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Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.

Contents 1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography

Location 

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Geographic coordinates 

47 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references 

Europe

Area 

total: 41,290 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries 

total: 1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Coastline 

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims 

none (landlocked)

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

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

Natural resources 

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use 

arable land: 10.57%
permanent crops: 0.61%
other: 88.82% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

250 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

avalanches, landslides, flash floods

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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, 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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography - note 

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

People

Population 

7,301,994 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

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.)

Population growth rate 

0.24% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

9.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.79 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

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.)

Infant mortality rate 

4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 79.86 years
female: 82.89 years (2002 est.)
male: 76.98 years

Total fertility rate 

1.47 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.46% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

17,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

150 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss

Ethnic groups 

German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Religions 

Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)

Languages 

German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country name 

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)

Government type 

federal republic

Capital 

Bern

Administrative divisions 

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

Independence 

1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday 

Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Constitution 

29 May 1874

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

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

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%

Legislative branch 

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held NA 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003)
election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Green Party 9, other small parties 18

Judicial branch 

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

Political parties and leaders 

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

Political pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

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

Diplomatic representation in the US 

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

Diplomatic representation from the US 

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

Flag description 

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

Economy

Economy - overview 

Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8% and to about 0% in 2002.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $231 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $31,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 2%
industry: 34%
services: 64% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1992)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 

33 (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

0.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force 

4 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation 

services 69%, industry 26%, agriculture 5% (1998)

Unemployment rate 

1.9% (2002 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $30 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries 

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Industrial production growth rate 

3.2% (2001)

Electricity - production 

64.182 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 4%
hydro: 57%
other: 2% (2000)
nuclear: 37%

Electricity - consumption 

52.62 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

31.4 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

24.33 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

Exports 

$100.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities 

machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products

Exports - partners 

EU 61% (Germany 22.2%, France 9%, Italy 8%, UK 5.3%), US 10.6%, Japan 3.9% (2001)

Imports 

$94.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities 

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

Imports - partners 

EU 79.9% (Germany 32.2%, France 11%, Italy 10.2%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 4.6%), US 5.1% (2001)

Debt - external 

$NA

Economic aid - donor 

ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) (1995)

Currency 

Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code 

CHF

Exchange rates 

Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6668 (January 2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

4.82 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

1.967 million (1999)

Telephone system 

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)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios 

7.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions 

3.31 million (1997)

Internet country code 

.ch

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000)

Internet users 

3.85 million (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

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

Highways 

total: 71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways)
paved: 71,059 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Waterways 

65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes

Pipelines 

crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km

Ports and harbors 

Basel

Merchant marine 

total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 509,943 GRT/896,309 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 6, chemical tanker 4, petroleum tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:, United Kingdom 6, United States 1 (2002 est.)

Airports 

66 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 41
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 14 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 25
under 914 m: 24 (2002)

Heliports 

1 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards

Military manpower - military age 

20 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 1,841,867 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 1,561,689 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 42,597 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$2.548 billion (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

1% (FY01)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

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