Switzerland

Swiss ConfederationSchweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)

federal republicIndependence 1 August 1291

Switzerland as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 84 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 sq km

LocationCentral Europe, east of France

Populationas each edition published it

7.08 million July 1995 est. · 6.74m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.57% 1995 est. · 0.83% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 40.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.36 years 1995 est. · 77.99 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.6 children per woman 1995 est. · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 5 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$22,080 1994 est. · $22,300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.8% 1994 est. · -0.6% in 1993

Geography

Central Europe, east of France

14 fields

Land useshare of 41,290 sq km

arable land 10%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 40%forest and woodland 26%other 23%irrigated 250 sq km (1989)

Area

41,290sq km

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

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked

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

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
natural hazards:: avalanches, landslides, flash floods
international agreements:: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Note

landlocked;
crossroads of northern and southern Europe;
along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe

People

16 fields

Population

7,084,984

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.57% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

12.04Death

9.16Net migration

2.82

Religions(1980)

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

Labor force

3.48million

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

Literacy

15and over can read and write

age · (1980 est.)total population: 99%

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.)

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.)

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

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%

Government

Federal republic

22 fields

Legislature, 46 seatsone dot, one seat

FDP 18CVP 16SVP 4SPS 3LPS 3LdU 1Ticino League 1

Legislature, 200 seatsone dot, one seat

FDP 44SPS 42CVP 37SVP 25GPS 14LPS 10AP 8LdU 6SD 5EVP 3PdA 2Ticino League 2other 2

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)

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

National holiday

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

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

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:: President Kaspar VILLIGER (1995 calendar year; presidency rotates annually);
Vice President Jean-Pascal DELAMURAZ (term runs concurrently with that of president)
cabinet:: Federal Council (German - Bundesrat, French - Censeil Federal, Italian - Consiglio Federale); elected by the Federal Assembly from own members

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly (German - Bundesversammlung, French - Assemblee Federale, Italian - Assemblea Federale)

Council of States

German - Standerat, French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio degli Stati;
elections 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

German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio Nazionale;
elections 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

Political parties and leaders

Free Democratic Party (FDP), Franz STEINEGGER, president;
Social Democratic Party (SPS), Peter BODENMANN, president;
Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Anton COTTIER, president;
Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president;
Green Party (GPS), Verena DIENER, president;
Freedom Party (FPS), Roland BORER, president;
Liberal Party (LPS), Christoph EYMANN, president;
Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Monica WEBER, president;
Ticino League, Giuliano BIGNASCA, president;
and other minor parties including the Automobile Party (AP), Swiss Democratic Party (SD), Workers' Party (PdA), and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP);
note - see elections

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Carlo JAGMETTI
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, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador M. Larry LAWRENCE
embassy:: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [41] (31) 357 70 11

FAX

[41] (31) 357 73 44

branch office:: Geneva
consulate(s) general:: Zurich

Flag

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

Economy

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$22,080

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

1.8%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 0% (1993 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

0.9%

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.7%

(1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$26.7 billionExpenditures

$32 billion (1994 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 15,430,000 kW

Electricity production

58 billionElectricity consumption per capita

6,699 (1993)

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.)

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

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

Illicit drugs

money-laundering center

Economic aid

donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 billion

Currency

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

Exchange rates

Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.2880 (January 1995), 1.3677 (1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 69 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

71,118Railroads

5,763Inland waterways

Highways: paved: 71,118 km (including 1,514 km of expressways) · Railroads: (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; 1,020 km nongovernment owned) · other: 1,136 km NA-m gauge (1994) · Inland waterways: ; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes

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; 1,020 km 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

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