The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovreignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Full Name: Swiss Confederation
Area: 41,290 sq km (land: 39,770 sq km, water: 1,520 sq km)
Population: 7,554,661 (July 2007 est.)
Capital City: Bern
People: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Language: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census)
Religion: Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)
Government Type: Federal republic
Chief of State President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 1 January 2007); Vice President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of Government: President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 1 January 2007); Vice President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2007)
GDP: $US 255.5 billion (2006 est.)
GDP per Capita: $US 34,000 (2006 est.)
Inflation: 1.2% (2006 est.)
Unemployment: 3.3% (2006 est.)
Industries: Machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, and insurance
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Member of EU: No
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