res: 40%
forest and woodland: 26%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1989)

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
natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

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

People
------

Population: 7,207,060 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 638,728; female 610,546)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,495,325; female 2,405,226)
65 years and over: 15% (male 424,394; female 632,841) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.59% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 11.35 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 9.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.62 years
male: 74.58 years
female: 80.82 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss

Ethnic divisions:
total population: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%,
other 6%
Swiss nationals: German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%,
other 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1%
(1980)

Languages: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other
4%
note: figures for Swiss nationals only: German 74%, Fren