Compare Canada (2005) - Switzerland (2004)

Compare Canada (2005) z Switzerland (2004)

	Canada (2005)	Switzerland (2004)

Administrative divisions	10 provinces and 3 territories; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory	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
Age structure	0-14 years: 17.9% (male 3,016,032/female 2,869,244) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 11,357,425/female 11,244,356) 65 years and over: 13.2% (male 1,842,496/female 2,475,488) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 16.8% (male 647,362; female 602,333) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 2,555,089; female 2,503,331) 65 years and over: 15.3% (male 466,615; female 676,137) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish	grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Airports	1,326 (2004 est.)	65 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 503 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 150 914 to 1,523 m: 245 under 914 m: 75 (2004 est.)	total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 823 1,524 to 2,437 m: 67 914 to 1,523 m: 347 under 914 m: 409 (2004 est.)	total: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km	total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km
Area - comparative	somewhat larger than the US	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Background	A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada's paramount political problem is meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services after a decade of budget cuts. The issue of reconciling Quebec's francophone heritage with the majority anglophone Canadian population has moved to the back burner in recent years; support for separatism abated after the Quebec government's referendum on independence failed to pass in October of 1995.	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.
Birth rate	10.84 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	9.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $151 billion expenditures: $144 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $123.2 billion expenditures: $128 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital	Ottawa	Bern
Climate	varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north	temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Coastline	202,080 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments	revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998; adopted by referendum 18 April 1999; officially entered into force 1 January 2000
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada	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)
Currency	-	Swiss franc (CHF)
Death rate	7.73 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	8.44 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$570 billion (2004)	NA (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg	chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela P. WILLEFORD embassy: Jubilaumsstrasse 93, CH-3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Francis Joseph MCKENNA chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton, Raleigh, San Francisco, and San Jose	chief of mission: Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston
Disputes - international	managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; working toward greater cooperation with US in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland	none
Economic aid - donor	ODA, $2 billion (2004)	ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)
Economy - overview	As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, newly entered in the trillion dollar class, Canada closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Solid fiscal management has produced a long-term budget surplus which is substantially reducing the national debt, although public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the publicly funded healthcare system. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the United States, which absorbs more than 85% of Canadian exports.	Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger 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. 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. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003.
Electricity - consumption	487.3 billion kWh (2002)	53.43 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	36.13 billion kWh (2002)	34.54 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	13 billion kWh (2002)	24.1 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	548.9 billion kWh (2002)	68.68 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m	lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities	air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%	German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Exchange rates	Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000)	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Michaelle Jean (since 27 October 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Paul MARTIN (since 12 December 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Anne MCLELLAN (since 12 December 2003) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general	chief of state: President Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January 2005); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Samuel SCHMID (since 1 January 2005); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2005); 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 usually 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 8 December 2004 (next to be held December 2005) election results: Samuel SCHMID elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 70.7%; Moritz LEUENBERGER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 64.8%
Exports	1.37 million bbl/day (2004)	10,420 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities	motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum	machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products
Exports - partners	US 85.2%, Japan 2.1%, UK 1.6% (2004)	Germany 20.8%, US 11.3%, France 8.7%, Italy 8.3%, UK 4.9%, Japan 4% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white	red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $239.3 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2.3% industry: 26.4% services: 71.3% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $31,500 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $32,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2.4% (2004 est.)	-0.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	60 00 N, 95 00 W	47 00 N, 8 00 E
Geography - note	second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border	landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
Heliports	319 (2004)	2 (2003 est.)
Highways	total: 1,408,800 km paved: 497,306 km (including 16,900 km of expressways) unpaved: 911,494 km (2002)	total: 71,011 km paved: 71,011 km (including 1,638 of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 23.8% (1994)	lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 25.2% (1992)
Illicit drugs	illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector	a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin
Imports	987,000 bbl/day (2004)	289,500 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods	machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles
Imports - partners	US 58.9%, China 6.8%, Mexico 3.8% (2004)	Germany 32.3%, France 10.8%, Italy 10.7%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 5%, Austria 4.2%, UK 4.1% (2003)
Independence	1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (independence recognized)	1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Industrial production growth rate	2% (2004 est.)	0.4% (2003)
Industries	transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products; wood and paper products; fish products, petroleum and natural gas	machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Infant mortality rate	total: 4.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 4.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1.9% (2004 est.)	0.6% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC	ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land	7,200 sq km (1998 est.)	250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)	Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)
Labor force	17.37 million (2004)	3.72 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 3%, manufacturing 15%, construction 5%, services 74%, other 3% (2000)	agriculture 4.6%, industry 26.3%, services 69.1% (1998)
Land boundaries	total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)	total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Land use	arable land: 4.96% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 95.02% (2001)	arable land: 10.42% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.97% (2001)
Languages	English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%
Legal system	based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	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
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age; its normal limit is 105 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve for up to five-year terms) elections: House of Commons - last held 28 June 2004 (next to be held by NA 2009) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 36.7%, Conservative Party 29.6%, New Democratic Party 15.7%, Bloc Quebecois 12.4%, Greens 4.3%, independents 0.4%, other 0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 134, Conservative Party 99, Bloc Quebecois 54, New Democratic Party 19, independent 2	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 in most cantons 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held NA October 2007) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 26.6%, SPS 23.3%, FDP 17.3%, CVP 14.4%, Greens 7.4%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 54, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13, other small parties 14
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 80.1 years male: 76.73 years female: 83.63 years (2005 est.)	total population: 80.31 years male: 77.51 years female: 83.27 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% (1986 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: female:
Location	Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US	Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Map references	North America	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 169 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,784,229 GRT/2,657,499 DWT by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 49, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 65, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 6 foreign-owned: 6 (France 1, Germany 3, United States 2) registered in other countries: 112 (2005)	total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 604,843 GRT/1,050,914 DWT by type: bulk 15, cargo 6, chemical tanker 3, container 3, petroleum tanker 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Belgium 1, Netherlands 1, United Kingdom 6, United States 1 registered in other countries: 182 (2004 est.)
Military branches	Canadian Armed Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) to be operational in early 2006 (2005)	Land Forces, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$9,801.7 million (2003)	$2.548 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.1% (2003)	1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,890,091 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 1,606,391 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 45,654 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Canada Day, 1 July (1867)	Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Nationality	noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian	noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss
Natural hazards	continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains	avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Natural resources	iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower	hydropower potential, timber, salt
Net migration rate	5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2003)	gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party) [Stephen HARPER]; Green Party [Jim HARRIS]; Liberal Party [Paul MARTIN]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]	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]; 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) [Doris LEUTHARD, president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Marianne KLEINER-SCHLAEPFER, 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) [Hans-Juerg FEHR, 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 leaders	NA	NA
Population	32,805,041 (July 2005 est.)	7,450,867 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA
Population growth rate	0.9% (2005 est.)	0.54% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Fraser River Port, Goderich, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver	Basel
Radio broadcast stations	AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)	AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways	total: 48,683 km standard gauge: 48,683 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)	total: 4,533 km standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,004 km 1.000-m gauge (974 km electrified); 46 km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2003)
Religions	Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)	Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: country code - 1-xxx; 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)	general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	19,950,900 (2003)	5.419 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	13,221,800 (2003)	6.172 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)	115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast	mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Total fertility rate	1.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	7% (2004)	3.7% (2003 est.)
Waterways	631 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003)	65 km note: Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee, some canals, and 12 navigable lakes (2003)

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