 .CH - Switzerland - Schweiz
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Background: |
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: |
Central Europe, east of France,
north of Italy |
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Geographic coordinates: |
47 00 N, 8 00 E |
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Map references: |
Europe |
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Area: |
total: 41,290 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
slightly less than twice the
size of New Jersey |
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Land boundaries: |
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: |
0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked) |
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Climate: |
temperate, but varies with
altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid
summers with occasional showers |
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Terrain: |
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: |
lowest point: Lake
Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
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Natural resources: |
hydropower potential, timber,
salt |
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Land use: |
arable land: 10.42%
permanent crops: 0.61%
other: 88.97% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
250 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards: |
avalanches, landslides, flash
floods |
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Environment - current issues: |
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: |
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: |
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: |
7,489,370 (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 16.6% (male
643,497/female 597,565)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,570,544/female
2,522,365)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 472,769/female
682,630) (2005 est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 39.77 years
male: 38.75 years
female: 40.81 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
0.49% (2005 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
9.77 births/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
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Death rate: |
8.48 deaths/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
3.58 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
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 (2005
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total: 4.39 deaths/1,000
live births
male: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 80.39
years
male: 77.58 years
female: 83.36 years (2005
est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
1.42 children born/woman (2005
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.4% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
13,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
less than 100 (2003 est.)
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Nationality: |
noun: Swiss (singular
and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
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Ethnic groups: |
German 65%, French 18%, Italian
10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% |
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Religions: |
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) |
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Languages: |
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%, other 3.3% (2000 census)
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name: |
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) |
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Government type: |
federal republic |
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Capital: |
Bern |
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Administrative divisions: |
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: |
1 August 1291 (founding of the
Swiss Confederation) |
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National holiday: |
Founding of the Swiss
Confederation, 1 August (1291) |
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Constitution: |
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: |
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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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January 2005); Vice President Moritz
LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President
Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January 2005); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER
(since 1 January 2005); 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 8 December 2004
(next to be held December 2005)
election results: Samuel SCHMID
elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 70.7%; Moritz
LEUENBERGER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 64.8%
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Legislative branch: |
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 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: |
Federal Supreme Court (judges
elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders: |
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) [Doris LEUTHARD, president];
Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz
or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio
Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Marianne KLEINER-SCHLAEPFER,
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) [Hans-Juerg FEHR,
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: |
NA |
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International organization participation: |
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER
chancery: 2900 Cathedral
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900
FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Boston |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Pamela P. WILLEFORD
embassy: Jubilaumsstrasse 93,
CH-3005 Bern
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11
FAX: [41] (031) 357
73 44 |
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Flag description: |
red square with a bold,
equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of
the flag |
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Economy - overview: |
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 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, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004. Even so,
unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average. |
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GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$251.9 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
1.8% (2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$33,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 1.5%
industry: 34%
services: 64.5% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
20.4% of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line: |
NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
33.1 (1992) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
0.9% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force: |
3.77 million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture 4.6%, industry
26.3%, services 69.1% (1998) |
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Unemployment rate: |
3.4% (2004 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $131.5 billion
expenditures: $140.4 billion, including capital expenditures of
NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt: |
57.2% of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
grains, fruits, vegetables;
meat, eggs |
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Industries: |
machinery, chemicals, watches,
textiles, precision instruments |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
4.7% (2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production: |
63.47 billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 59.5%
nuclear: 37.1%
other: 2%
(2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
54.53 billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports: |
32.3 billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports: |
27.8 billion kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
290,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports: |
10,420 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports: |
289,500 bbl/day (2001) |
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Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption: |
3.093 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports: |
3.093 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Current account balance: |
$40.95 billion (2004 est.)
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Exports: |
$130.7 billion f.o.b. (2004
est.) |
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Exports - commodities: |
machinery, chemicals, metals,
watches, agricultural products |
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Exports - partners: |
Germany 20%, US 9.1%, France
9.1%, Italy 8.8%, UK 4.9% (2004) |
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Imports: |
$121.1 billion f.o.b. (2004
est.) |
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Imports - commodities: |
machinery, chemicals, vehicles,
metals; agricultural products, textiles |
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Imports - partners: |
Germany 29%, Italy 11.8%,
France 11.1%, US 7.6%, Austria 4.5%, UK 4.5%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$69.58 billion (2003) |
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Debt - external: |
$NA (2000) |
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Economic aid - donor: |
ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) |
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Currency: |
Swiss franc (CHF) |
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Currency code: |
CHF |
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Exchange rates: |
Swiss francs per US dollar -
1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000)
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Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
| Communications |
Switzerland |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
5.419 million (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
6.172 million (2003) |
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Telephone system: |
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: |
AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low
power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) |
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Radios: |
7.1 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations: |
115 (plus 1,919 repeaters)
(1995) |
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Televisions: |
3.31 million (1997) |
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Internet country code: |
.ch |
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Internet hosts: |
667,275 (2004) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
44 (Switzerland and
Liechtenstein) (2000) |
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Internet users: |
2.556 million (2002)
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| Transportation |
Switzerland |
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Railways: |
total: 4,533 km
standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,004 km 1.000-m gauge (974 km electrified); 46
km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2003) |
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Highways: |
total: 71,212 km
paved: 71,212 km (including 1,706 of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
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Waterways: |
65 km
note: Rhine
River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee, some canals,
and 12 navigable lakes (2003) |
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Pipelines: |
gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km;
refined products 7 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Basel |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 23 ships (1,000
GRT or over) 604,843 GRT/1,050,914 DWT
by type: bulk carrier
12, cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, container 3
foreign-owned: 6
(United Kingdom 6)
registered in other countries: 291 (2005)
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Airports: |
65 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 42
over
3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m:
10
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 23
under
914 m: 23 (2004 est.) |
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Heliports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches: |
Land Forces, Swiss Air Force
(Schweizer Luftwaffe) |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation: |
the Swiss Confederation states
that "every Swiss male is obligated to do military service"; every Swiss
male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; 19 years of
age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary
military service; conscripts receive 15 weeks of compulsory training,
followed by 10 intermittent recalls for training over the next 22 years;
women are accepted on a voluntary basis, but are not drafted (2005) |
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Military manpower - availability: |
males age 19-49:
1,707,694 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 19-49:
1,375,889 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age
annually: |
males: 46,319 (2005
est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$2.548 billion (FY01) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1% (FY01) |
| Transnational Issues |
Switzerland |
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Disputes - international: |
none |
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Illicit drugs: |
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
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