries: total 1,852 km, Austria 164km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Coastline: 0 km (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

Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 40%
forest and woodland: 26%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1989)


People

Population: 7,084,984 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (female 594,565; male 622,436)
15-64 years: 68% (female 2,375,792; male 2,448,213)
65 years and over: 15% (female 623,136; male 420,842) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.57% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 12.04 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.16 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.36 years
male: 74.99 years
female: 81.88 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss

Ethnic divisions:
total population: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Swiss nationals: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)

Languages: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4%
note: figures for Swiss nationals only - German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%

Labor force: 3.48 million (900,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian)
by occupation: services 50%, industry and crafts 34%, government 10%, agriculture and forestry 6% (1992)


Government

Names:
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)

Digraph: SZ

Type: federal republic

Capital: Bern

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

National holiday: Anniversary of the 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


Economy

Overview: Switzerland's economy - one of the most prosperous and stable in the world - is nonetheless undergoing a stressful adjustment after both the inflationary boom of the late 1980s and the electorate's rejection of membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) in 1992. So far the decision to remain outside the European single market structure does not appear to have harmed Swiss interests. In December 1994, the Swiss began bilateral negotiations with the EU aimed at establishing closer ties in areas of mutual interest and progressing toward the free circulation of persons, goods, capital, and services between the two parties. The Swiss emerged from a three-year recession in mid-1993 and posted 1.8% GDP growth in 1994. The Swiss central bank's tight monetary policies brought inflation down from about 4% in 1992 to just under 1% in 1994. Unemployment has fallen slightly from 5.1% in 1993 to 4.7% in 1994. Swiss per capita output, living standards, education, and health care remain unsurpassed in Europe. The country has few mineral resources, but its spectacular natural beauty sustains a substantial tourism industry.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $148.4 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 1.8% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $22,080 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.7% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $26.7 billion
expenditures: $32 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)

Exports: $69.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing
partners: Western Europe 63.1% (EU countries 56%, other 7.1%), US 8.8%, Japan 3.4%

Imports: $68.2 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials
partners: Western Europe 79.2% (EU countries 72.3%, other 6.9%), US 6.4%

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1993 est.)

Electricity:
capacity: 15,430,000 kW
production: 58 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 6,699 kWh (1993)

Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Agriculture: dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient in food; must import fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat

Currency: 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen,or centesimi

Fiscal year: calendar year


Transportation

Railroads:
total: 5,763 km (1,432 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,533 km 1.435-m gauge (99% electrified; 560 km nongovernment owned)
narrow gauge: 1,094 km 1.000-m gauge (99% electrified; 1,020km nongovernment owned)
other: 1,136 km NA-m gauge (1994)

Highways:
total: 71,118 km
paved: 71,118 km (including 1,514 km of expressways)

Inland waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes

Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km

Ports: Basel

Merchant marine:
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 374,935 GRT/669,353 DWT
ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, specialized tanker 1

Airports:
total: 69
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 4
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5
with paved runways under 914 m: 42
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1


Flag by Dream Maker Software, Inc.
Information obtained from CIA, The World Factbook 1995