The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honoured by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbours. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

47 00 N, 8 00 E

total: 41,290 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km

total: 1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

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

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

lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

hydropower potential, timber, salt

arable land: 9.91%
permanent crops: 0.58%
other: 89.51% (2005)

250 sq km (2003)

avalanches, landslides, flash floods

air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

7,523,934 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 637,585/female 591,297)
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,585,062/female 2,539,345)
65 years and over: 15.6% (male 480,198/female 690,447) (2006 est.)

total: 40.1 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.1 years (2006 est.)

0.43% (2006 est.)

9.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

8.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

3.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 80.51 years
male: 77.69 years
female: 83.48 years (2006 est.)

1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.4% (2001 est.)

13,000 (2001 est.)

less than 100 (2003 est.)

noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss

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

Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)

German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census)
note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

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)

formally a confederation, but similar in structure to a federal republic

Bern

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000

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

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - consists of two representatives from each canton and one from each half canton; members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held October 2007)
election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 26.6%, SPS 23.3%, FDP 17.3%, CVP 14.4%, Greens 7.4%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 54, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13, other small parties 14

Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)

Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004-05. Even so, unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.

$264.1 billion (2005 est.)

$367 billion (2005 est.)

1.8% (2005 est.)

$35,300 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 1.5%
industry: 34%
services: 64.5% (2003 est.)

3.8 million (2005 est.)

agriculture: 4.6%
industry: 26.3%
services: 69.1% (1998)

3.8% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1992)

33.1 (1992)

1.2% (2005 est.)

21.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $138.1 billion
expenditures: $143.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

53.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

3.9% (2005 est.)

63.4 billion kWh (2003)

55.86 billion kWh (2003)

33.2 billion kWh (2003)

30.1 billion kWh (2003)

1,950 bbl/day (2003 est.)

258,900 bbl/day (2003 est.)

10,420 bbl/day (2001)

289,500 bbl/day (2001)

0 cu m (2003 est.)

3.209 billion cu m (2003 est.)

3.093 billion cu m (2001 est.)

$49.66 billion (2005 est.)

$148.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products

Germany 20.2%, US 10.5%, France 8.7%, Italy 8.3%, UK 5.1%, Spain 4% (2004)

$135 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

Germany 32.8%, Italy 11.3%, France 9.9%, US 5.2%, Netherlands 5%, Austria 4.3% (2004)

$74.62 billion (2004 est.)

$856 billion (30 June 2005)

ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)

Swiss franc (CHF)

calendar year

5,262,600 (2004)

6.275 million (2004)

general assessment: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)

115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)

.ch

1,823,012 (2005)

4,944,438 (2005)

65 (2005)

total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 16 (2005)

total: 23
under 914 m: 23 (2005)

2 (2005)

gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2004)

total: 4,527 km
standard gauge: 3,232 km 1.435-m gauge (3,211 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,285 km 1.000-m gauge (1,273 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2004)

total: 71,220 km
paved: 71,220 km (including 1,726 of expressways) (2003)

65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003)

total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 468,821 GRT/778,115 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 9, chemical tanker 2, container 4, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Monaco 2)
registered in other countries: 306 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, The Bahamas 7, Belize 2, Bermuda 1, Cyprus 6, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Germany 1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Italy 7, Liberia 7, Malta 21, Marshall Islands 11, Mauritius 2, Morocco 1, Panama 206, Portugal 3, Russia 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10, Tonga 1, Turkey 1, Vanuatu 2) (2005)

Basel

Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe)

none

a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin