Switzerland

§1. Switzerland Introduction

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.

§2. Switzerland Geography

Location:
  Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Geographic coordinates:
  47 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 41,290 kmē
  land: 39,770 kmē
  water: 1,520 kmē

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 kmē (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

§3. Switzerland People

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%

§4. Switzerland Government

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

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 (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

§5. Switzerland Economy

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)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - donor:
  ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)

Currency:
  Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code:
  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

§6. Switzerland Communications

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)

§7. Switzerland Transportation

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

Ports and harbors:
  Basel

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:
  67 (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.)

§8. Switzerland Military

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)

§9. Switzerland Transnational Issues

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
