Part 797

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, 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: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography - note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe

@Switzerland:People

Population: 7,240,463 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17% (male 643,301; female 614,913) 15-64 years: 68% (male 2,501,705; female 2,412,165) 65 years and over : 15% (male 429,754; female 638,625) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.33% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 11.05 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.77 years male : 75.59 years female: 82.11 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss

Ethnic groups: total population - German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% note : Swiss nationals - German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 46.7%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, no religion 8.3% (1990)

Languages: German 63.7%, French 19.2%, Italian 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9% note: figures for Swiss nationals only: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

@Switzerland:Government

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)

Data code: SZ

Government type: federal republic

National capital: Bern

Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Independence: 1 August 1291

National holiday: Anniversary of the 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