Switzerland

Airports

67 total, 65 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

89 major transport aircraft

Highways

62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km are canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km are communal roads

Inland waterways

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

Merchant marine

20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,678 GRT/441,555 DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 7 bulk

Pipelines

314 km crude oil; 1,506 km natural gas

Ports

Basel (river port)

Railroads

5,174 km total; 2,971 km are government owned and 2,203 km are nongovernment owned; the government network consists of 2,897 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 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km 1.000-meter gauge, and 75 km 0.790-meter gauge track, 100% electrified

Telecommunications

excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,890,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, 36 (400 relays) FM, 145 (1,250 relays) TV; communications satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems

Branches

Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards

Defense expenditures

$4.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 1,802,005; 1,549,347 fit for military service; 42,619 reach military age (20) annually

Agriculture

dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient; food shortages--fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat

Budget

revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $23.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)

Currency

Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi

Economic aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 billion

Electricity

17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced, 8,930 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1--1.2724 (January 1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)

Exports

$63.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing; partners--Western Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$126 billion, per capita $18,700; real growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Imports

$70.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials; partners--Western Europe 78% (EC 71%, other 7%), US 6%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.1% (1990)

Industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.3% (1990)

Overview

Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any, other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. Inflation remains low because of sound government policy and harmonious labor-management relations. Unemployment is negligible, a marked contrast to the larger economies of Western Europe. This economic stability helps promote the important banking and tourist sectors. Since World War II, Switzerland's economy has adjusted smoothly to the great changes in output and trade patterns in Europe and presumably can adjust to the challenges of the 1990s, in particular, the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political/economic prospects.

Unemployment rate

0.5% (1990)

Climate

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

Coastline

none--landlocked

Comparative area

slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Environment

dominated by Alps

Land boundaries

1,852 km total; Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Land use

arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 40%; forest and woodland 26%; other 23%; includes irrigated 1%

Maritime claims

none--landlocked

Natural resources

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Note

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe

Terrain

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

Total area

41,290 km2; land area: 39,770 km2

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

Capital

Bern

Communists

4,500 members (est.)

Constitution

29 May 1874

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER; Chancery at 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-7900; there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Joseph B. GILDENHORN; Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern; telephone [41] (31) 437-011; there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a Consulate General in Zurich

Executive branch

president, vice president, Federal Council (German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio Federale)

Flag

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

Independence

1 August 1291

Judicial branch

Federal Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--President Flavio COTTI (1991 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Rene FELBER (term runs concurrently with that of president) 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; National Action Party (NA), Rudolph KELLER, chairman; Republican Party (RP), Franz BAUMGARTNER, president; Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH), Georg DEGEN, secretary; Unitary Socialist Party (PSU), Dario ROBBIANI, president

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly (German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale, Italian--Assemblea Federale) consists of an upper council or Council of States (German--Standerat, French--Conseil des Etats, Italian--Consiglio degli Stati) and a lower council or National Council (German--Nationalrat, French--Conseil National, Italian--Consiglio Nazionale)

Long-form name

Swiss Confederation

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF (observer), IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

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

Suffrage

universal at age 20 Council of States--last held throughout 1991 (next to be held 1995; results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(46 total) FDP 15, CVP 14, SVP 4, LPS 3, LDU 1; note--9 seats require run-off elections, to be held in November1991 National Council--last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held October 1995); results--FDP %, SPS %, CVP %, SVP %, GPS %, LPS %, AP %, LDU %,SD %, EVP %, Workers Party %, Ticino League 23%, other %; seats--(200 total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LDU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, Workers Party 2, Ticino League 2, other 2

Type

federal republic

Birth rate

12 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

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%

Infant mortality rate

5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

3,310,000; 904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian; services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)

Language

total population--German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4%; Swiss nationals--German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Life expectancy at birth

75 years male, 83 years female (1991)

Literacy

99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

Nationality

noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective--Swiss

Net migration rate

3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

20% of labor force

Population

6,783,961 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

Religion

Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (1991)