Switzerland

Switzerland

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)/Confédération Suisse (French)/ Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)/ Confederaziun Svizra (Romansch)/Swiss Confederation Area 41,300 sq km/15,945 sq mi Capital Bern Language German (65%), French (18%), Italian (10%), Romansch (1%) (all official) Religion Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 40% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 1, 15 August (many cantons), 1 November (many cantons), 24–26 December; variable: Ascension Thursday, Corpus Christi (many cantons), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday; many local holidays


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Zürich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Lucerne, St Gallen, Winterthur Major ports river port Basel (on the Rhine) Physical features most mountainous country in Europe (Alps and Jura mountains); highest peak Dufourspitze 4,634 m/15,203 ft in Apennines Airports three principal international airports; total passengers carried: 10.6 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 4,492 km/2,791 mi; total passenger journeys: 370,600 (2001) Roads total road network: 71,176 km/44,227 mi (2003 est); passenger cars: 553 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Micheline Calmy-Rey Government liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 20 cantons and six demi-cantons Political parties Radical Democratic Party (FDP/PRD), radical, left of centre; Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), moderate, left of centre; Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC), Christian, moderate, centrist; Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), left of centre; Liberal Party (LPS/PLS), federalist, right of centre; Green Party (GPS/PES), ecological Death penalty abolished in 1992 Armed forces 4,300; plus 210,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 105,000 (2006 est) Conscription 15 weeks' compulsory recruit training at age 19–20, followed by ten refresher training courses of three weeks over a 22-year period between ages 20 and 42 Defence spend (% GDP) 1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 5.8 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.7 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Swiss franc GDP (US$) 364.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 408.7 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 37,080 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 1% (2006 est) Unemployment 2.6% (2006 est) Labour force 3.9% agriculture, 22.6% industry, 73.5% services (2005) Major trading partners Germany, USA, Italy, France, the Netherlands, UK, Austria, Spain, Japan Resources salt, hydroelectric power, forest Industries heavy engineering, machinery, precision engineering (clocks and watches), jewellery, textiles, chocolate, dairy products, cigarettes, footwear, wine, international finance and insurance services, tourism Exports pharmaceutical and chemical products, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, precision instruments, clocks and watches, metal products. Principal market: Germany 20% (2005) Imports chemicals, machinery and electronic devices, motor vehicles, agricultural and forestry products, vehicles, construction material, fuels and lubricants, chemicals, textiles and clothing. Principal source: Germany 33.3% (2005) Arable land 9.9% (2006 est) Agricultural products sugar beet, potatoes, wheat, apples, pears, tobacco, grapes; livestock and dairy products, notably cheese


POPULATION

Population 7,264,000 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 176 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 68 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 16%, 15–59 62%, 60+ 22% (2005 est) Ethnic groups German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1% Life expectancy 78 (men); 84 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 35.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 6 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.4 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 68.7 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 91.8 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 1,002 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 580 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 86.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 49.6 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

58 BC Celtic Helvetii tribe submitted to Roman authority after defeat by Julius Caesar. 4th century AD Region overrun by Germanic tribes, Burgundians, and Alemannians. 7th century Formed part of Frankish kingdom and embraced Christianity. 9th century Included in Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire. 12th century Many autonomous feudal holdings developed as power of Holy Roman Empire declined. 13th century Habsburgs became dominant as overlords of eastern Switzerland. 1291 Cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Lower Unterwalden formed Everlasting League, a loose confederation to resist Habsburg control. 1315 Battle of Morgarten: Swiss Confederation defeated Habsburgs. 14th century Lucerne, Zürich, Basel, and other cantons joined Swiss Confederation, which became independent of Habsburgs. 1523–29 Zürich, Bern, and Basel accepted Reformation but rural cantons remained Roman Catholic. 1648 Treaty of Westphalia recognized Swiss independence from Holy Roman Empire. 1798 French invasion established Helvetic Republic, a puppet state with centralized government. 1803 Napoleon's Act of Mediation restored considerable autonomy to cantons. 1814 End of French domination; Switzerland reverted to loose confederation of sovereign cantons with a weak federal parliament. 1815 Great Powers recognized ‘Perpetual Neutrality’ of Switzerland. 1845 Seven Catholic cantons founded Sonderbund league to resist any strengthening of central government by Liberals. 1847 Federal troops defeated Sonderbund in brief civil war. 1848 New constitution introduced greater centralization; Bern chosen as capital. 1874 Powers of federal government increased; principle of referendum introduced. late 19th century Development of industry, railways, and tourism led to growing prosperity. 1920 League of Nations selected Geneva as its headquarters. 1960 Joined European Free Trade Association (EFTA). 1971 Women gained right to vote in federal elections. 1986 Proposed membership of United Nations (UN) rejected in referendum. 2001 Proposed membership of European Union (EU) rejected in referendum. 2002 Switzerland joined UN after another referendum, while maintaining its traditional neutrality. 2003 Right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) became largest party in general elections; party leader Christoph Blocher joined seven-member ruling federal cabinet. 2005 Severe flooding. 2007 Social Democrat Micheline Calmy-Rey became confederation president for 2007.


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