g hills, plains, and large lakes

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m

highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use: arable land: 10%

permanent crops: 2%

permanent pastures: 28%

forests and woodland: 32%

other: 28% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Environment - current issues: 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

Geography - note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern
Europe; along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains
the highest elevations in Europe

Switzerland People

Population: 7,283,274 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.97% (male 634,030; female 601,929)

15-64 years: 67.73% (male 2,505,450; female 2,427,408)

65 years and over: 15.3% (male 453,366; female 661,091) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.27% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 10.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

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 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.73 years

male: 76.85 years

female: 82.76 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.46% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 17,0