*France-Full country name: French Republic
Area: 547,000 sq km (213,330 sq mi)
Population: 59 million
Capital city: Paris (pop 10.95 million)
People: 92% French, 3% North African, 2% German, 1% Breton, 2% Other (including Provencal, Catalan & Basque)
Language: French (also Flemish, Alsacian, Breton, Basque, Catalan, Provencal & Corsican)
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Muslim, 1% Jewish, 6% unaffiliated
Government: Democracy
President: Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister: Jean-Pierre Raffarin
*Switzerland-Full country name: Swiss Confederation
Area: 41,295 sq km (16,105 sq mi)
Population: 7.3 million
Capital city: Bern (pop 130,000)
People: 74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian & 1% Romansch
Language: German, French, Italian & Romansch
Religion: 49% Roman Catholic & 48% Protestant
Government: Federal republic
President: Kaspar Villiger
*Austria-Full country name: The Republic of Austria
Area: 83,854 sq km (32,367 sq mi)
Population: 8,139,000
Capital city: Vienna (pop: 1.64 million)
People: 97% Germanic origin, 2% Slovene & Croat and 1% Turkish
Language: 97% German, plus some Turkish, Slovene and Croat
Religion: 88% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant
Government: Federal Republic
President: Thomas Klestil
Chancellor: Wolfgang Schuessel
*Italy-Full country name: Italian Republic
Area: 301,250 sq km (117,487 sq mi)
Population: 57.6 million
Capital city: Rome (pop 3.6 million)
People: Italian
Languages: standard Italian and numerous dialects, German, French, Slovene
Religions: 85% Roman Catholic, 5% Jewish and Protestant
Government: Republic
Prime Minister: Silvio Berlusconi
sources: www.lonelyplanet.com