Nationality Swiss
Ethnic Composition
| German |
65% |
| French |
18% |
| Italian |
10% |
| Romansch |
1% |
| Other |
6% |
Religious Composition
| Roman Catholic |
46.1% |
| Protestant |
40.0% |
| Other |
5.0% |
| Nonaffiliated |
8.9% |
|
Languages Spoken
| German |
63.7% |
| French |
19.2% |
| Italian |
7.6% |
| Romansch |
0.6% |
| Other |
9.5% |
|
Education and LiteracyPrimary education is free. There are 26 educational systems,
based on cultural and language needs. Switzerland has 99
percent adult literacy. |
Labor ForceTotal:
4 million (2001)
By occupation:
| Services |
69.1% |
| Industrial sector |
26.3% |
| Agriculture |
4.6% |
|
Geography |
Land Mass Total 15,942 sq mi (41,290 sq km) |
Land15,355 sq mi (39,770 sq km) |
Water 586 sq mi (1,520 sq km) |
Land BoundariesTotal:
1,150 mi (1,852 km)
Border countries:
Austria 101 mi (164 km), France 356
mi (573 km), Italy 459 mi (740 km), Liechtenstein 25 mi (41
km), Germany 207 mi (334 km) |
Maritime claimNone, landlocked |
Climate/WeatherTemperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy
winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional
showers. |
TerrainMostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a
central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes.
|
Elevation extremesLowest:
Lake Maggiore 639 ft (195 m)
Highest:
Dufourspitze15,203 ft (4,634 m) |
Natural ResourcesHydropower potential, timber, salt |
Land use
| Arable land |
10% |
| Permanent crops |
2% |
| Other |
89% |
(1998) |
Natural hazardsAvalanches, landslides, flash floods |
Environment - current issuesAir pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid
rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural
fertilizers; loss of biodiversity. |
Geography NoteLandlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along
with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the
highest elevations in Europe. |
Demographics |
Population7,262,372 (July 2000) |
Age structure
| 0-14 years: |
17% |
Male: 637,782 |
Female: 605,626 |
| 15-64 years: |
68% |
Male: 2,498,540 |
Female: 2,421,802 |
| 65 years and over: |
15% |
Male: 444,627 |
Female: 653,995 |
|
Growth Rate0.3% (2000) |
Life Expectancy79.6 years
Male:
76.73 years
Female:
82.63 years |
GDP Per CapitaUS$27,100 (1999) |
Infant Mortality4.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2000) |
Sex ratio
| At birth: |
1.05 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 years: |
1.05 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years: |
1.03 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over: |
0.68 male(s)/female |
| Total population: |
0.97 male(s)/female |
|
Net migration rate1.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000) |
Economy & Trade |
Switzerland is a
prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita
GDP higher than that of the big western European economies. The
Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices
largely into conformity with the E.U.'s to enhance their
international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not
pursuing full E.U. membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern
and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade
ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation.
Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because,
despite its reform, it has maintained a high degree of
bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external
value. The GDP growth rate dipped to 1.6 percent in 2001,
and the government projects that it will slow further to 1.3
percent in 2002. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions
of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8
percent and to about 1.1 percent in 2002. Growth is
slated to hang in this range through 2004 and unemployment is
expected to hover in the 2.5 to 3 percent range over the
same period. |
Unemployment1.8% (2001) |
Inflation Rate1% (2001) |
IndustriesMachinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision
instruments |
ExportsUS$91.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001) |
ImportsUS$91.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001) |
Total TradePurchasing power parity
GDP US$226 billion (2001) |
Top Export PartnersEU 59% (Germany 21%, France 9%, Italy 8%, UK 6%, Austria 3%),
US 13%, Japan 4% (2000) |
Top Import PartnersEU 74% (Germany 29%, France 10%, Italy 9%, Netherlands 6%, UK
6%), US 8%, Japan 3% (2000) |
Top ExportsMachinery and equipment, chemicals, precision instruments,
metal products, agricultural products |
Top ImportsMachinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals, agricultural products,
textiles |
Debt - externalN/A |
Economic aidDonor: ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) |
Fiscal Year:Calendar year |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
8a.m. to 5p.m. or 5:30p.m. |
Closed |
| Retail |
8a.m. to 6:30p.m. |
Saturday 8a.m. to 4p.m. |
| Banks |
8:15a.m. to noon, and 1:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
8a.m. to noon, and 2p.m. to 5p.m. |
Closed |
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
| Berchtoldstag |
January 2 |
January 2 |
January 2 |
| Epiphany |
January 6 |
January 6 |
January 6 |
| Good Friday |
April 18 |
April 9 |
March 25 |
| Easter¹ |
April 20 |
April 11 |
March 27 |
| Easter Monday |
April 21 |
April 12 |
March 28 |
| Labor Day |
May 1 |
May 1 |
May 1 |
| Ascension² |
May 29 |
May 20 |
May 6 |
| Whit Sunday (Pentecost) |
June 8 |
May 30 |
May 15 |
| Whit Monday³ |
June 9 |
June 9 |
May 16 |
| Corpus Christi*¹ |
May 30 |
May 30 |
May 26 |
| Independence Day |
June 23 |
June 23 |
June 23 |
| National Day |
August 1 |
August 1 |
August 1 |
| Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary |
August 15 |
August 15 |
August 15 |
| All Saints' Day |
November 1 |
November 1 |
November 1 |
| All Souls' Day |
November 2 |
November 2 |
November 2 |
| Immaculate Conception |
December 8 |
December 8 |
December 8 |
| Christmas Day*² |
December 25 |
December 25 |
December 25 |
| St. Stephen's Day |
December 26 |
December 26 |
December 26 |
| New Year's Eve |
December 30 |
December 30 |
December 30 |
| ¹ |
Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday
after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the
Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with
Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter
is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern
Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar,
and celebrate 13 days later. |
| ² |
The feast of Ascension takes place 40
days after Easter in both the Christian and Orthodox
faiths and celebrates the ascent of Christ into
Heaven. |
| ³ |
The Christian feast of Pentecost, Whit
Sunday or Whit Monday takes place 50 days after Easter,
in observation of the day God came to the disciples
through the Holy Ghost. |
| *¹ |
Western Catholic feast commemorating the
Eucharist, takes place 60 days after Easter, and is
typically the time when believers take their first
communion. |
| *² |
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at
December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox
church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and
celebrates 13 days later on January 7. |
|
