Switzerland

federal republicIndependence 1 August 1291

Switzerland as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBern

Area41,290 km2

Populationas each edition published it

6.74 million July 1990 · 8.93m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.83% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 40.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 77.99 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.6 children per woman 1990 · 1.59 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 3 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $22,300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -0.6% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Land useshare of 41,290 km2

arable land 10%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 40%forest and woodland 26%other 23%includes 1% irrigated

Total area

41,290km2

land area: 39,770 km2Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries

1,852km total

Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, FRG 334 km

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

Note

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe

People

14 fields

Population

6,742,461

(July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

12Death

9Net migration

Religion

Roman Catholic 49%Protestant 48%Jewish 0.3%

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective--Swiss

Ethnic divisions

total population--65% German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 6% other; Swiss nationals--74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other

Language

total population--65% German, 18% French, 12% Italian, 1% Romansch, 4% other; Swiss nationals--74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other

Labor force

3,220,000;
841,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian;
42% services, 39% industry and crafts, 11% government, 7% agriculture and forestry, 1% other (1988)

Government

Federal republic

17 fields

Council of State, 46 seats, elected throughout 1987one dot, one seat

CVP 19FDP 14SPS 5SVP 4others 4

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

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

National holiday

Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Executive branch

president, vice president, Federal Council (German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal)

bicameral Federal Assembly (German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale) consists of an upper council or Council of States (German--Standerat, French--Conseil des Etats) and and a lower council or National Council (German--Nationalrat, French--Conseil National)

Judicial branch

Federal Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--President Arnold KOLLER (1990 calendar year; presidency rotates annually);
Vice President Flavio COTTI (term runs concurrently with that of president)

Political parties and leaders

Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut Hubacher, chairman;
Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Hunziker, president;
Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva Segmuller-Weber, president;
Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans Uhlmann, president;
Workers' Party (PdA), Armand Magnin, secretary general;
National Action Party (NA), Hans Zwicky, chairman;
Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz Jaeger, president;
Republican Movement (Rep), Dr. James Schworzenboch, Franz Baumgartner, leaders;
Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert Coutau, president;
Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max Dunki, president;
Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH), Georg Degen, secretary;
Federation of Ecology Parties (GP), Laurent Rebeaud, president;
Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA), Werner Carobbio, secretary

Suffrage

universal at age 20 Council of State--last held throughout 1987 (next to be held NA);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(46 total) CVP 19, FDP 14, SPS 5, SVP 4, others 4;
National Council--last held 18 October 1987 (next to be held October 1991);
results--FDP 22.9%, CVP 20.0%, SPS 18.4%, SVP 11.0%, GP 4.8%, others 22.9%;
seats--(200 total) FDP 51, CVP 42, SPS 41, SVP 25, GP 9, others 32

Communists

4,500 members (est.)

Member of

ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, OECD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO; permanent observer status at the UN

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER;
Chancery at 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 745-7900;
there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Joseph B. GUILDENHORN;
Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern;
telephone [41] (31) 437011;
there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a Consulate General in Zurich

Flag

red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

Economy

Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any, other nations.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$119.5billion

per capita $17,800; real growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

2.8%

(1989 est.)

Unemployment rate

0.5%

(1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$17.0 billionExpenditures

$16.8 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)

Overview

Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any, other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. Inflation remains low because of sound government policy and harmonious labor-management relations.

Unemployment is negligible, a marked contrast to the larger economies of Western Europe. This economic stability helps promote the important banking and tourist sectors. Since World War II, Switzerland's economy has adjusted smoothly to the great changes in output and trade patterns in Europe and presumably can adjust to the challenges of the 1990s, in particular, the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political/economic prospects.

Exports

$51.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing;
partners--Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%

Imports

$57.2 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials;
partners--Europe 79% (EC 72%, other 7%), US 5%

External debt

$NA

Industrial production

growth rate 7.0% (1988)

Electricity

17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced, 8,930 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Agriculture

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

Aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.5 billion

Currency

Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi

Exchange rates

Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1--1.5150 (January 1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 20 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 4roll-on/roll-off cargo 2chemical tanker 3specialized liquid cargo 3bulk 820 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 215,851 GRT/365,131 DWT

Airports, 72 total, 70 usable

permanent-surface runways

42runways over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

6runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

62,145Inland waterways

65Pipelines

314

Highways: (all paved), of which 18,620 km are canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km are communal roads · Inland waterways: ; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes · Pipelines: ; 1,506 km natural gas

Railroads

5,174 km total;
2,971 km are government owned and 2,203 km are nongovernment owned;
the government network consists of 2,897 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track;
1,432 km double track, 99% electrified;
the nongovernment network consists of 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km 1.000-meter gauge, and 75 km 0.790-meter gauge track, 100% electrified

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

excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services;
5,808,000 telephones;
stations--6 AM, 36 (400 relays) FM, 145 (1,250 relays) TV;
communications satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems

Defense Forces

Army, Air Force

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

1,800,211fit for military service

1,550,662reach military age (20) annually

44,154

Defense expenditures

$1.2billion

(1989 est.)

Branches

Army, Air Force

Central Intelligence Agency. “Switzerland.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/switzerland/1990.

How to cite 1991 edition →

Geography

People

Government

Economy

Communications

Defense Forces

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