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NAVIGATION
Swiss Confederation (Switzerland)
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)
Confederation Suisse (French)
Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
INTRODUCTION
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
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Geographic coordinates:
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47 00 N, 8 00 E |
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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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Maritime claims:
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none (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-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 |
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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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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7,318,638 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.6% (male 623,428; female 591,709)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 2,519,302; female 2,439,560) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 470,257; female 674,382) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 40.2 years
male: 39.3 years female: 41.2 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.21% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.59 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 79.99 years
male: 77.11 years female: 83.02 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.48 children born/woman (2003 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: |