Switzerland

• temperate, but varies with altitude;
• cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
• cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

• air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning;
• acid rain;
• water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers;
• loss of biodiversity

• landlocked;
• crossroads of northern and southern Europe;
• along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

0-14 years:

16.8% (male 629,513; female 597,472)

15-64 years:

67.7% (male 2,512,273; female 2,433,396)

65 years and over:

15.5% (male 461,722; female 667,618) (2002 est.)

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 (2002 est.)

total population:

79.86 years

female:

82.89 years (2002 est.)

male:

76.98 years

noun:

Swiss (singular and plural)

adjective:

Swiss

conventional long form:

Swiss Confederation

conventional short form:

Switzerland

local short form:

Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian)

local long form:

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)

• 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German);
• Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

• 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

chief of state:

• President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003);
• Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003);
• Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003);
• 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 usually 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 NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003)

election results:

• Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president;
• percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA%;
• Ruth METZLER elected vice president;
• percent of legislative vote - NA%

• 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) [Philipp STAEHELIN, 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) [Ruth GENNER and Patrice MUGNY, co-presidents];
• Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Gerold BUEHRER, 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER

consulate(s):

Boston

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-2564

telephone:

[1] (202) 745-7900

chancery:

2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mercer REYNOLDS III

embassy:

Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3001 Bern

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[41] (031) 357 70 11

FAX:

[41] (031) 357 73 44

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

25% (1992)

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)

total:

4,406 km

standard gauge:

3,440 km 1.435-m gauge

dual gauge:

56 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (3 rail system)

note: Swiss railways are virtually all electrified (2001)

narrow gauge:

900 km 1.000-m gauge; 10 km 0.800-m gauge

total:

71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways)

paved:

71,059 km

unpaved:

0 km (1999)

• 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