Map of Switzerland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 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.


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Location: Central Europe east of France north of Italy

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 8 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 41,290 km²
Water: 1,520 km²
Land: 39,770 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,852 km
Border countries: (5) 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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 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 northern Italy and southwestern Austria has the highest elevations in the Alps


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Population: 7,301,994 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.24% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
Adjective: Swiss

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
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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 9.84 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 8.79 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.37 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.42 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.46% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 17,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 150 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1980 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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

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
In the us consulates: Boston
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
In the us fax: [1] (202) 387-2,564
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 745-7,900
In the us chancery: 2,900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mercer REYNOLDS III
From the us embassy: Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3,001 Bern
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11
From the us 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $31,700 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 34%
Services: 64% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: grains fruits vegetables; meat eggs

Industries: machinery chemicals watches textiles precision instruments

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2001)

Labor force: 4 million (2001)
By occupation services: 69%
By occupation industry: 26%
By occupation agriculture: 5% (1998)

Unemployment rate: 1.9% (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3%
Highest 10: 25% (1992)

Distribution of family income gini index: 33 (1992)

Budget
Revenues: $30 billion
Expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.5% (2002 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: $100.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery chemicals metals watches agricultural products
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.)
Commodities: machinery chemicals vehicles metals; agricultural products textiles
Partners: EU 79.9% (Germany 32.2% France 11% Italy 10.2% Netherlands 5.9% UK 4.6%) US 5.1% (2001)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 64.182 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 4%
Production by source hydro: 57%
Production by source other: 2% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 37%
Consumption: 52.62 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 31.4 billion kWh (2000)
Imports: 24.33 billion kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.82 million (1998)
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ch
Service providers isps: 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000)
Users: 3.85 million (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2.548 billion (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 1% (FY01)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 66 (2001)
With paved runways total: 41
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With paved runways under 914 m: 14 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways total: 25
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 24 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1506 km

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

Roadways

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

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.)

Ports and terminals


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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