Statistical information Switzerland 2000Switzerland

Map of Switzerland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year:  | More stats

Switzerland in the World
Switzerland in the World

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Switzerland - Introduction 2000
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Background: 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 may be rendering obsolete the country's concern for neutrality.


Switzerland - Geography 2000
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Location: Central Europe east of France north of Italy

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 8 00 E

Map referenceEurope

Area
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries

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

Natural resources: hydropower potential timber salt
Land use

Land use

Irrigated land: 250 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: avalanches landslides flash floods

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


Switzerland - People 2000
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Population: 7,262,372 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.3% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: German 65% French 18% Italian 10% Romansch 1% other 6%

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

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

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.3% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 10.4 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 8.75 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.38 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.53 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Switzerland - Government 2000
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Country name

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 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1291

National holiday: Anniversary of the 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 a basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly

Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Independents' Party (Landesring der Unabhaengigen or LdU Alliance des Independants or AdI) [Anton SCHALLER 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) [Adalbert DURRER president]; Freedom Party or FPS [Roland BORER]; 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) [Hanspetev THUER president]; 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) [Ursula HAFNER 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) [Christoph BLOCHER president]; Ticino League (Lega dei Ticinesi) [leader NA]; and other minor parties including Swiss Democratic Party (Schweizer Demokraten or SD Democrates Suisses or DS Democratici Svizzeri or DS) Liberal Party (Liberale Partei der Schweiz or LPS Parti Liberal Suisse or PLS Partito Liberale Svizzero or PLS) 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)

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 Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAIA (observer) NAM (guest) NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN (observer) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNITAR UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNOMIG UNTSO UNU UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation

Flag descriptionflag of Switzerland: red square with a bold equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


Switzerland - Economy 2000
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Economy overview: Switzerland a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita GDP 20% above that of the big western European economies experienced slower growth in 1999 because of weak foreign and domestic demand. Growth however is expected to rebound to over 2% in 2000. 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 EU membership in the near term in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties. These agreements still have to pass a Swiss referendum in spring 2000 however. Switzerland is still considered 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.4% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,100 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: grains fruits vegetables; meat eggs

Industries: machinery chemicals watches textiles precision instruments

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 3.8 million (956,000 foreign workers mostly Italian) (1996 est.)
By occupation services: 67%
By occupation industry: 28%
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 5% (1996 est.)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (1999 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $98.5 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: machinery chemicals metals watches agricultural products
Partners: EU 62% (Germany 24% France 10% Italy 8% UK 6% Austria 3%) US 10% Japan 4% (1998)

Imports: $99 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: machinery chemicals vehicles metals; agricultural products textiles
Partners: EU 80% (Germany 33% France 12% Italy 10% Netherlands 5% UK 5%) US 6% Japan 3% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Swiss francs franken or franchi (SFR) per US$1 - 1.5878 (January 2000) 1.5022 (1999) 1.4498 (1998) 1.4513 (1997) 1.2360 (1996) 1.1825 (1995)


Switzerland - Energy 2000
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Electricity
Production: 61.076 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 50.8 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 29.6 billion kWh (1998)
Imports: 23.6 billion kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Switzerland - Communication 2000
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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.82 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 810,170 (1999)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 115 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Switzerland - Military 2000
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.1 billion (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY98)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Switzerland - Transportation 2000
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 67 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1506 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


Switzerland - Transnational issues 2000
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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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


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