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, may be rendering obsolete the
country's concern for neutrality.
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Bern
Currency: 1 Swiss franc (CHF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or
centesimi
Geography of Switzerland
Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 8 00 E
Area:
total: 41,290 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km
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)
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
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 28%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods
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
Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along
with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe.
People of Switzerland
Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures,
which have heavily influenced the country's languages and cultural
practices. Switzerland has four official languages--German, French,
Italian, and Romansch (based on Latin and spoken by a small minority in
the Canton Graubuenden). The German spoken here is predominantly a Swiss
dialect, but newspapers and some broadcasts use High German. Many Swiss
speak more than one language. English is widely known, especially among
professionals.
More than 75% of the population lives in the central plain, which
stretches between the Alps and the Jura Mountains and from Geneva in the
southwest to the Rhine River and Lake Constance in the northeast. Resident
foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the
population.
Almost all Swiss are literate. Switzerland's 12 institutes of higher
learning enrolled 95,700 students in the academic year of 1999-2000. The
constitution guarantees freedom of worship. Switzerland consistently ranks
high on quality of life indices, including highest per capita income, one
of the highest concentration of computer and Internet usage per capita,
highest insurance coverage per individual, high literacy and health care
rates.
Population: 7,489,370 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
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)
Population growth rate: 0.3%
Birth rate: 10.4 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 8.75 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: 1.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.6 years
male: 76.73 years
female: 82.63 years
Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss
Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Religions: Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)
Languages: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official)
7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
SOURCES: The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State |