| Area |
41,284 sq km (15,940 sq miles). |
| Capital City |
Bern |
| Poplulation |
7,261,210 (official estimate 2001).
|
| Population Density |
175.9 per sq km |
Language |
65 to 70 per cent German in central and eastern areas, 19 per cent French in the west and 8 per cent Italian in the south. Raeto-Romansch is spoken in the southeast by 1 per cent. English is spoken by many. Overlapping cultural influences characterise the country.
|
| Head of State Government |
President Samuel Schmid since 2005. |
| Time |
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). |
| Electricity |
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
|
| Religion |
Roman Catholic (43 per cent) and Protestant (47 per cent).
|
| Government |
Federal Republic since 1848 |
