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Switzerland at a glance
Switzerland
Switzerland Overview
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Schweiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra Switzerland
Name: the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica)
Climate: temperate
RAOnline: Swiss Climate
Location: Central Europe, bordering France to the west, Liechtenstein and Austria to
the east, Germany to the north and Italy to the south
Area: 41,284 km2
Capital: Bern
Population: 8,112,207 ( 2013)
Languages: (percentage of resident speakers): 2000
German (64%), French (20%), Italian (6%),
Romansch (1%), others (9%)
Religion: Roman Catholic: 41.8% (2000)
Protestant: 33.0%
Jewish: 0.2%
Muslim: 4.3%
no religious affiliation: 11.1%
National Day: August 1
System of government: democratic federal Republic
Parliament: bicameral Federal Assembly consisting of:
National Council with 200 members
Governing parties: the four most important parties forming the government are:
- Radical Democratic Party (FDP)
- Swiss Socialist Party (SPS)
- Christian Democratic Party (CVP)
- Swiss People's Party (SVP)

Churches: Roman Catholic: 41% (2000)
Protestant: 33%
Administrative structure: markedly federalist state consisting of 20 cantons and 6 half-cantons with wide-ranging powers
Principal media: 1. Radio
Schweizer Radio SRF SR 1, 2, 3 with three channels each for the French,
German and Italian areas of Switzerland;
Swiss Radio International (SRI) broadcasting worldwide on short wave in
seven languages;
various regional and local radio stations

2. Television
Schweizer Fernsehen SRF 1 and 2 broadcasts programmes by the
Schweizerische Radio- and Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG) for the three
language areas;
commercial TV stations: various regional and local TV stations, TV 3+ , TV 4+(nationwide)

3. high-circulation papers:

daily newspapers:
Blick (Boulevardzeitung)
TagesAnzeiger Zürich
Berner Zeitung
Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)
Die Südostschweiz
Mittelland Zeitung
St. Galler Tagblatt
Basler Zeitung
Der Bund
Le Temps
newspapers published on Sunday:
SonntagsBlick
SonntagsZeitung
NZZ am Sonntag
weekly newspapers:
Die Weltwoche
Facts (Magazin)
L'Hebdo (Magazin)

4. Press Agency
Schweizerische Depeschen-Agentur (SDA)

Currency: Swiss franc
Religion: Roman Catholic: 41.8% (2000)
Protestant: 33.0%
Jewish: 0.2%
Muslim: 4.3%
no religious affiliation: 11.1%
National Day: August 1
System of government: democratic federal Republic
Parliament: bicameral Federal Assembly consisting of:
National Council with 200 members
Governing parties: the four most important parties forming the government are:
- Radical Democratic Party (FDP)
- Swiss Socialist Party (SPS)
- Christian Democratic Party (CVP)
- Swiss People's Party (SVP)
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