278 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
278 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
SWITZERLAND
|
||
GEOGRAPHY
|
||
Total area: 41,290 km2; land area: 39,770 km2
|
||
|
||
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
|
||
|
||
Land boundaries: 1,852 km total; Austria 164 km, France 573 km,
|
||
Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
|
||
|
||
Coastline: none--landlocked
|
||
|
||
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
|
||
|
||
Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy,
|
||
rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional
|
||
showers
|
||
|
||
Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a
|
||
central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
|
||
|
||
Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
|
||
|
||
Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
|
||
40%; forest and woodland 26%; other 23%; includes irrigated 1%
|
||
|
||
Environment: dominated by Alps
|
||
|
||
Note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe
|
||
|
||
PEOPLE
|
||
Population: 6,783,961 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
|
||
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
|
||
|
||
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 83 years female (1991)
|
||
|
||
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
|
||
|
||
Nationality: noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective--Swiss
|
||
|
||
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%
|
||
|
||
Religion: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1%
|
||
(1980)
|
||
|
||
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%
|
||
|
||
Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
|
||
read and write (1980 est.)
|
||
|
||
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)
|
||
|
||
Organized labor: 20% of labor force
|
||
|
||
GOVERNMENT
|
||
Long-form name: Swiss Confederation
|
||
|
||
Type: federal republic
|
||
|
||
Capital: Bern
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Independence: 1 August 1291
|
||
|
||
Constitution: 29 May 1874
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss
|
||
Confederation, 1 August (1291)
|
||
Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council
|
||
(German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio
|
||
Federale)
|
||
|
||
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)
|
||
|
||
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court
|
||
|
||
Leaders:
|
||
|
||
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)
|
||
|
||
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;
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Suffrage: universal at age 20
|
||
|
||
Elections:
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Communists: 4,500 members (est.)
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the
|
||
center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
|
||
|
||
ECONOMY
|
||
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.
|
||
|
||
GDP: $126 billion, per capita $18,700; real growth rate 2.6%
|
||
(1990)
|
||
|
||
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (1990)
|
||
|
||
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1990)
|
||
|
||
Budget: revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $23.8 billion,
|
||
including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
|
||
|
||
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%
|
||
|
||
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%
|
||
|
||
External debt: $NA
|
||
|
||
Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1990)
|
||
|
||
Electricity: 17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced,
|
||
8,930 kWh per capita (1989)
|
||
|
||
Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision
|
||
instruments
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5
|
||
billion
|
||
|
||
Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken,
|
||
or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes,
|
||
rappen, or centesimi
|
||
|
||
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)
|
||
|
||
Fiscal year: calendar year
|
||
|
||
COMMUNICATIONS
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Pipelines: 314 km crude oil; 1,506 km natural gas
|
||
|
||
Inland waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen
|
||
to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
|
||
|
||
Ports: Basel (river port)
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
Civil air: 89 major transport aircraft
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
DEFENSE FORCES
|
||
Branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
|
||
|
||
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,802,005; 1,549,347 fit for
|
||
military service; 42,619 reach military age (20) annually
|
||
|
||
Defense expenditures: $4.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990)
|
||
|
||
|