1986 Edition

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

Aid

donor — ODA and OOF economic aid committed (1970-83), $1.4 billion

Airfields

263 total, 259 usable; 135 with permanent-surface runways; 9 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 88 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

73 total, 71 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,660 m, 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 16 with runways 1,2202,439m

Branches

Royal Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Air Force, Royal Swedish Navy

bicameral parliament (National Council, Council of States) has legislative authority; federal council (Bundesrat) has executive authority; justice left chiefly to cantons

Army, Air Force

Budget

receipts, $8.50 billion; expenditures, $8.75 billion; deficit, $0.25 billion (1984)

Capital

Bern

Civil air

65 major transports

89 major transport aircraft

Communists

about 5,000 members

Elections

held every four years; next elections scheduled for 1987 Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmuth Hubacher, chairman; Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Hunziker, president; Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Flavio Cotti, president; Swiss People's Party (SVP), Adolf Ogi, president; Workers' Party (PdA), Armand Magnin, secretary general; National Action Party (NA), Rodolf Keller, president; Independents' Party (LdU), Walter Biel, president; Republican Movement Switzerland (continued) (Rep); Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert Coutau, president; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Paul Gysel, president; Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH); Green Party (GP); Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA), Werner Carobbio, secretary; Progressive Swiss Organization (POS), Georg Degen, secretary

Electric power

17,690,000 kW capacity (1985); 56.765 billion kWh produced (1985), 8,790 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

total population — 65% German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 5% other; Swiss nationals — 74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other

Exports

$25.8 billion (f.o.b., 1984); principal items — machinery and equipment, chemicals, precision instruments, metal products, textiles, foodstuffs

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GNP

$96. 1 billion (1984), $14,300 per capita; 58% consumption, 22% investment, 0.13% government, — 1% net foreign balance; real growth rate 2.5% (1984)

Government leader

Alfons EGLI, President (1986; presidency rotates annually)

Highways

classified network, 97,400 km, of which 51,899 km paved; 20,659 km gravel; 24,842 km unimproved earth

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

Imports

$28.5 billion (f.o.b., 1984); principal items — machinery and transportation equipment, metals and metal products, foodstuffs, chemicals, textile fibers and yarns

Infant mortality rate

9/1,000 (1985)

Inland waterways

2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges 1 Pipelines: 84 km natural gas

65 km; Rhine River — Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee; in addition, there are 12 navigable lakes

Labor force

3.05 million, about 706,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian; 42% services, 39% industry and crafts, 1 1 % government, 7% agriculture and forestry, 1% other; approximately 0.9% unemployed (1985)

Land boundaries

1,884 km People

Language

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

Legal system

civil law system Influenced by customary law; constitution adopted 1874, amended since; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; legal education at Universities of Bern, Geneva, and Lausanne and four other university schools of law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Life expectancy

men 70.3, women 76.2

Literacy

99%

Major industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Major trade partners

59% EC, 21% other developed, 17% less developed countries, 3% Communist

Member of

ADB, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ELDO (observer), ESRO, FAO, GATT, IAEA, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDB— Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, I WC— International Wheat Council, OECD, UNESCO, UPU, World Confederation of Labor, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO; permanent observer status at the UN Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1985, $2.5 billion; 6.5% of central government budget 100km Base Sec regional map V Land 41,228 km2; the size of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island combined; 43% meadow and pasture, 24% forest, 20% waste or urban, 3% inland water

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $1.9 billion; 20.6% of proposed central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 2,091,000; 1,465,000 fit for military service; 62,000 reach military age (19) annually

males 15-49, 1,695,000; 1,465,000 fit for military service; 50,000 reach military age (20) annually

Monetary conversion rate

2. 17 francs=US$l (October 1985)

National holiday

National Day, 1 August

Nationality

noun — Swiss (sing. & pi. ); adjective— Swiss

Natural resources

hydroelectric power (potential), timber, salt

Official name

Swiss Confederation

Organized labor

20% of labor force Government

Pipelines

314 km crude oil; 1 ,046 km natural gas

Political subdivisions

23 cantons (3 divided into half cantons)

Population

6,466,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 0.1%

Ports

17 major and 30 minor

1 major (Basel), 2 minor (all inland)

Railroads

5,155 km total; 2,952 km government owned (SBB), 2,879 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge; 1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; 2,203 km nongovernment owned, 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km 1.000-meter gauge, 75 km 0.790-meter gauge, 100% electrified

Religion

49% Catholic, 48% Protestant, 0.3% Jewish

Shortages

practically all important raw materials except hydroelectric energy

Suffrage

universal over age 20

Telecommunications

excellent domestic and international facilities; 7.41 million telephones (89.0 per 100 popl.); 4 AM, 345 FM, 810 TV stations; 9 submarine coaxial cables, 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas, 1 Eutelsat antenna Defense Forces

excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5. 1 1 million telephones (78.9 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 250 FM, 1,253 TV stations; 1 satellite station with 3 Atlantic Ocean antennas Defense Forces

Type

federal republic

Voting strength

(1983 election) 23.4% FDP, 22.8% SPS, 20.5% CVP, 11.1% SVP, 3.5% NA, 2.9% GP, 16.1% others