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

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Background: The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848 subsequently modified in 1874 replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and the country 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: 41,277 km²
Land: 39,997 km²
Water: 1280 km²
Rank: 136
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1770 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 158 km; France 525 km; Italy 698 km; Liechtenstein 41 km; Germany 348 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
Agricultural land: 38.7%
Forest: 31.5%
Other: 29.8%

Irrigated land: 550 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 53.5 km³ (2011)

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: 8,121,830 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 96
Growth rate: 0.71% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 147
Below poverty line: 7.6% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swiss
Adjective: Swiss

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

Languages: German (official) 64.9% French (official) 22.6% Italian (official) 8.3% Serbo-Croatian 2.5% Albanian 2.6% Portuguese 3.4% Spanish 2.2% English 4.6% Romansch (official) 0.5% other 5.1%
Note: German French Italian and Romansch are all national and official languages; totals more than 100% because some respondents indicated more than one main principal language

Religions: Roman Catholic 38.2% Protestant 26.9% Muslim 4.9% other Christian 5.7% other 1.6% none 21.4% unspecified 1.3% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.09%
15-24 years: 11.29%
25-54 years: 43.67%
55-64 years: 12.18%
65 years and over: 17.76% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 48.8%
Youth dependency ratio: 22%
Elderly dependency ratio: 26.9%
Potential support ratio: 3.7%

Median age
Total: 42.1 years
Male: 41.1 years
Female: 43.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.71% (2015 est.)
Rank: 147

Birth rate: 10.5 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 186

Death rate: 8.13 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 94

Net migration rate: 4.74 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 27

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 73.9% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.08% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Zurich 1.246 million; BERN (capital) 358,000 (2015)

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-Sulfur 85 Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male/female
55-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.67 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.03 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.29 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 199

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.5 years
Male: 80.22 years
Female: 84.92 years
Rank: 9

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 188

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 4.05 physicians/1000 population (2012)

Hospital bed density: 5 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.35% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 78
People living with hivaids: 20,200 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 79
Deaths: 300 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 99

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21% (2014)
Rank: 111

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 66

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 16 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Swiss Confederation
Conventional short form: Switzerland
Local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft ; Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian); Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh)
Local short form: Schweiz ; Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian); Svizra (Romansh)

Government type: formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic

Capital
Name: Bern
Geographic coordinates: 46 55 N 7 28 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons singular - canton in French; cantoni singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone singular - Kanton in German); Aargau Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Innerrhoden Basel-Landschaft Basel-Stadt Berne/Bern Fribourg/Freiburg Geneve Glarus Graubuenden/Grigioni/Grischun Jura Luzern Neuchatel Nidwalden Obwalden Sankt Gallen Schaffhausen Schwyz Solothurn Thurgau Ticino Uri Valais/Wallis Vaud Zug Zuerich
Note: 6 of the cantons - Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Innerrhoden Basel-Landschaft Basel-Stadt Nidwalden Obwalden - are referred to as half cantons because they elect only one member to the Council of States and in popular referendums where a majority of popular votes and a majority of cantonal votes are required these six cantons only have a half vote

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291; note - since 1 August 1891 celebrated as Swiss National Day

Constitution: previous 1848 1874 (extensive revision of 1848 version); latest adopted by referendum 18 April 1999 effective 1 January 2000; amended several times last in 2014 (2012)

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts except for federal decrees of a general obligatory character

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta SOMMARUGA ; Vice President Johann N. SCHNEIDER-AMMANN (since 1 January 2015; note - the Federal Council which is comprised of 7 federal councillors constitutes the federal government of Switzerland; council members rotate in a 1-year term as federal president (chief of state and head of government)
Head of government: President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta SOMMARUGA ; Vice President Johann N. SCHNEIDER-AMMANN (since 1 January 2015)
Cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat Conseil Federal (in French) Consiglio Federale (in Italian) indirectly elected usually from among its members by the Federal Assembly for a 4-year term
Electionsappointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the Federal Assembly from among members of the Federal Council for a 1-year non-consecutive term; election last held on 3 December 2014
Election results: Simonetta SOMMARUGA elected president; Federal Assembly vote - 181 of 236; Johann N. SCHNEIDER-AMMANN elected vice president

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung - in German Assemblee Federale - in French Assemblea Federale - in Italian consists of the Council of States or Staenderat - in German Conseil des Etats - in French Consiglio degli Stati - in Italian and the National Council or Nationalrat - in German Conseil National - in French Consiglio Nazionale - in Italian (200 seats; 195 members in cantons directly elected by proportional representation vote and 5 in half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 23 October 2011 ; National Council - last held on 23 October 2011 (next to be held on 18 October 2015)
Election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CVP 13 FDP 11 SPS 11 SVP 5 other 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 26.6% SPS 18.7% FDP 15.1% CVP 12.3% Green Party 8.4% GLP 5.4% BDP 5.4% other 8.1%; seats by party - SVP 54 SPS 46 FDP 30 CVP 28 Green Party 15 GLP 12 BDP 9 other 6

Judicial branch
Highest court: Federal Supreme Court
Judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Federal Assembly for 6-year terms; note - judges are affiliated with political parties and are elected according to linguistic and regional criteria in approximate proportion to the level of party representation in the Federal Assembly
Subordinate courts: Federal Criminal Court ; Federal Administrative Court (began in 2007); note - each of Switzerland's 26 cantons has its own courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS CD CE CERN EAPC EBRD EFTA EITI (implementing country) ESA FAO FATF G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAIA (observer) MIGA MINUSMA MONUSCO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF OPCW OSCE Pacific Alliance (observer) Paris Club PCA PFP Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNITAR UNMISS UNMOGIP UNRWA UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Martin DAHINDEN
In the us chancery: 2,900 Cathedral Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 745-7,900
In the us FAX: [1] 387-2,564
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Los Angeles New York San Francisco
In the us consulate: Boston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Suzan G. LEVINE ; note - also accredited to Liechtenstein
From the us embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19 CH-3,007 Bern
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [41] 357-70-11
From the us FAX: [41] 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; 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)

National symbols: Swiss cross (white cross on red field arms equal length); national colors: red white

National anthem: the Swiss anthem has four names: 'Schweizerpsalm' [German] 'Cantique Suisse' [French] 'Salmo svizzero' [Italian] 'Psalm svizzer' [Romansch] (Swiss Psalm)
Lyrics and music: Leonhard WIDMER [German] Charles CHATELANAT [French] Camillo VALSANGIACOMO [Italian] and Flurin CAMATHIAS [Romansch]/Alberik ZWYSSIG
Note: unofficially adopted 1961 officially 1981; the anthem has been popular in a number of Swiss cantons since its composition in 1841; translated into the other three official languages of the country (French Italian and Romansch) it is official in each of those languages

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 41

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 176

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 16

Gross national saving:
Rank: 23

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 57.2%
Government consumption: 11.4%
Investment in fixed capital: 21.5%
Investment in inventories: -0.5%
Exports of goods and services: 51.9%
Imports of goods and services: -41.5%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.8%
Industry: 26.7%
Services: 72.5%

Agriculture products: grains fruits vegetables; meat eggs

Industries: machinery chemicals watches textiles precision instruments tourism banking insurance

Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (2014 est.)
Rank: 121

Labor force: 5.008 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 78
By occupation agriculture: 3.4%
By occupation industry: 23.4%
By occupation services: 73.2%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 26

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 7.6% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 7.5%
Highest 10: 19%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 123

Budget
Revenues: $228.1 billion
Expenditures: $226 billion
Note: includes federal cantonal and municipal budgets
Surplus or deficit: 0.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 34

Taxes and other revenues: 33.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 73

Public debt:
Note: general government gross debt; gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future; includes debt liabilities in the form of Special Drawing Rights currency and deposits debt securities loans insurance pensions and standardized guarantee schemes and other accounts payable; all liabilities in the GFSM 2001 system are debt except for equity and investment fund shares and financial derivatives and employee stock options
Rank: 113

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 28

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 141

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 177

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 10

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 15

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 16

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 14

Current account balance:
Rank: 6

Exports:
Note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland
Rank: 17
Commodities: machinery chemicals metals watches agricultural products
Partners: Germany 18.3% US 13% France 7.3% Italy 6.6% UK 5% China 4.1% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 18
Commodities: machinery chemicals vehicles metals; agricultural products textiles
Partners: Germany 28% Italy 9.7% France 8.1% US 6.6% China 6.5% Austria 4.7% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 5

Debt external:
Rank: 12

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 8

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 4

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 65.54 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 42
Consumption: 58.97 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 42
Exports: 31.8 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 6
Imports: 29.38 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 7
Installed generating capacity: 20.04 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 40
Generation sources fossil fuels: 3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 203
Generation sources nuclear: 17.9% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 11
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 75.6% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 20
Generation sources other renewable sources: 3.5% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 64

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 100 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 115
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 187
Crude oil imports: 69,980 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 53
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 193

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 73,160 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 77
Products consumption: 263,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 46
Products exports: 7,585 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 87
Products imports: 176,900 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 29

Natural gas
Production: 13 million m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 88
Consumption: 3.777 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 65
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 186
Imports: 3.764 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 37
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 197

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 42.97 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 67

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4.37 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 54
Fixed lines rank: 38
Mobile cellular total: 11.5 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 142
Mobile cellular rank: 79

Telephone system
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 125 per 100 persons; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
International: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2011)

Broadcast media: the publicly owned radio and TV broadcaster Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR) operates 7 national TV networks 3 broadcasting in German 2 in Italian and 2 in French; private commercial TV stations broadcast regionally and locally; TV broadcasts from stations in Germany Italy and France are widely available via multi-channel cable and satellite TV services; SRG/SSR operates 18 radio stations that along with private broadcasters provide national to local coverage (2009)

Internet
Country code: .ch
Users total: 7.1 million
Users percent of population: 88.0%
Users rank: 54

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 117

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 19-26 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female 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 (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 63 (2013)
Rank: 78
With paved runways total: 40
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 17
With unpaved runways total: 23
With unpaved runways: 23 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 1800 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 5,652 km
Standard gauge: 4,425 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 2 km 1.200-m gauge ; 1188.3 km 1.000-m gauge (1167.3 km electrified); 36.4 km 0.800-m gauge (36.4 km electrified) (2014)
Rank: 37

Roadways
Total: 71,464 km
Paved: 71,464 km (2011)
Rank: 65

Waterways: 1292 km (there are 1227 km of waterways on lakes and rivers for public transport and 65 km on the Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee for commercial goods transport) (2010)
Rank: 57

Merchant marine
Total: 38
By type: bulk carrier 19 cargo 9 chemical tanker 5 container 4 petroleum tanker 1
Registered in other countries: 127 (2010)
Rank: 76

Ports and terminals
River port: Basel


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 16,091 (Eritrea); 5,161 (Syria) (2014)
Stateless persons: 76

Illicit drugs: 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