Switzerland




                                 Geography


Location:
     Central Europe, between France and Austria
Map references:
     Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
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, 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
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:
     subject to avalanches, landslides, flash floods




international agreements:
     party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
     Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
     Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
     Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
     Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
     Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
     ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the
     Sea
Note:
     landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with
     southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest
     elevations in Europe


                                  People


Population:
     7,040,119 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     0.7% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     12.23 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     9.2 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     3.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     78.17 years
male:
     74.8 years
female:
     81.71 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.6 children born/woman (1994 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%
Labor force:
     3.31 million (904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian)
by occupation:
     services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and
     forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Swiss Confederation
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confederation Suisse
     (French)  Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
local short form:
     Schweiz (German) Suisse (French)  Svizzera (Italian)
Digraph:
     SZ
Type:
     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 Otto STICH (1994 calendar year; presidency rotates
     annually); Vice President Kaspar VILLIGER (term runs concurrently with
     that of president)
cabinet:
     Federal Council (German - Bundesrat, French - Censeil Federal, Italian
     - Consiglio Federale); elected by the Federal Assembly from 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 1991 (next to be held NA
     1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total) FDP
     18, CVP 16, SVP 4, SPS 3, LPS 3, LdU 1, Ticino League 1
National Council:
     (German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio
     Nazionale) elections last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held NA
     October 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (200
     total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LdU 6, SD
     5, EVP 3, PdA 2, Ticino League 2, other 2
Judicial branch:
     Federal Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president; Social
     Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman; Christian
     Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER, chairman; Swiss
     People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president; Green Party (GPS),
     Peter SCHMID, president; Automobile Party (AP), DREYER; Alliance of
     Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president; Swiss
     Democratic Party (SD), NA; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max
     DUNKI, president; Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN,
     general secretary; Ticino League, leader NA; Liberal Party (LPS),
     Gilbert COUTAU, president
Member of:
     AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM
     (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB,
     IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
     INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
     MTRC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer),
     UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
     WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Carlo JAGMETTI
chancery:
     2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 745-7900
FAX:
     (202) 387-2564
consulate(s) general:
     Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco




US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael C. POLT
embassy:
     Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address:
     use embassy street address
telephone:
     [41] (31) 357-7011
FAX:
     [41] (31) 357-7344
branch office:
     Geneva
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


Overview:
     Switzerland's economy - one of the most prosperous and stable in the
     world - is nonetheless undergoing a painful adjustment after both the
     inflationary boom of the late-1980s and the electorate's rejection of
     membership in the European Economic Area in 1992. The Swiss finally
     emerged from a three-year recession in mid-1993 and posted a -0.6% GDP
     growth for the year. After a three-year struggle with inflation, the
     Swiss central bank's tight monetary policies have begun to pay off.
     Inflation slowed to 3.3% in 1993 from about 4% in 1992 and is expected
     to slow down further to 1.5% in 1994. Unemployment, however, will
     continue to be a problem over the near term. Swiss unemployment
     reached 5.1% in 1993 and will likely remain at that level through 1994
     before declining in 1995. The voters' rejection of a referendum on
     membership in the EEA, which was supported by most political,
     business, and financial leaders has raised doubts that the country can
     maintain its preeminent prosperity and leadership in commercial
     banking in the twenty-first century. Despite these problems, Swiss per
     capita output, general living standards, education and science, health
     care, and diet remain unsurpassed in Europe. The country has few
     natural resources except for the scenic natural beauty that has made
     it a world leader in tourism. Management-labor relations remain
     generally harmonious.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $149.1 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
     -0.6% (1993)
National product per capita:
     $21,300 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     3.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     5.1% (1993 est.)




Budget:
revenues:
     $23.7 billion
expenditures:
     $26.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
     $63 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products,
     foodstuffs, textiles and clothing
partners:
     Western Europe 63.1% (EC countries 56%, other 7.1%), US 8.8%, Japan
     3.4%
Imports:
     $60.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
     agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment,
     chemicals, textiles, construction materials
partners:
     Western Europe 79.2% (EC countries 72.3%, other 6.9%), US 6.4%
External debt:
     $NA
Industrial production:
     growth rate 0% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
     17,710,000 kW
production:
     56 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     8,200 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Agriculture:
     dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient in food;
     must import fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter),
     grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat
Illicit drugs:
     money-laundering center
Economic aid:
donor:
     ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 billion
Currency:
     1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or
     centesimi
Exchange rates:
     Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.715 (January
     1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990),
     1.6359 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications




Railroads:
     4,418 km total; 3,073 km are government owned and 1,345 km are
     nongovernment owned; the government network consists of 2,999 km
     1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track;
     1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; the nongovernment network
     consists of 510 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, and 835 km 1.000-meter
     gauge, 100% electrified
Highways:
total:
     71,106 km
paved:
     71,106 km (including 1,502 km of expressways)
Inland 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 (river port)
Merchant marine:
     23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 337,455 GRT/592,213 DWT, bulk
     10, cargo 4, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo
     2, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
     70
usable:
     69
with permanent-surface runways:
     42
with runways over 3,659 m:
     3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     18
Telecommunications:
     excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,890,000
     telephones; extensive cable and microwave networks; broadcast stations
     - 7 AM, 265 FM, 18 (1,322 repeaters) TV; communications satellite
     earth station operating in the INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian
     Ocean) system


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army (Air Force is part of the Army), Frontier Guards, Fortification
     Guards
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,853,075; fit for military service 1,589,288; reach
     military age (20) annually 43,005 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $3.4 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1993)