Country
Countries A-Z
Switzerland
Swiss Confederation
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)
Confédération Suisse (French)
Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
Confederaziun Svizra (Romansch)
Political Status: Neutral confederation since 1291; equivalent of federal system embodied in constitution of May 29, 1874. A new constitution, which revised and reformed that of 1874, went into effect on January 1, 2000 (as adopted April 18, 1999).
Area: 15,943 sq. mi. (41,293 sq. km.).
Population: 7,288,010 (2000C); 7,593,000 (2008E); figures reference resident population, including noncitizens.
Major Urban Centers (2005E): BERN (118,000), Zürich (327,000), Geneva (177,000), Basel (163,000), Lausanne (109,000).
Official Languages: German, French, Italian. Romansch is recognized as a national language but without full official status.
Monetary Unit: Swiss Franc (market rate December 1, 2009: 0.99 francs = $1US).
President: Hans-Rudolf MERZ (FDP-The Liberals), elected by the Federal Assembly on December 10, 2008, to succeed Pascal COUCHEPIN (FDP-The Liberals) for ...
