Geography of Switzerland

Land Use

Land use

Main areas	Surface (in %)	Land use	Surface (in ha)
Surfaces of housing and infrastructure	6.8	Building areas	137,564
		Industrial areas	20,233
		Special infrastructure areas	16,111
		Green spaces and recreation areas	15,860
		Transportation areas	89,329
Agricultural land	36.9	Orchards, vineyards, horticulture	60,956
		Arable land, local pastures	926,378
		Alpine pastures	537,802
Forests	30.8	Forest	1,102,160
		Scrub forests	60,514
		Other woodlands	108,978
Unproductive areas	25.5	Lakes	142,234
		Rivers	31,724
		Unproductive vegetation	263,051
		Unvegetated surfaces	615,597

The Swiss territory is divided into four major types of land use. As of 2001, 36.9% of the land in Switzerland was used for farming. 30.8% of the country is covered with forests and woodlands, with an additional 6.8% covered with houses or buildings. About one-fourth (25.5%) of the country is either mountains, lakes or rivers and is categorised as unproductive.

Read more about this topic: Geography Of Switzerland