Head of state: Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi Prime minister: Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi
Federal President (rotating): Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (until 1 Jan 2013)
Population
194,320
7,925,517
Life Expectancy
72.660 years
81.170 years
Capital City
Bern
Largest city
Apia (population: 40,407)
Zurich (population: 341,730)
Human Development Index
0.76
0.955
GDP per capita
$43,900 US
Literacy Rate
99.7%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
4.4
9
Percentage of Women in Parliament
8.2%
27.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ernesto Bertarelli ($8.2bn US)
Unemployment Rate
3.100%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
parliamentary democracy
formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
Independence date
1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Religions
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)
Languages
Samoan (Polynesian), English
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 (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages
