Guest Author - Sarah Shergill



Short Name: Switzerland

Long Name: Swiss Confederation

Short Name (local): Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian)

Long Name (local): Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)

Member of European Union: No

International Dialing Code: +42

Capital City: Bern

National Tourist Office: Switzerland Tourism

Foreign Embassies in Switzerland: Australia | Canada | U.K. | U.S.

Embassies and Visa Information: In Australia | In Canada | In the U.K. | In the U.S.

Nationality: Noun - Swiss (singular and plural), Adjective - Swiss

Government Type: Federal Republic

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)



Languages: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%

Monetary Unit: 1 Swiss Franc = 100 Rappen

Area: 41,290 sq km - slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

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

Population: 7,450,867 (July 2004 est.)

Sex Ratio: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Median Age: 39.5 years, male 38.5 years, female 40.5 years (2004 est.)

Life Expectancy: 80.31 years, male 77.51 years, female 83.27 years (2004 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 0.54% (2004 est.)

Net Migration Rate: 4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (2003 est.)

Gross National Income: US$39,880 (2003, World Bank)

Export Commodities: Machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products

Export Partners: Germany 19.7%, US 10.1%, Italy 9.4%, France 8.9%, UK 5.9%, Austria 4.4% (2003 est.)

Import Commodities: Machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

Import Partners: Germany 27.5%, France 11.8%, Italy 10.6%, US 8.1%, Austria 4.6%, UK 4.4%, Russia 4.2%, Netherlands 4.2% (2003 est.)

Natural Resources: Hydropower potential, timber, salt


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Graphics and statistics are public domain courtesy of The CIA World Factbook.
Outline map courtesy of WorldAtlas.com.

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