Switzerland

federal republicIndependence 1 August 1291

Switzerland as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 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

6.83 million July 1992 · 6.74m in 1990

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 1992 · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 5 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

41,290km2

Comparative 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, Germany 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

Land use

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

Note

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe

People

14 fields

Population

6,828,023

(July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

12Death

9Net migration

Religions(1980)

Roman Catholic 47.6%Protestant 44.3%other 8.1% (1980)

Literacy

99%

(male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 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%

Languages

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

Labor force

3,310,000;
904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian;
services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)

Government

Federal republic

19 fields

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, Italian - Consiglio Federale)

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

Judicial branch

Federal Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Rene FELBER (1992 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Adolf OGI (term runs concurrently with that of president)

Political parties and leaders

Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president;
Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman;
Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER, chairman;
Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president;
Green Party (GPS), Peter SCHMID, president;
Automobile Party (AP), DREYER;
Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president;
Swiss Democratic Party (SD), NA;
Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max DUNKI, president;
Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN, general secretary;
Ticino League, leader NA Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert COUTAU, president

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

Council of States:: last held throughout 1991 (next to be held NA 1995);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (46 total) FDP 18, CVP 16, SVP 4, SPS 3, LPS 3, LdU 1, Ticino League 1
National Council:: last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held NA October 1995);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (200 total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LdU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, PdA 2, Ticino League 2, other 2

Communists

4,500 members (est.)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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. GILDENHORN;
Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern;
telephone [41] (31) 437-011;
FAX [41] (31) 437-344;
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 other nations.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

5.9%

(1991)

Unemployment rate

1.3%

(1991)

Budget

Revenues

$24.0 billionExpenditures

$23.8 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)

Overview

Switzerland's economic success is matched in few other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. 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, particularly to the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political and economic prospects.

After 8 years of growth, the economy experienced a mild recession in 1991 because monetary policy was tightened to combat inflation and because of the weak international economy. In the second half of 1992, however, Switzerland is expected to resume growth, despite inflation and unemployment problems.

GDP growth for 1992 may be just under 1%, inflation should drop from 5.9% to 3.5%, and the trade deficit will continue to decline after dropping by over 15% to $5 billion, due to increased exports to Germany. Unemployment, however, is forecast to rise to 1.6% in 1992, up from 1.3% in 1991 and 0.5% in 1990.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $147.4 billion, per capita $21,700; real growth rate -0.2% (1991 est.)

Exports

$62.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing
partners:: Western Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%

Imports

$68.5 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)

commodities:: agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials
partners:: Western Europe 78% (EC 71%, other 7%), US 6%

External debt

$NA

Industrial production

growth rate 0.4% (1991 est.)

Electricity

17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced, 8,930 kWh per capita (1991)

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

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 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 - 1.4037 (January 1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 22 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 5roll-on/roll-off cargo 2chemical tanker 3specialized tanker 2bulk 9petroleum tanker 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 325,234 GRT/576,953 DWT

Airports, 66 total, 65 usable

permanent-surface runways

42runways over | 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

5runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

62,145Inland waterways

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

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

Highways

62,145 km total (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

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

excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services;
5,890,000 telephones;
extensive cable and microwave networks;
broadcast stations - 7 AM, 265 FM, 18 (1,322 repeaters) TV;
communications satellite earth station operating in the INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) system