The 1996 CIA World Factbook page on Switzerland

From: The CIA'sTHE WORLD FACTBOOK 1996

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Switzerland

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Map

Location: 47 00 N, 8 00 E -- Central Europe, east of France

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Flag

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

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Geography

Location: Central Europe, east of France
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 41,290 sq km
land area: 39,770 sq km
comparative area: slightly more 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)
International disputes: none
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
lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 40%
forest and woodland: 26%
other: 23%
Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1989)
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
natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94
Geographic note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe

People

Population: 7,207,060 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 638,728; female 610,546)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,495,325; female 2,405,226)
65 years and over: 15% (male 424,394; female 632,841) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.59% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 11.35 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 9.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.62 years
male: 74.58 years
female: 80.82 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss
Ethnic divisions:
total population: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Swiss nationals: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)
Languages: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4%
note: figures for Swiss nationals only: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Name of country:
conventional long form: Swiss Confederation
conventional short form: Switzerland
local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian)
Data code: SZ
Type of government: 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
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Jean-Pascal DELAMURAZ (1996 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Arnold KOLLER (term runs concurrently with that of president); the president is appointed each year from the Federal Council by the Federal Assembly
cabinet: Federal Council (German - Bundesrat, French - Censeil Federal, Italian - Consiglio Federale) was elected for a four-year term by the Federal Assembly from among its own members
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (German - Bundesversammlung, French - Assemblee Federale, Italian - Assemblea Federale)
Council of States: (German - Standerat, French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio degli Stati); elections last held throughout 1995 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total) PRD 17, PDC 17, UDC 4, PSS 3, LPS 3, LdU 1, Ticino League 1
National Council: (German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio Nazionale); elections last held 20 October 1995 (next to be held NA October 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (200 total) PRD 45, PSS 54, PDC 34, UDC 30, GPS 8, LPS 7, FPS 6, LdU 6, SD 3, EVP 3, PdA 2, Ticino League 2
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Radical Free Democratic Party (PRD), Franz STEINEGGER, president; Social Democratic Party (PSS), Peter BODENMANN, president; Christian Democratic People's Party (PDC), Anton COTTIER, president; Swiss People's Party (UDC), Hans UHLMANN, president; Green Party (GPS), Verena DIENER, president; Freedom Party (FPS), Roland BORER; Liberal Party (LPS), Christoph EYMANN, president; Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Monica WEBER, president; Ticino League, Giuliano BIGNASCA, president; and other minor parties including Swiss Democratic Party (SD), Workers' Party (PdA), and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP); note - see elections
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN (observer), UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlo JAGMETTI
chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900
FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [41] (31) 357 70 11
FAX: [41] (31) 357 73 44
consulate(s) general: Zurich
Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

Economy

Economic overview: Switzerland, a fundamentally prosperous and stable modern economy with a per capita GDP roughly 10% above that of the big West European economies, is experiencing short-term difficulties. After recovering slowly in 1994-95 from recession, the Swiss economy remains weak, mainly because of the strong Swiss franc and weak growth in Swiss export market, especially in other European countries. Over the near term, growth may average barely 1%, with more than one-half of this increase resulting from growth in inventories. Weak domestic consumer demand is the principal culprit; stagnation in real disposable income is combining with a reluctance to reduce saving rates in the face of an uncertain employment outlook. Switzerland's leading sectors, including financial services, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and special-purpose machines, will therefore be more reliant on export markets at the same time they are being squeezed by the strong franc. Consequently, growth in machinery and equipment investment, for example, is expected to taper off. On the other side, import growth has been fueled by the strong franc; there are growing indications that Swiss manufacturers are substituting imported inputs for domestic ones.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $158.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 1.2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $22,400 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 33.5%
services: 63.5% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 3.48 million (900,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian)
by occupation: services 50%, industry and crafts 34%, government 10%, agriculture and forestry 6% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 3.3% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $31 billion
expenditures: $36.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995)
Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 15,430,000 kW
production: 58 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 6,699 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Illicit drugs: money-laundering center; transit country for South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin
Exports: $69.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing
partners: Western Europe 63.1% (EU countries 56%, other 7.1%), US 8.8%, Japan 3.4%
Imports: $68.2 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials
partners: Western Europe 79.2% (EU countries 72.3%, other 6.9%), US 6.4%
External debt: $NA
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $793 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi
Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.1810 (January 1996), 1.1825 (1995), 1.3677 (1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Railways:
total: 5,719 km (1,432 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,283 km 1.435-m gauge (99% electrified; 310 km nongovernment owned)
narrow gauge: 1,255 km 1.000-m gauge (99% electrified; 1,181 km nongovernment owned)
other: 1,181 km NA-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 71,118 km
paved: 71,118 km (including 1,514 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km
Ports: Basel
Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 410,581 GRT/727,744 DWT
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 67
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 4
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 4
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 13
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 5
with paved runways under 914 m: 40
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 (1995 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 5,622,976 (1986 est.)
Telephone system: 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 7, FM 265, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 18 (repeaters 1,322)
Televisions: 2.513 million (1994 est.)

Defense

Branches: Army, Air Force and Antiaircraft Command, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,893,587
males fit for military service: 1,623,414
males reach military age (20) annually: 41,425 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $3.74 billion, 1.4% of GDP (1995)

Switzerland

Original publicaton at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm (June 17, 1997).