_#_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