Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2006) - Switzerland (2005)

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2006) z Switzerland (2005)

	Holy See (Vatican City) (2006)	Switzerland (2005)

Administrative divisions	none	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: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Background	Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the Middle East, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.	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: $245.2 million expenditures: $260.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002)	revenues: $131.5 billion expenditures: $140.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	Bern
Climate	temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)	temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)	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: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)	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)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Francis ROONEY embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346	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: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036	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)
Economic aid - recipient	$0	-
Economy - overview	This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world (known as Peter's Pence); by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.	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	NA kWh	54.53 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh	32.3 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy	27.8 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	NA kWh	63.47 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m	lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification	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	Italians, Swiss, other	German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI	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	0 kWh	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	calendar year
Flag description	two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band	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	41 54 N, 12 27 E	47 00 N, 8 00 E
Geography - note	landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)	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	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy	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	11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century	1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Industrial production growth rate	-	4.7% (2004 est.)
Industries	printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities	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	CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WToO (observer), WTO (observer)	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	250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946	Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)
Labor force	NA	3.77 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican	agriculture 4.6%, industry 26.3%, services 69.1% (1998)
Land boundaries	total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 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% (urban area) (2005)	arable land: 10.42% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.97% (2001)
Languages	Italian, Latin, French, various other 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	based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it	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	unicameral Pontifical Commission	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: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)	Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Map references	Europe	Europe
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	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 Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard	-
Military branches	Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)	Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$2.548 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1% (FY01)
National holiday	Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)	Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Nationality	noun: none adjective: none	noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss
Natural hazards	NA	avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Natural resources	none	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	none	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	none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)	NA
Population	932 (July 2006 est.)	7,489,370 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA
Population growth rate	0.01% (2006 est.)	0.49% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Basel
Radio broadcast stations	AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)	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	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	limited to cardinals less than 80 years old	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian 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	5,120 (2005)	5.419 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	6.172 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2005)	115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	urban; low hill	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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