World Facts Index
 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.
Geography of Switzerland
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Location:
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Central Europe, east of
France, north of Italy |
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Coordinates:
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47 00 N, 8 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 41,290 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km |
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Area comparative:
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slightly less than twice
the size of New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km,
Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate, but varies with
altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid
summers with occasional showers |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains (Alps in
south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills,
plains, and large lakes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake
Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower potential,
timber, salt |
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Natural hazards:
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avalanches, landslides,
flash floods |
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Environment current issues:
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air pollution from vehicle
emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from
increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity |
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Geography - note:
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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 of Switzerland
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Population:
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7,581,520 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.3% (male 637,585/female 591,297)
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,585,062/female 2,539,345)
65 years and over: 15.6% (male 480,198/female 690,447) |
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Median age:
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40.1 years |
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Growth rate:
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0.43% |
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Infant mortality:
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4.34 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.51 years
male: 77.69 years
female: 83.48 years |
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Fertility rate:
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1.43 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
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Ethnic groups:
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German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%,
Romansch 1%, other 6% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%,
other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% |
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Languages:
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German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian
(official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%,
English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 99%
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Government
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Country name:
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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) |
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Government type:
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federal republic |
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Capital:
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Bern |
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Administrative divisions:
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26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in
French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German) |
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Independence:
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1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss
Confederation) |
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National holiday:
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Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1
August (1291) |
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Constitution:
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revision of Constitution of 1874 approved
by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998; adopted by referendum 18 April 1999;
officially entered into force 1 January 2000 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN
(since 1 January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
representing the Federal Council; the Federal Council is the formal chief of
state and head of government whose council members, rotating in one-year terms
as federal president, represent the Council
head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008); Vice
President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008)
cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French),
Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from
among its 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 a one-year term (they may not serve
consecutive terms). |
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Legislative branch:
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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 - consists of two representatives from each canton and one
from each half canton; 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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for
six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) |
Economy
Switzerland is a peaceful, 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. Switzerland remains a
safehaven 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 stagnated during the 2001-03 period,
improved during 2004-05, and jumped to 2.9% in 2006, and 2.6% in 2007.
Unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.
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GDP:
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$303.2 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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1.8% |
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GDP per capita:
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$32,300 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1.5%
industry: 34%
services: 64.5% |
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Inflation rate:
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1.2% |
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Labor force:
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3.8 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 69.1%, industry 26.3%, agriculture
4.6% |
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Unemployment:
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3.8% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $138.1 billion
expenditures: $143.6 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 59.5%
other: 2%
nuclear: 37.1% |
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Industries:
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machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles,
precision instruments, tourism |
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Agriculture:
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grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs |
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Exports:
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machinery, chemicals, metals, watches,
agricultural products |
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Export partners:
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Germany 20.6%, US 9.5%, France 9.1%, Italy 8.2%, UK 5.1%
(2005) |
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Imports:
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machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals;
agricultural products, textiles |
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Import partners:
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Germany 27%, Italy 10.5%, France 9.8%, US 7.8%, UK 6.4%,
Russia 5.4%, Austria 4.6% (2005) |
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Currency:
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Swiss franc (CHF) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |