RAOnline Schweiz - Switzerland: Switzerland at a glance

Switzerland at a glance

Switzerland

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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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