1993 Edition

Area

total area: 41,290 km2 land area: 39,770 km2 comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

dominated by Alps

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

250 km2 (1989)

Land boundaries

total 1,852 km, 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%

Location

Western Europe, between France and Austria

Map references

Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Note

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe

Terrain

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

Birth rate

12.37 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

9.24 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

total population: German 65% French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Infant mortality rate

6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

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)

Languages

German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4% note: these are figures for Swiss nationals only - German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.99 years male: 74.6 years female: 81.54 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss

Net migration rate

5.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

6,986,621 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

0.83% (1993 est.)

Religions

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

Swiss nationals

German 74% French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (1993 est.)

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 Adolf OGI (1993 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Otto STICH (term runs concurrently with that of president)

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

Digraph

SZ

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 745-7900

Executive branch

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

FAX

(202) 387-2564 consulates general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

[41] (31) 437-344 branch office: Geneva consulate general: Zurich

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)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM (coopeating country), 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, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Names

conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confederation Suisse (French) Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German) Suisse (French) Svizzera (Italian)

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

18 years of age; universal

Type

federal republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph B. GILDENHORN embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (31) 437-011

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

Budget

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

Currency

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; 56,000 million kWh produced, 8,200 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.4781 (January 1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988)

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 countries 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

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 countries 71%, other 7%), US 6%

Industrial production

growth rate 0.4% (1991 est.)

Industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.1% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $152.3 billion (1992)

National product per capita

$22,300 (1992)

National product real growth rate

-0.6% (1992)

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 late last year of membership in the European Economic Area. Stubborn inflation and a soft economy have afflicted Switzerland. Despite slow growth in 1991-92, the Swiss central bank had been unable to ease monetary policy in the past three years because of the threat to the Swiss franc posed by high German interest rates. As a result, unemployment is forecast to rise from 3% in 1992 to more than 4% in 1993, with inflation moving down from 4% to 3%. The voters' rejection in December 1992 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 21st 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.

Unemployment rate

3% (1992 est.)

Airports

total: 66 usable: 65 with permanent-surface runways: 42 with runways over 3,659 m: 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 18

Highways

62,145 km total (all paved); 18,620 km are canton, 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

23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 308,725 GRT/548,244 DWT; includes 5 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 8 bulk, 1 oil tanker

Pipelines

crude oil 314 km, natural gas 1,506 km

Ports

Basel (river port)

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

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

Branches

Army (Air Force is part of the Army), Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.5 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,852,213; fit for military service 1,590,308; reach military age (20) annually 44,124 (1993 est.)