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-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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, 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

People

Population: 7,275,467 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 639,970; female 611,876)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,509,988; female 2,417,580)
65 years and over: 15% (male 444,482; female 651,571) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.2% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.53 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.06 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.99 years
male: 75.83 years
female: 82.32 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%,
other 6%

Religions: Roman Catholic 46.1%, Prot