|
3 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Switzerland
n : a landlocked federal republic in central Europe [syn: {Swiss
Confederation}, {Suisse}, {Schweiz}, {Svizzera}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Switzerland
Introduction Switzerland
------------------------
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. Switzerland is active in
many UN and international
organizations, but retains a strong
commitment to neutrality.
Geography Switzerland
---------------------
Location: Central Europe, east of France,
north of Italy
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 41,290 sq km
water: 1,520 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of
New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km,
France 573 km, Italy 740 km,
Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude;
cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers
with occasional showers
Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south,
Jura in northwest) with a central
plateau of rolling hills, plains,
and large lakes
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use: arable land: 10.57%
permanent crops: 0.61%
other: 88.82% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods
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
Environment - international party to: Air Pollution, Air
agreements: Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-
Environmental Protocol, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the
Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; crossroads of northern
and southern Europe; along with
southeastern France and northern
Italy, has the highest elevations in
Europe
People Switzerland
------------------
Population: 7,301,994 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.8% (male 629,513;
female 597,472)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 2,512,273;
female 2,433,396)
65 years and over: 15.5% (male
461,722; female 667,618) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.24% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 9.84 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.79 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
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: 0.69 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.86 years
female: 82.89 years (2002 est.)
male: 76.98 years
Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.46% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 17,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss
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 0.6%, other 8.9%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Switzerland
----------------------
Country name: 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)
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Bern
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
Independence: 1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss
Confederation)
National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation,
1 August (1291)
Constitution: 29 May 1874
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Kasper
VILLIGER (since 1 January 2002);
Vice President Pascal COUCHEPIN
(since 1 January 2002); note - the
president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Kasper
VILLIGER (since 1 January 2002);
Vice President Pascal COUCHEPIN
(since 1 January 2002); 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 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 5 December 2001
(next to be held NA December 2002)
election results: Kasper VILLIGER
elected president; percent of
Federal Assembly vote - 74.4%;
Pascal COUCHEPIN elected vice
president; percent of legislative
vote - 58.5%
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 NA 1999 (each canton determines
when the next election will be
held); National Council - last held
24 October 1999 (next to be held NA
October 2003)
election results: Council of States
- percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP
7, SPS 6; National Council - percent
of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP
22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other
small parties all under 5%; seats by
party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP
35, Green Party 9, other small
parties 18
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court (judges
elected for six-year terms by the
Federal Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: 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];
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 and Patrice
MUGNY, co-presidents]; Radical Free
Democratic Party (Freisinnig-
Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or
FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique
Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-
Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Gerold
BUEHRER, 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
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
participation: BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP,
UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: 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
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Mercer
US: REYNOLDS III
embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3001
Bern
mailing address: use embassy street
address
telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11
FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44
Flag description: red square with a bold, equilateral
white cross in the center that does
not extend to the edges of the flag
Economy Switzerland
-------------------
Economy - overview: 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
EU's to enhance their international
competitiveness. Although the Swiss
are not pursuing full EU 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
it has maintained a degree of bank
secrecy and has kept up the franc's
long-term external value. The GDP
growth rate dipped to 1.6% in 2001,
and the government projects that it
will slow further to 1.3% in 2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $226
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $31,100
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2%
industry: 34%
services: 64% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.8%
percentage share: highest 10%: 25.2% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini 33.1 (1992)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2001)
Labor force: 4 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 69.1%, industry 26.3%,
agriculture 4.6% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 1.8% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $30 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001
est.)
Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches,
textiles, precision instruments
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2001)
Electricity - production: 64.182 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.96%
hydro: 56.81%
other: 2.3% (2000)
nuclear: 36.93%
Electricity - consumption: 52.62 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 31.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 24.33 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grains, fruits, vegetables; meat,
eggs
Exports: $91.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, metals,
watches, agricultural products
Exports - partners: EU 59% (Germany 21%, France 9%,
Italy 8%, UK 6%, Austria 3%), US
13%, Japan 4% (2000)
Imports: $91.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, vehicles,
metals; agricultural products,
textiles
Imports - partners: EU 74% (Germany 29%, France 10%,
Italy 9%, Netherlands 6%, UK 6%), US
8%, Japan 3% (2000)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Currency code: CHF
Exchange rates: Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6668
(January 2002), 1.6876 (2001),
1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498
(1998), 1.4513 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Switzerland
--------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.82 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.967 million (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent
domestic and international services
domestic: extensive cable and
microwave radio relay networks
international: satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power
stations), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 7.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.31 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ch
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein)
(2000)
Internet users: 3.41 million (2001)
Transportation Switzerland
--------------------------
Railways: total: 4,406 km
standard gauge: 3,440 km 1.435-
m gauge
dual gauge: 56 km 1.435-m and 1.000-
m gauges (3 rail system)
note: Swiss railways are virtually
all electrified (2001)
narrow gauge: 900 km 1.000-m gauge;
10 km 0.800-m gauge
Highways: total: 71,059 km (including 1,638 km
of expressways)
paved: 71,059 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Waterways: 65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy
traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and
Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches;
there are also 12 navigable lakes
Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506
km
Ports and harbors: Basel
Merchant marine: total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 509,943 GRT/896,309 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 6,
chemical tanker 4, petroleum tanker
1
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience:, United Kingdom 6,
United States 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 66 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 15 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24
under 914 m: 24 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Switzerland
--------------------
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards,
Fortification Guards
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,841,867 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,561,689 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 42,597 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $2.548 billion (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Switzerland
--------------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: because of more stringent government
regulations, used significantly less
as a money-laundering center;
transit country for and consumer of
South American cocaine and Southwest
Asian heroin
From U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000) [gaz-county]:
Switzerland -- U.S. County in Indiana
Population (2000): 9065
Housing Units (2000): 4226
Land area (2000): 221.181032 sq. miles (572.856219 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 2.340200 sq. miles (6.061090 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 223.521232 sq. miles (578.917309 sq. km)
Located within: Indiana (IN), FIPS 18
Location: 38.820999 N, 84.989245 W
Headwords:
Switzerland
Switzerland, IN
Switzerland County
Switzerland County, IN
Powered by Blog Dictionary [BlogDict]
Kindly supported by
Vaffle Invitation Code
Get a Freelance Job - Outsource Your Projects | Threadless Coupon
All rights
reserved. (2008-2024)