Switzerland

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

total:

2.52 cu km/yr (24%/74%/2%)

per capita:

348 cu m/yr (2002)

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Swiss (singular and plural)

adjective:

Swiss

conventional long form:

Swiss Confederation

conventional short form:

Switzerland

local long form:

• Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German);
• Confederation Suisse (French);
• Confederazione Svizzera (Italian);
• Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh)

local short form:

• Schweiz (German);
• Suisse (French);
• Svizzera (Italian);
• Svizra (Romansh)

name:

Bern

geographic coordinates:

46 57 N, 7 26 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 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 Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2009);
• Vice President Doris LEUTHARD (since 1 January 2009);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government representing the Federal Council;
• the Federal Council is the formal chief of state and head of government whose council members, rotating in one-year terms as federal president, represent the Council

head of government:

President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2009); Vice President Doris LEUTHARD (since 1 January 2009);

cabinet:

Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its 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 a one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms);
• election last held on 10 December 2008 (next to be held in December 2009)

election results:

• Hans-Rudolf MERZ elected president;
• percent of Federal Assembly vote - 88.5%;
• Doris LEUTHARD elected vice president;
• percent of Federal Assembly vote - 87.4%

• Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ueli LEUENBERGER];
• Christian Democratic People's Party (Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Christophe DARBELLAY];
• Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Fulvio PELLI];
• 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) [Christian LEVRAT];
• 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) [Toni BRUNNER];
• and other minor parties

chief of mission:

Ambassador Urs ZISWILER

chancery:

2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 745-7900

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-2564

consulate(s) general:

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

consulate(s):

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Leigh CARTER

embassy:

Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[41] (031) 357 70 11

FAX:

[41] (031) 357 73 44

• red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag;
• various medieval legends purport to describe the origin of the flag;
• a white cross used as identification for troops of the Swiss Confederation is first attested at the Battle of Laupen (1339)

agriculture:

3.9%

industry:

22.8%

services:

73.2% (2005)

lowest 10%:

2.9%

highest 10%:

25.9% (2000)

general assessment:

highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with excellent domestic and international services

domestic:

• ranked among leading countries for fixed-line teledensity and infrastructure;
• mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 115 per 100 persons;
• extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks

international:

country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

total:

4,888 km

country comparison to the world: 36

standard gauge:

3,397 km 1.435-m gauge (3,142 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

1,481 km 1.000-m gauge (1,378 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)

total:

71,298 km

country comparison to the world: 66

paved:

71,298 km (includes 1,758 of expressways) (2006)

• 19 years of age for male compulsory military service;
• 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service;
• the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service";
• every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces;
• conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2008)

males age 16-49:

1,852,580

females age 16-49:

1,807,667 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,510,259

females age 16-49:

1,475,993 (2009 est.)

male:

48,076

female:

44,049 (2009 est.)

• a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering;
• despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries;
• transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and Western European synthetics;
• domestic cannabis cultivation and limited ecstasy production