(July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 83 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); 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%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1%
(1980)

_#_Language: total population--German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%,
Romansch 1%, other 4%; Swiss nationals--German 74%, French 20%, Italian
4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1980 est.)

_#_Labor force: 3,310,000; 904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian;
services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and
forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)

_#_Organized labor: 20% of labor force

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Swiss Confederation

_#_Type: federal republic

_#_Capital: Bern

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

_#_Independence: 1 August 1291

_#_Constitution: 29 May 1874

_#_Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal
decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss
Confederation, 1 August (1291)

_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council
(German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio
Federale)

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly
(German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale,
Italian--Assemblea Federale) consists of an upper council or Council
of States (German--Stand