1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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
Disputes
none
Environment
dominated by Alps
Land area
39,770 km2
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
People and Society
Birth rate
12 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
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
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
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)
Languages
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
76 years male, 83 years female (1992)
Literacy
99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Nationality
noun - Swiss (singular and plural); adjective - Swiss
Net migration rate
3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
20% of labor force
Population
6,828,023 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)
Total fertility rate
1.6 children born/woman (1992)
Government
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
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Rene FELBER (1992 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Adolf OGI (term runs concurrently with that of president)
Communists
4,500 members (est.)
Constitution
29 May 1874
Council of States
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
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; FAX [41] (31) 437-344; 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
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, 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 Council
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
National holiday
Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
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
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
federal republic
Economy
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 (1991)
Exchange rates
Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.4037 (January 1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987)
Exports
$62.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) 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
purchasing power equivalent - $147.4 billion, per capita $21,700; real growth rate -0.2% (1991 est.)
Imports
$68.5 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) 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 0.4% (1991 est.)
Industries
machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.9% (1991)
Overview
Switzerland's economic success is matched in few other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. 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, particularly to the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political and economic prospects. After 8 years of growth, the economy experienced a mild recession in 1991 because monetary policy was tightened to combat inflation and because of the weak international economy. In the second half of 1992, however, Switzerland is expected to resume growth, despite inflation and unemployment problems. GDP growth for 1992 may be just under 1%, inflation should drop from 5.9% to 3.5%, and the trade deficit will continue to decline after dropping by over 15% to $5 billion, due to increased exports to Germany. Unemployment, however, is forecast to rise to 1.6% in 1992, up from 1.3% in 1991 and 0.5% in 1990.
Unemployment rate
1.3% (1991)
Communications
Airports
66 total, 65 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 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
22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 325,234 GRT/576,953 DWT; includes 5 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 9 bulk, 1 petroleum tanker
Pipelines
crude oil 314 km, natural gas 1,506 km
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; 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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $4.6 billion, about 2% of GDP (1990)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,798,632; 1,544,191 fit for military service; 43,952 reach military age (20) annually