Brief Introduction Capital: Bern Area: total: 41284 sq km National Flower: edelweiss The important Festival: National day: August 1 Population: 741,840,000 Language: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9% Currency: CHF

Switzerland

Geography

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy.

Administrative divisions

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich .

Economy – overview

Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003.

Newspaper:

20 Minuten, Bauernzeitung, Gazeta Lusófona, Handelszeitung, Der, Tages-Anzeiger, Sonntagsblick, Schweizerische Beobachter, Der.

Broadcast:

DRS, SF.

TV Stations:

SF, TSR Téléjournal