Switzerland关于瑞士.docVIP

Switzerland Geography Area: 41,285 sq. km. (15,941 sq. mi.); about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Cities: Capital--Bern (population about 123,000). Other cities--Zurich (359,000), Geneva (180,000), Basel (164,000), Lausanne (119,000). Terrain: 40% mountains, the remainder hills and plateau. Switzerland straddles the central ranges of the Alps. Climate: Temperate, varying with altitude and season. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Swiss (singular and plural). Population (year-end 2009 est.): 7.8 million. Ethnic groups: Mixed European. Religions: Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 4.3%, others 5.4%, no religion 11%. Languages: German 63.7%, French 20.4%, Italian 6.5%, Romansch 0.5%, other 9.4%. Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--100%. Literacy--100%. Health: Infant mortality rate--3.9/1,000. Life expectancy--men 79.4 yrs., women 84.2 yrs. Work force (4.0 million in fourth quarter 2009): Agriculture and forestry--4.0%. Industry and construction--23.5%. Services sector and government--72.5%.Switzerland sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures, which have heavily influenced the countrys languages and cultural practices. Switzerland has four official languages--German, French, Italian, and Romansch (based on Latin and spoken by a small minority in the Canton Graubunden). The German spoken is predominantly a Swiss dialect, but newspapers and some media broadcasts use High German. Many Swiss speak more than one language. English is widely spoken, especially among the university educated.More than 75% of the population lives in the central plain, which stretches between the Alps and the Jura Mountains and from Geneva in the southwest to the Rhine River and Lake Constance in the northeast. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 21% of the population.According to the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics, the population in Switzerland was 7,701,900 at year-end 2008 (up from 7,593,500 in 2007), o