278 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
278 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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SWITZERLAND
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 41,290 km2; land area: 39,770 km2
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Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
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Land boundaries: 1,852 km total; Austria 164 km, France 573 km,
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Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy,
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rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional
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showers
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Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a
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central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
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Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
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Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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40%; forest and woodland 26%; other 23%; includes irrigated 1%
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Environment: dominated by Alps
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Note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe
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PEOPLE
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Population: 6,783,961 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 83 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective--Swiss
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Ethnic divisions: total population--German 65%, French 18%,
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Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%; Swiss nationals--German 74%,
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French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1%
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(1980)
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Language: total population--German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%,
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Romansch 1%, other 4%; Swiss nationals--German 74%, French 20%, Italian
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4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
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Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1980 est.)
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Labor force: 3,310,000; 904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian;
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services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and
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forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)
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Organized labor: 20% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Swiss Confederation
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Type: federal republic
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Capital: Bern
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Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular--canton in
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French; cantoni, singular--cantone in Italian; kantone, singular--kanton
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in German); Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern,
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Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern,
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Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz,
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Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
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Independence: 1 August 1291
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Constitution: 29 May 1874
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Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law;
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judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal
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decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss
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Confederation, 1 August (1291)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council
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(German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio
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Federale)
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Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly
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(German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale,
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Italian--Assemblea Federale) consists of an upper council or Council
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of States (German--Standerat, French--Conseil des Etats,
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Italian--Consiglio degli Stati) and a lower council or National
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Council (German--Nationalrat, French--Conseil National,
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Italian--Consiglio Nazionale)
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Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Flavio COTTI
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(1991 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Rene
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FELBER (term runs concurrently with that of president)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president;
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Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman;
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Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER,
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chairman;
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Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president;
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Green Party (GPS), Peter SCHMID, president;
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Automobile Party (AP), DREYER;
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Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president;
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Swiss Democratic Party (SD), NA;
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Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max DUNKI, president;
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Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN, general secretary;
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Ticino League, leader NA
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Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert COUTAU, president;
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National Action Party (NA), Rudolph KELLER, chairman;
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Republican Party (RP), Franz BAUMGARTNER, president;
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Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH), Georg DEGEN, secretary;
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Unitary Socialist Party (PSU), Dario ROBBIANI, president
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Suffrage: universal at age 20
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Elections:
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Council of States--last held throughout 1991 (next to be
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held 1995;
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(46 total) FDP 15, CVP 14, SVP 4, LPS 3, LDU 1; note--9
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seats require run-off elections, to be held in November1991
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National Council--last held 20 October 1991 (next to be
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held October 1995);
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results--FDP %, SPS %, CVP %, SVP %, GPS %,
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LPS %, AP %, LDU %,SD %, EVP %, Workers Party %,
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Ticino League 23%, other %;
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seats--(200 total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10,
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AP 8, LDU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, Workers Party 2, Ticino League 2, other 2
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Communists: 4,500 members (est.)
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Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE,
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EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
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IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF (observer), IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA,
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UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
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WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER; Chancery at
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2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-7900;
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there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los
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Angeles, New York, and San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Joseph B. GILDENHORN; Embassy at
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Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern; telephone 41 (31) 437-011;
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there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a
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Consulate General in Zurich
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Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the
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center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any,
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other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education
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and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. Inflation
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remains low because of sound government policy and harmonious
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labor-management relations. Unemployment is negligible, a marked
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contrast to the larger economies of Western Europe. This economic
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stability helps promote the important banking and tourist sectors. Since
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World War II, Switzerland's economy has adjusted smoothly to the great
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changes in output and trade patterns in Europe and presumably can adjust
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to the challenges of the 1990s, in particular, the further economic
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integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East
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European political/economic prospects.
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GDP: $126 billion, per capita $18,700; real growth rate 2.6%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $23.8 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
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Exports: $63.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal
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products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing;
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partners--Western Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%
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Imports: $70.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--agricultural products, machinery and transportation
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equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials;
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partners--Western Europe 78% (EC 71%, other 7%), US 6%
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1990)
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Electricity: 17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced,
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8,930 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision
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instruments
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Agriculture: dairy farming predominates; less than 50%
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self-sufficient; food shortages--fish, refined sugar, fats and oils
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(other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat
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Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5
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billion
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Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken,
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or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes,
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rappen, or centesimi
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Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per
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US$1--1.2724 (January 1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633
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(1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 5,174 km total; 2,971 km are government owned
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and 2,203 km are nongovernment owned; the government network consists
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of 2,897 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow
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gauge track; 1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; the nongovernment
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network consists of 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km
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1.000-meter gauge, and 75 km 0.790-meter gauge track, 100% electrified
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Highways: 62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km are
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canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km
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are communal roads
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Pipelines: 314 km crude oil; 1,506 km natural gas
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Inland waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen
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to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
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Ports: Basel (river port)
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Merchant marine: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,678
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GRT/441,555 DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 chemical
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tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 7 bulk
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Civil air: 89 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 67 total, 65 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways;
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2 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: excellent domestic, international, and
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broadcast services; 5,890,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, 36 (400
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relays) FM, 145 (1,250 relays) TV; communications satellite earth
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stations operating in the INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
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Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,802,005; 1,549,347 fit for
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military service; 42,619 reach military age (20) annually
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Defense expenditures: $4.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990)
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