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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

115 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (1999)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios [time series]

7.1 million (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

4.82 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

810,170 (1999)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

108 (1997)

Televisions [time series]

3.31 million (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

Budget [time series]

revenues: $32.66 billion expenditures: $34.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.3 billion (1998 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SFR) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi

Debt - external [time series]

$NA

Economic aid (Economic aid - donor) [time series]

ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

50.8 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports [time series]

29.6 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports [time series]

23.6 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production [time series]

61.076 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 3.74% hydro: 54.29% nuclear: 40.18% other: 1.79% (1998)

Exchange rates [time series]

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)

Exports [time series]

$98.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities [time series]

machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products

Exports - partners [time series]

EU 62% (Germany 24%, France 10%, Italy 8%, UK 6%, Austria 3%), US 10%, Japan 4% (1998)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $197 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 2.8% industry: 31.1% services: 66.1% (1995)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $27,100 (1999 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

1.4% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1982)

Imports [time series]

$99 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

Imports - partners [time series]

EU 80% (Germany 33%, France 12%, Italy 10%, Netherlands 5%, UK 5%), US 6%, Japan 3% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3.3% (1999 est.)

Industries [time series]

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1% (1999 est.)

Labor force [time series]

3.8 million (956,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian) (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

services 67%, industry 28%, agriculture and forestry 5% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.8% (1999 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Climate [time series]

temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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 signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

47 00 N, 8 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

250 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 28% forests and woodland: 32% other: 28% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Natural resources [time series]

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Bern

Constitution [time series]

29 May 1874

Country name [time series]

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 [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Richard FREDERICKS embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (31) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (31) 357 73 44

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO 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, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 2000); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 2000); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2000); 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 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 1999 (next to be held NA December 2000) election results: Adolf OGI elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - Adolf OGI 71.8%; Moritz LEUENBERGER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

federal republic

Independence [time series]

1 August 1291

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

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) elections: Council of States - last held in 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 12, CVP 11, SVP 6, SPS 4, other 1; note - as of 1 January 2000, 12 seats were up for runoff elections; 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, Greens 9, other small parties 18

National holiday [time series]

Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$3.1 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.2% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,855,808 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,579,921 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 42,169 (2000 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 17% (male 637,782; female 605,626) 15-64 years: 68% (male 2,498,540; female 2,421,802) 65 years and over: 15% (male 444,627; female 653,995) (2000 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

10.4 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate [time series]

8.75 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

4.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 79.6 years male: 76.73 years female: 82.63 years (2000 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss

Net migration rate [time series]

1.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population [time series]

7,262,372 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.3% (2000 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

none

Illicit drugs [time series]

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 [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Transportation

Airports [time series]

67 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 15 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 25 under 914 m: 25 (1999 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways) (1998 est.) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 429,998 GRT/771,227 DWT ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 5, chemical tanker 5, petroleum tanker 1 (1999 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Basel

Railways [time series]

total: 4,492 km (1,564 km double track) standard gauge: 3,317 km 1.435-m gauge (3,288 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,165 km 1.000-m gauge (1,165 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (1998)

Waterways [time series]

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