Background: The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three
cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The
Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499.
Switzerland's sovreignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major
European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World
Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half
century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international
organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However,
the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland
remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong
commitment to neutrality.
Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Population: 7,489,370 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.6% (male 643,497/female 597,565)
15-64 years:
68% (male 2,570,544/female 2,522,365)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male
472,769/female 682,630) (2005 est.)
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