Compare Coral Sea Islands (2004) - Switzerland (2005)

Compare Coral Sea Islands (2004) z Switzerland (2005)

	Coral Sea Islands (2004)	Switzerland (2005)

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
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 16.6% (male 643,497/female 597,565) 15-64 years: 68% (male 2,570,544/female 2,522,365) 65 years and over: 15.4% (male 472,769/female 682,630) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Airports	-	65 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	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: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.)
Area	total: less than 3 sq km land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important	total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km
Area - comparative	NA	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Background	Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.	The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovreignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country 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	-	9.77 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $131.5 billion expenditures: $140.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	-	Bern
Climate	tropical	temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Coastline	3,095 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	-	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: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands	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)
Death rate	-	8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$NA (2000)
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	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	none (territory of Australia)	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	none	none
Economic aid - donor	-	ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)
Economy - overview	no economic activity	Switzerland is a peaceful, 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, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004. Even so, unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.
Electricity - consumption	-	54.53 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	32.3 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	27.8 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	63.47 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m	lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Environment - current issues	no permanent fresh water resources	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, 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	-	German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Exchange rates	-	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000)
Executive branch	administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories	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	-	10,420 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products
Exports - partners	-	Germany 20.2%, US 10.5%, France 8.7%, Italy 8.3%, UK 5.1%, Spain 4% (2004)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $33,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1.8% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 S, 152 00 E	47 00 N, 8 00 E
Geography - note	important nesting area for birds and turtles	landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
Heliports	-	2 (2004 est.)
Highways	-	total: 71,212 km paved: 71,212 km (including 1,706 of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 25.2% (1992)
Illicit drugs	-	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	-	289,500 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles
Imports - partners	-	Germany 32.8%, Italy 11.3%, France 9.9%, US 5.2%, Netherlands 5%, Austria 4.3% (2004)
Independence	-	1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Industrial production growth rate	-	4.7% (2004 est.)
Industries	-	machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 4.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	0.9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	-	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	0 sq km (1998 est.)	250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)
Labor force	-	3.77 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 4.6%, industry 26.3%, services 69.1% (1998)
Land boundaries	0 km	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: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2001)	arable land: 10.42% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.97% (2001)
Languages	-	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages
Legal system	the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply	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 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 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: 80.39 years male: 77.58 years female: 83.36 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia	Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Map references	Oceania	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	-	total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 604,843 GRT/1,050,914 DWT by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, container 3 foreign-owned: 6 (United Kingdom 6) registered in other countries: 291 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors	-
Military branches	-	Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$2.548 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1% (FY01)
National holiday	-	Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Nationality	-	noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss
Natural hazards	occasional tropical cyclones	avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Natural resources	NEGL	hydropower potential, timber, salt
Net migration rate	-	3.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	-	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
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station (2004 est.)	7,489,370 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	0.49% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	Basel
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways	-	total: 4,527 km standard gauge: 3,232 km 1.435-m gauge (3,211 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,285 km 1.000-m gauge (1,273 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2004)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)
Sex ratio	-	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 (2005 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	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	-	5.419 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	6.172 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	-	115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)	mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Total fertility rate	-	1.42 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	3.4% (2004 est.)
Waterways	-	65 km note: Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee, some canals, and 12 navigable lakes (2003)

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