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Background:
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Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been
honored by the major European powers, and Switzerland 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
neighbors. 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.
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Location:
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Central Europe,
east of France, north of Italy |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total:
41,290 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less
than twice the size of New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy
740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate, but
varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool
to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains
(Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of
rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower
potential, timber, salt |
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Land use:
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arable land:
10.57%
permanent crops: 0.61%
other: 88.82% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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250 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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avalanches,
landslides, flash floods |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution
from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water
pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss
of biodiversity |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur
85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked;
crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with
southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria,
has the highest elevations in the Alps |
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Population:
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7,450,867 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
16.8% (male 647,362; female 602,333)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 2,555,089; female 2,503,331)
65 years and over: 15.3% (male 466,615; female 676,137)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
39.5 years
male: 38.5 years
female: 40.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.54% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.83 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.44 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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4.05 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 80.31 years
male: 77.51 years
female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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19,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
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Ethnic groups:
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German 65%,
French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990) |
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Languages:
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German (official)
63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%,
Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9% |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male:
female: |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Swiss Confederation
conventional short form: Switzerland
local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse (French),
Svizzera (Italian)
local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
(German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione
Svizzera (Italian) |
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Government type:
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federal republic |
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Capital:
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Bern |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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1 August 1291
(Founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
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National holiday:
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Founding of the
Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) |
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Constitution:
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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 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Joseph DEISS (since 1 January 2004); Vice
President Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Joseph DEISS (since 1
January 2004); Vice President Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January
2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German),
Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian)
elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its own
members for a four-year term
elections: president and vice president elected by the
Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council
for one-year terms that run concurrently; election last held
NA December 2003 (next to be held NA December 2004)
election results: Joseph DEISS elected president;
percent of Federal Assembly vote - 70.7%; Samuel SCHMID
elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 58.1% |
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Legislative branch:
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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 -
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 NA 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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Federal Supreme
Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal
Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Green Party (Grune
Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les
Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida
Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER]; Christian
Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei
der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC,
Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC,
Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Philipp
STAEHELIN, president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische
Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse
or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Christiane
LANGENBERGER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische
Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS,
Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica
de la Svizra or PSS) [Christiane BRUNNER, president]; Swiss
People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union
Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or
UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER,
president]; and other minor parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER
consulate(s): Boston
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564
telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900
chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Pamela WILLEFORD
embassy: Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11
FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44 |
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Economy - overview:
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Switzerland is a
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
safe haven 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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $239.8 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-0.3% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $32,800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
1.5%
industry: 34%
services: 64.5% (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% (2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.5% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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4 million (2001) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 69.1%,
industry 26.3%, agriculture 4.6% (1998) |
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Unemployment rate:
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3.9% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$30 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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machinery,
chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.2% (2001) |
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Electricity - production:
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68.68 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
1.3%
hydro: 59.5%
other: 2% (2001)
nuclear: 37.1% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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53.43 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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290,400 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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3.093 billion cu
m (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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grains, fruits,
vegetables; meat, eggs |
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Exports:
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$110 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery,
chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 20.4%, US
11.9%, France 9.1%, Italy 8.2%, UK 5.1% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$102.2 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery,
chemicas, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 31.4%,
Italy 10.3%, France 10%, US 6.6%, Netherlands 5.1%, UK 4.9%,
Austria 4.1% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA (2000) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $1.1 billion
(1995) |
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Currency:
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Swiss franc (CHF) |
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Currency code:
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CHF |
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Exchange rates:
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Swiss francs per
US dollar - 1.35 (2003), 1.56 (2002), 1.69 (2001), 1.69
(2000), 1.5 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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5.419 million
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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5.747 million
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 4, FM 113
(plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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115 (plus 1,919
repeaters) (1995) |
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Internet country code:
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.ch |
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Internet hosts:
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560,902 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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2.556 million
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
4,511 km
standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 982 km 1.000-m gauge (975 km
electrified); 46 km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
71,011 km
paved: 71,011 km (including 1,638 of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden
and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12
navigable lakes |
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Pipelines:
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gas 1,831 km; oil
212 km; refined products 7 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Basel |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 30
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 604,843 GRT/1,050,914 DWT
registered in other countries: 182 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 15, cargo 6, chemical tanker 3, container
3, petroleum tanker 2, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: Belgium 1, Netherlands 1, United Kingdom
6, United States 1 |
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Airports:
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65 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 16 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 23
under 914 m: 23 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
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2 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Land Forces, Air
Force |
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Military manpower - military age:
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20 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,890,091 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 1,606,391 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
45,654 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$2.548 billion
(FY01) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1% (FY01) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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