Switzerland

Swiss ConfederationSchweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German),

federal republicIndependence 1 August 1291

Switzerland as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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

Position47 00 N, 8 00 E

Area41,290 sq km

LocationCentral Europe, east of France

Populationas each edition published it

7.24 million July 1997 est. · 6.74m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.33% 1997 est. · 0.83% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 40.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.77 years 1997 est. · 77.99 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.45 children per woman 1997 est. · 1.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 5 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$22,600 1996 est. · $22,300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-0.75% 1996 est. · -0.6% in 1993

Geography

Central Europe, east of France

18 fields

Land useshare of 41,290 sq km

arable land 10%permanent crops 2%permanent pastures 28%forests and woodland 32%other 28% (1993 est.)irrigated 250 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

41,290sq km

land: 39,770 sq kmwater : 1,520 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Highest point

4,634m

Dufourspitzelowest point : Lake Maggiore 195 m

Land boundaries

1,852km

border countries: 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

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, 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:: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental 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

People

15 fields

Population

7,240,463

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.33% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

11.05Death

9Net migration

1.23

Ethnic groups

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

Religions(1990)

Roman Catholic 46.7%Protestant 40%other 5%no religion 8.3% (1990)

Literacy

99%

(1980 est.)definition : age 15 and over can read and writemale: NA%female: NA%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 17% (male 643,301; female 614,913)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 2,501,705; female 2,412,165) 65 years and over : 15% (male 429,754; female 638,625) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth :: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 78.77 years
male :: 75.59 years
female:: 82.11 years (1997 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages

German 63.7%, French 19.2%, Italian 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9% note: figures for Swiss nationals only: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Government

Federal republic; President Arnold KOLLER (since 1 January 1997)

20 fields

Council of States, 200 seats, elected throughout 1995one dot, one seat

PRD 45PSS 55PDC 34UDC 29Greens 10LPS 7FPS 6LdU/EVP 5SD 3PdAdS 3Ticino League 2EDU 1

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)

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 :: President Arnold KOLLER (since 1 January 1997);
Vice President Flavio COTTI (since 1 January 1997);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:: President Arnold KOLLER (since 1 January 1997);
Vice President Flavio COTTI (since 1 January 1997);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet:: Federal Council or German - Bundesrat, French - Conseil Federal, Italian - Consiglio Federale 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 4 December 1996 (next to be held NA December 1997)
election results:: Arnold KOLLER elected president;
percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA;
Flavio COTTI elected vice president;
percent of legislative vote - NA

bicameral Federal Assembly or German - Bundesversammlung, French - Assemblee Federale, Italian - Assemblea Federale consists of the Council of States or German - Standerat, French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio degli Stati (46 seats; members are elected two from each canton and one from each half canton to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio Nazionale (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 throughout 1995 (each canton determines when the next election will be held);
National Council - last held 20 October 1995 (next to be held NA October 1999)
election results:: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PRD 17, PDC 16, UDC 5, PSS 5, LPS 2, LdU 1;
National Council - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PRD 45, PSS 55, PDC 34, UDC 29, Greens 10, LPS 7, FPS 6, LdU/EVP 5, SD 3, PdAdS 3, Ticino League 2, EDU 1

Judicial branch

Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly

Political parties and leaders

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) [Peter BODENMANN, president];
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) [Anton COTTIER, president];
Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica da Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, 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) [Verena DIENER, president];
Freedom Party or FPS [Roland BORER];
Liberal Party (Liberale Partei der Schweiz or LPS, Parti Liberal Suisse or PLS, Partito Liberale Svizzero or PLS) [Francois Jeanneset, president];
Alliance of Independents' Party (Landesring der Unabhaengigen or LdU, Alliance des Independants or AdI) [Daniel ANDRES, president];
Ticino League (Lega dei Ticinesi) [Giuliano BIGNASCA, president];
and other minor parties including Swiss Democratic Party (Schweizer Demokraten or SD, Democrates Suisses or DS, Democratici Svizzeri or DS), Workers' Party (Parti Suisse du Travail or PST, Partei der Arbeit der Schweiz or PdAdS, Partito Svizzero del Lavoro or PSdL), Evangelical People's Party (Evangelische Volkspartei der Schweiz or EVP, Parti Evangelique Suisse or PEV, Partito Evangelico Svizzero or PEV), and the Union of Federal Democrats (Eidgenossisch-Demokratische Union or EDU, Union Democratique Federale or UDF, Unione Democratica Federale or UDF);
note - see elections

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO (since April 1997)
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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Madeleine May KUNIN (since 8 August 1996)
embassy:: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 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

Economy

Switzerland, a fundamentally prosperous and stable | modern economy with a per capita GDP roughly 10% above that of the big | West European economies, is experiencing continued economic | difficulties.

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Real growth rate

-0.75%

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: -2% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

0.8%

(1996)

Unemployment rate

5.3%

(December 1996)

Labor force

3.776million

(939,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian)by occupation: services 67%, manufacturing and construction 29%, agriculture and forestry 4% (1994)

GDP - composition by sector(1995)

agriculture 2.8%industry 31.1%services 66.1% (1995)

Budget

Revenues

$31 billionExpenditures

$36.9 billion (1995)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Economy - overview

Switzerland, a fundamentally prosperous and stable modern economy with a per capita GDP roughly 10% above that of the big West European economies, is experiencing continued economic difficulties. GDP has dropped for five consecutive quarters, unemployment is reaching record levels, and the fiscal deficit is again above 3% of GDP. In 1997, growth may reach barely 0.6%;

a recovery is not likely before mid to late 1997. Weak domestic consumer demand is partly at fault; declining real disposable income is combining with a reluctance to reduce saving rates in the face of an uncertain employment outlook. Switzerland's leading sectors, including financial services, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and special-purpose machines, will therefore be more reliant on export markets at the same time they are being squeezed by the strong franc.

Consequently, growth in machinery and equipment investment, for example, is expected to taper off. On the other side, import growth in 1997 also is likely to be lower than the 1995 rate of 6.6%, but higher than 1996's expected 1.9%.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $161.3 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $22,600 (1996 est.)

Industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Electricity - capacity

14.27 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

62.2 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita

6,810 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

Exports

total value:: $81.35 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities:: manufactures 94.74%, agricultural products 2.99%, raw materials 2.05%, fuels 0.15% (1995)
partners:: EU countries 62.1%, US 8.7%, Japan 4.0% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value :: $80.05 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:: manufactures 86.81%, agricultural products 6.44%, raw materials 3.65%, fuels 2.93% (1995)
partners:: EU 80.2%, US 6.6% (1996 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $1.034 billion (1995)

Currency

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

Exchange rates

Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SFR) per US$1 - 1.3936 (January 1997), 1.2360 (1996), 1.1825 (1995), 1.3677 (1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

4.573 million

(1993 est.)

Telephone system

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 7, FM 265, shortwave 0

Radios

2.727 million (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations

18 (repeaters 1,322)

Televisions

2.513 million (1994 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Merchant marine, 23 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1996 est.)

bulk 13cargo 1chemical tanker 6oil tanker 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 1specialized tanker 1

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m : 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 5

Networkskm

Highways

71,055Railways

5,719Waterways

Highways: (including 1,540 km of expressways) · paved: NA km · unpaved: NA km (1995 est.) · Railways: (1,432 km double track) · standard gauge: 3,283 km 1.435-m gauge (99% electrified; 310 km nongovernment owned) · narrow gauge: 1,255 km 1.000-m gauge (99% electrified; 1,181 km nongovernment owned) · other gauge : 1,181 km NA-m gauge (1995) · Waterways: ; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes

Railways

total:: 5,719 km (1,432 km double track)
standard gauge:: 3,283 km 1.435-m gauge (99% electrified; 310 km nongovernment owned)
narrow gauge:: 1,255 km 1.000-m gauge (99% electrified; 1,181 km nongovernment owned)
other gauge :: 1,181 km NA-m gauge (1995)