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Compare Paracel Islands (2003) - Switzerland (2002)
Compare Paracel Islands (2003) z Switzerland (2002)
| Paracel Islands (2003) | Switzerland (2002) | |
 |  | |
| 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: 16.8% (male 629,513; female 597,472)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 2,512,273; female 2,433,396) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 461,722; female 667,618) (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | - | grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs |
| Airports | 1 (2002) | 66 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 41
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 14 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 25
under 914 m: 24 (2002) |
| Area | total: NA sq km
land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km |
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 | The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. | 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 | - | 9.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | - | revenues: $30 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 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 | 518 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | - | 29 May 1874 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel 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) |
| Currency | - | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Death rate | - | 8.79 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | - | $NA |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador Mercer REYNOLDS III
embassy: Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3001 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 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 | occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam | none |
| Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) (1995) |
| Economy - overview | China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. | 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. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. 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% and to about 0% in 2002. |
| Electricity - consumption | - | 52.62 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - exports | - | 31.4 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - imports | - | 24.33 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production | - | 64.182 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 4%
hydro: 57% nuclear: 37% other: 2% (2000) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, 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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea |
| Ethnic groups | - | German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% |
| Exchange rates | - | Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6668 (January 2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997) |
| Executive branch | - | chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); 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 NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA%; Ruth METZLER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
| Exports | - | $100.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | - | machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products |
| Exports - partners | - | EU 61% (Germany 22.2%, France 9%, Italy 8%, UK 5.3%), US 10.6%, Japan 3.9% (2001) |
| Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
| Flag description | - | 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 - $231 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 2%
industry: 34% services: 64% (2002 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $31,700 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | 2% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 16 30 N, 112 00 E | 47 00 N, 8 00 E |
| Geography - note | composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps |
| Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
| Highways | - | total: 71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways)
paved: 71,059 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1992) |
| Illicit drugs | - | because of more stringent government regulations, used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin |
| Imports | - | $94.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | - | machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles |
| Imports - partners | - | EU 79.9% (Germany 32.2%, France 11%, Italy 10.2%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 4.6%), US 5.1% (2001) |
| Independence | - | 1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
| Industrial production growth rate | - | 3.2% (2001) |
| Industries | - | machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments |
| Infant mortality rate | - | 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 0.5% (2002 est.) |
| International organization participation | - | ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000) |
| 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 | - | 4 million (2001) |
| Labor force - by occupation | - | services 69%, industry 26%, agriculture 5% (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% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 10.57%
permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.82% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | - | German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9% |
| 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 |
| 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 NA 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Green Party 9, other small parties 18 |
| Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 79.86 years
male: 76.98 years female: 82.89 years (2002 est.) |
| Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
| Maritime claims | NA | none (landlocked) |
| Merchant marine | - | total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 509,943 GRT/896,309 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 6, chemical tanker 4, petroleum tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:, United Kingdom 6, United States 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | occupied by China | - |
| Military branches | - | Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $2.548 billion (FY01) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1% (FY01) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,841,867 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,561,689 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 20 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 42,597 (2002 est.) |
| National holiday | - | Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) |
| Nationality | - | noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
| Natural hazards | typhoons | avalanches, landslides, flash floods |
| Natural resources | none | hydropower potential, timber, salt |
| Net migration rate | - | 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km |
| Political parties and leaders | - | 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) [Philipp STAEHELIN, president]; 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 and Patrice MUGNY, co-presidents]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Gerold BUEHRER, 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) [Christiane BRUNNER, 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 are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2003 est.) |
7,301,994 (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
| Population growth rate | - | 0.24% (2002 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded | Basel |
| Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 7.1 million (1997) |
| Railways | - | total: 4,406 km
standard gauge: 3,440 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 900 km 1.000-m gauge; 10 km 0.800-m gauge dual gauge: 56 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (3 rail system) note: Swiss railways are virtually all electrified (2001) |
| Religions | - | 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: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 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: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | - | 4.82 million (1998) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 1.967 million (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | - | 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995) |
| Terrain | mostly low and flat | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
| Total fertility rate | - | 1.47 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | - | 1.9% (2002 est.) |
| Waterways | none | 65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes |
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