(WIPO code: CH) (latest review March 2024)

by KATZAROV SA, Patent & Trademark Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys, Geneva, Switzerland

General Information

Area

41,277 sq. km; agricultural land 38.7%, forests 31.5%, lakes and rivers and other unproductive areas 29.8%.

Population

8,563,760 (2023).

Capital

Bern.

Official languages

German (spoken by about 62.1% of the population), French (22.8%), Italian (8%), and Romansch (0.5%).

Currency

Swiss franc (CHF).

Administration

The Swiss Confederation comprises 26 republics (cantons) with partial independence, each having its own parliament, government and courts. The Federal Parliament and government are located in the capital Bern; the Federal Supreme Court is in Lausanne.

Imports

225.8 billion CHF (2023).

Exports

274.3 billion CHF (2023).