Cantons of Switzerland

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Template other Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists The 26 cantons of SwitzerlandTemplate:NoteTag are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important periods in the development of the Old Swiss Confederacy are summarized by the terms ('Eight Cantons'; from 1353 to 1481) and ('Thirteen Cantons', from 1513 to 1798).

Each canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy, formerly also ('lieu/locality', from before 1450), or ('estate', from c. Template:Trim), was a fully sovereign state with its own border controls, army, and currency from at least the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848, with a brief period of centralised government during the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803). The term has been widely used since the 19th century.

The number of cantons was increased to 19 with the Act of Mediation (1803), with the recognition of former subject territories as full cantons. The Federal Treaty of 1815 increased the number to 22 due to the accession of former associates of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The canton of Jura acceded as the 23rd canton with its secession from Bern in 1979. The official number of cantons was increased to 26 in the federal constitution of 1999, which designated former half-cantons as cantons.

The areas of the cantons vary from 37 km² (15 sq. mi.) (Basel-Stadt) to 7,105 km² (2743 sq. mi.) (Grisons); the populations (as of 2018) range from 16,000 (Appenzell Innerrhoden) to 1.5 million (Zürich).

Terminology

The term canton, now also used as the English term for administrative subdivisions of other countries, originates in French usage in the late 15th century (recorded in Fribourg in 1467), from a word for "edge, corner", at the time the literal translation of Early Modern High German . After 1490, was increasingly used in French and Italian documents to refer to the members of the Swiss Confederacy. English use of canton in reference to the Swiss Confederacy (as opposed to the heraldic sense) dates to the early 17th century.

In the Old Swiss Confederacy, the term Template:Wikt-lang (plural: ) was in use from the early 15th century as a generic term for the member cantons. The founding cantons specifically were also known as 'forest settlements' (singular: ). The formulaic for the members of the early confederacy is recorded in the mid-14th century, used interchangeably with ('cities and lands', 'city cantons and rural cantons') until the late 15th century. was increasingly replaced by (plural: ) 'estate' about 1550, a term taken to imply liberty and sovereignty. Abolished in the Helvetic Republic, the term 'Stand' was revived in 1815 and remains in use today.

The French term adopted into German after 1648, and then only in occasional use until the early 19th century: prominent usage of and gradually disappeared in German-speaking Switzerland from the time of the Helvetic Republic. Only with the Act of Mediation of 1803 did German become an official designation, retained in the Swiss Constitution of 1848.

The term (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) remains in synonymous usage and is reflected in the name of the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament, the Council of States (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx).

In the modern era, since Neuchâtel ceased to be a principality in 1848, all Swiss cantons can be considered to have a republican form of government. Some cantons formally describe themselves as republics in their constitutions. This applies to the Romance-speaking cantons in particular: Geneva (formally , 'Republic and canton of Geneva'), Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud and Ticino.

History

File:Karte 13 Alte Orte.png

The "Thirteen-Canton Confederation" of the Old Swiss Confederacy (1513–1798)

In the 16th century, the Old Swiss Confederacy was composed of 13 sovereign confederate allies (the Thirteen Cantons; Template:Langx), and there were two different kinds: five rural states (Template:Langx) – Uri, Schwyz (which became eponymous of the confederacy), Unterwalden, Glarus, Appenzell – and eight urban states (Template:Langx) – Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Zug, Basel, Fribourg, Solothurn, Schaffhausen.

Though they were technically part of the Holy Roman Empire, they had become de facto independent when the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximilian I in 1499 in Dornach.

In the early modern period, the individual confederate allies came to be seen as republics; while the six traditional allies had a tradition of direct democracy in the form of the Landsgemeinde, the urban states operated via representation in city councils, de facto oligarchic systems dominated by families of the patriciate.Template:NoteTag

The old system was abandoned with the formation of the Helvetic Republic following the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798. The cantons of the Helvetic Republic had merely the status of an administrative subdivision with no sovereignty. The Helvetic Republic collapsed within five years, and cantonal sovereignty was restored with the Act of Mediation of 1803. The status of Switzerland as a federation of states was restored, at the time including 19 cantons (the six accessions to the early modern Thirteen Cantons being composed of former associates and subject territories: St. Gallen, Grisons, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud). Three additional western cantons, Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva, acceded in 1815.

The process of "Restoration", completed by 1830, returned most of the former feudal rights to the cantonal patriciates, leading to rebellions among the rural population. The Radicals embodied these democratic forces calling for a new federal constitution. This tension, paired with religious issues ("Jesuit question") escalated into armed conflict in the 1840s, with the brief Sonderbund War. The victory of the Liberal-Radicals resulted in the formation of Switzerland as a federal state in 1848. The cantons retained far-reaching sovereignty but were no longer allowed to maintain individual standing armies or international relations. As the revolutions of 1848 in Western Europe had failed elsewhere, Switzerland during the later 19th century (and with the exception of the French Third Republic, until the end of World War I) found itself as an isolated democratic republic, surrounded by the restored monarchies of France, Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Constitutions and powers

File:Federal Cupola.jpg

The 22 cantonal coats of arms (all but Jura, with the half-cantons represented jointly) in stained glass set in the dome of the Federal Palace of Switzerland (c. Template:Trim)

The Swiss Federal Constitution declares the cantons to be sovereign to the extent that their sovereignty is not limited by federal law. Areas specifically reserved to the Confederation include the armed forces, currency, postal service, telecommunications, immigration and emigration, the granting of asylum, foreign relations with sovereign states, civil and criminal law, weights and measures, and customs duties.

Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, executive, police and courts. Similar to the Confederation, a directorial system of government is followed by the cantons.

The cantonal legislatures are unicameral parliaments, with their size varying between 58 and 200 seats. A few legislatures also involve or did involve general popular assemblies known as Landsgemeinden; the use of this form of legislature has declined: at present, it exists only in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. The cantonal executives consist of either five or seven members, depending on the canton. For the names of the institutions, see the list of cantonal executives and list of cantonal legislatures.

The cantons retain all powers and competencies not delegated to the Confederation by the federal constitution or law: most significantly the cantons are responsible for healthcare, welfare, law enforcement, public education, and retain the power of taxation. Each canton defines its official language(s). Cantons may conclude treaties not only with other cantons but also with foreign states (respectively Articles 48 and 56 of the Federal Constitution).

The cantonal constitutions determine the internal organisation of the canton, including the degree of autonomy accorded to the municipalities, which varies but almost always includes the power to levy taxes and pass municipal laws; some municipalities have their own police forces.

As at the federal level, all cantons provide for some form of direct democracy. Citizens may demand a popular vote to amend the cantonal constitution or laws or to veto laws or spending bills passed by the parliament. Other than in the instances of general popular assemblies in Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus, democratic rights are exercised by secret ballot. The right of foreigners to vote varies by canton, as does whether Swiss citizens living abroad (and registered to vote in a canton) can take part in cantonal voting.

Swiss citizens are citizens of a particular municipality (the place of origin) and the canton in which that municipality is part. Cantons, therefore, have a role in and set requirements for the granting of citizenship (naturalisation), though the process is typically undertaken at a municipal level and is subject to federal law.

Switzerland has only one federal public holiday (1 August); public holidays otherwise vary from canton to canton.

List

The cantons are listed in their order of precedence given in the federal constitution.Template:NoteTag This reflects the historical order of precedence of the Eight Cantons in the 15th century, followed by the remaining cantons in the order of their historical accession to the confederacy.

	Arms Template:NoteTag	Code	Name in official language(s)	Name in English	As a Swiss canton since	Capital	GDP (2020) in million CHF	GDP per capita (2020) in CHF	Population Template:NoteTag	Area (km2)	Density (per km2) Template:NoteTag	No. munic. (2018)	Official languages
1	Coat of arms of Zürich	ZH		Zurich	1351	Zurich	149,004	96,359	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	166	German
2	Coat of arms of Bern	BE	;	Bern / Berne	1353	Bern	80,209	77,027	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	347	German, French
3	Coat of arms of Luzern	LU		Lucerne	1332	Lucerne	28,176	67,936	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	83	German
4	Coat of arms of Uri	UR		Uri	1291 Template:NoteTag	Altdorf	1,985	54,006	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	20	German
5	Coat of arms of Schwyz	SZ		Schwyz	1291 Template:NoteTag	Schwyz	9,876	61,223	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	30	German
6	Coat of arms of Obwalden	OW		Obwalden / Obwald	1291 Template:NoteTag or 1315 (as part of Unterwalden)	Sarnen	2,564	67,453	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	7	German
7	Coat of arms of Nidwalden	NW		Nidwalden / Nidwald	1291 Template:NoteTag (as Unterwalden)	Stans	2,867	66,209	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	11	German
8	Coat of arms of Glarus	GL		Glarus	1352	Glarus	2,763	67,849	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	3	German
9	Coat of arms of Zug	ZG		Zug / Zoug	1352	Zug	20,029	156,210	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	11	German
10	Coat of arms of Fribourg	FR	;	Fribourg	1481	Fribourg	19,180	59,263	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	136	French, German
11	Coat of arms of Solothurn	SO		Solothurn / Soleure	1481	Solothurn	18,029	65,237	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	109	German
12	Coat of arms of Basel-City	BS		Basel-Stadt / Basle-City	1501 (as Basel until 1833/1999)	Basel	37,168	189,354	style=padding-right:1em Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	3	German
13	Coat of arms of Basel-Country	BL		Basel-Landschaft / Basle-Country	1501 (as Basel until 1833/1999)	Liestal	20,567	70,866	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	86	German
14	Coat of arms of Schaffhausen	SH		Schaffhausen / Schaffhouse	1501	Schaffhausen	7,244	87,569	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	26	German
15	Coat of arms of Appenzell Ausserrhoden	AR		Appenzell Ausserrhoden / Appenzell Outer-Rhodes	1513 (as Appenzell until 1597/1999)	HerisauTemplate:NoteTag	3,190	57,601	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	20	German
16	Coat of arms of Appenzell Innerrhoden	AI		Appenzell Innerrhoden / Appenzell Inner-Rhodes	1513 (as Appenzell until 1597/1999)	Appenzell	1,043	64,358	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	6	German
17	Coat of arms of St. Gallen	SG		St. Gallen / St Gall	1803 Template:NoteTag	St. Gallen	38,041	74,210	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	77	German
18	Coat of arms of Graubünden	GR	; ;	Grisons / Graubünden	1803 Template:NoteTag	Chur	14,519	72,754	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	108	German, Romansh, Italian
19	Coat of arms of Aargau	AG		Aargau / Argovia	1803 Template:NoteTag	Aarau	43,590	63,177	style=padding-right:1em Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	212	German
20	Coat of arms of Thurgau	TG		Thurgau / Thurgovia	1803 Template:NoteTag	FrauenfeldTemplate:NoteTag	17,208	61,190	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	80	German
21	Coat of arms of Ticino	TI		Ticino / Tessin	1803 Template:NoteTag	Bellinzona	29,311	83,450	style=padding-right:1em Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	115	Italian
22	Coat of arms of Vaud	VD		Vaud	1803 Template:NoteTag	Lausanne	56,898	70,250	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	309	French
23	Coat of arms of Valais	VS	;	Valais	1815 Template:NoteTag	Sion	19,194	55,313	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	126	French, German
24	Coat of arms of Neuchâtel	NE		Neuchâtel	1815/1857 Template:NoteTag	Neuchâtel	15,343	87,080	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	31	French
25	Coat of arms of Geneva	GE		Geneva	1815 Template:NoteTag	Geneva	51,976	102,876	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	45	French
26	Coat of arms of Jura	JU		Jura	1979 Template:NoteTag	Delémont	4,687	63,643	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	55	French
-	Coat of arms of Switzerland	CH	; ; ;	Swiss Confederation	1815/1848 Template:NoteTag	(Bern)	694,662	80,418	style=padding-right:1em; Template:Swiss populations refTemplate:Density	2,222	German, French, Italian, Romansh

The two-letter abbreviations for Swiss cantons are widely used, e.g. on car license plates. They are also used in the ISO 3166-2 codes of Switzerland with the prefix "CH-" ( — Helvetian Confederation —  having been the ancient Roman name of the region). CH-SZ, for example, is used for the canton of Schwyz.

Half-cantons

Six of the 26 cantons are traditionally, but no longer officially, called "half-cantons" (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx). In two instances (Basel and Appenzell) this was a consequence of a historic division, whilst in the case of Unterwalden a historic mutual association, resulting in three pairs of half-cantons. The other 20 cantons were, and in some instances still are—though only in a context where it is needed to distinguish them from any half-cantons—typically termed "full" cantons in English.

The first article of the 1848 and 1874 constitutions constituted the Confederation as the union of "twenty-two sovereign cantons", referring to the half-cantons as "Unterwalden ( ['above and beneath the woods'])", "Basel ( ['city and country'])" and "Appenzell ( ['both Rhoden'])". The 1874 constitution was amended to list 23 cantons with the accession of the Canton of Jura in 1978.

The historic half-cantons, and their pairings, are still recognizable in the first article of the Swiss Federal Constitution of 1999 by being joined to their other "half" with the conjunction "and":

The People and the cantons of Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden, St. Gallen, Graubünden, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva, and Jura form the Swiss Confederation.

— Template:Comma separated entries

The 1999 constitutional revision retained the traditional distinction, on the request of the six cantonal governments, as a way to mark the historic association of the half-cantons to each other. While the older constitutions referred to these states as "half-cantons", a term that remains in popular use, the 1999 revision and official terminology since then use the appellation "cantons with half of a cantonal vote".

The 1⁄2, 1 and 2 francs coins as minted since 1874 represent the number of cantons by 22 stars surrounding the figure of Helvetia on the obverse. The design of the coins was altered to show 23 stars, including Jura, beginning with the 1983 batch. The design has remained unchanged since, and does not reflect the official number of "26 cantons" introduced in 1999.

File:Karikatur Teilung Basels.jpg

Caricature of the division of Basel, 1833

The reasons for the existence of the three pairs of half-cantons are varied:

• Unterwalden never consisted of a single unified jurisdiction. Originally, Obwalden, Nidwalden, and the Abbey of Engelberg formed distinct communities. The collective term Unterwalden remains in use, however, for the area that partook in the creation of the original Swiss confederation in 1291 with Uri and Schwyz. The Federal Charter of 1291 called for representatives from each of the three "areas".
• The historical canton of Appenzell divided itself into "inner" and "outer" halves as a consequence of the Reformation in Switzerland in 1597: Appenzell Innerrhoden (Catholic) and Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Protestant).
• The historical canton of Basel was divided in 1833 after the Basel countryside (which became the canton of Basel-Landschaft) declared its independence from the city of Basel (which became the canton of Basel-Stadt), following a period of protest and armed conflict about the under-representation of the more populous countryside in the canton's political system.

With their original circumstances of partition now a historical matter, the half-cantons are since 1848 equal to the other cantons in all but two respects:

• They elect only one member of the Council of States instead of two (Cst. art. 150 par. 2). This means there are a total of 46 seats in the council.
• In popular referendums about constitutional amendments, which require for adoption a national popular majority as well as the assent of a majority of the cantons ( / ), the result of the half-cantons' popular vote counts only one half of that of the other cantons (Cst. arts. 140, 142). This means that for purposes of a constitutional referendum, at least 12 out of a total of 23 cantonal popular votes must support the amendment.

Between 1831 and 1833 the canton of Schwyz was divided into half-cantons: (Inner) Schwyz and the break-away Outer Schwyz; in this instance, the half-cantons were forced by the Confederation to settle their disputes and reunite.

In the 20th century, some Jura separatists suggested a new canton of Jura to be divided into half-cantons of North Jura and South Jura. Instead, North Jura became the (full) canton of Jura while South Jura remains in the canton of Bern as the region of Bernese Jura.

Names in national languages

The name of each canton in its own official language is shown in bold.

Abbr	EnglishTemplate:NoteTag	German	French	Italian	Romansh
AG	Aargau; Argovia	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Argovie	Argovia	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
AI	Appenzell Innerrhoden; Appenzell Inner-Rhodes	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures	Appenzello Interno	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
AR	Appenzell Ausserrhoden; Appenzell Outer-Rhodes	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures	Appenzello Esterno	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
BS	Basel-Stadt; Basle-City	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Bâle-Ville	Basilea Città	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
BL	Basel-Landschaft; Basle-Country	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Bâle-Campagne	Basilea Campagna	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
BE	Bern; Berne	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Berne	Berna	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
FR	Fribourg; Friburg	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Fribourg	Friburgo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
GE	Genève; Geneva	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Genève	Ginevra	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
GL	Glarus; Glaris	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Glaris	Glarona	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
GR	Grisons; Graubünden	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Grisons	Grigioni	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
JU	Jura	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Jura	Giura	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
LU	Lucerne	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Lucerne	Lucerna	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
NE	Neuchâtel	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Neuchâtel	Neuchâtel	Neuchâtel
NW	Nidwalden; Nidwald	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Nidwald	Nidvaldo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
OW	Obwalden; Obwald	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Obwald	Obvaldo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
SH	Schaffhausen; Schaffhouse	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Schaffhouse	Sciaffusa	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
SZ	Schwyz	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Schwyz (or Schwytz)	Svitto	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
SO	Solothurn; Soleure	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Soleure	Soletta	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
SG	St. Gallen; St Gall	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Saint-Gall	San Gallo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
TG	Thurgau; Thurgovia	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Thurgovie	Turgovia	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
TI	Ticino; Tessin	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Tessin	Ticino	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
UR	Uri	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Uri	Uri	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
VS	Valais; Wallis	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Valais	Vallese	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
VD	Vaud	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Vaud	Vaud	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
ZG	Zug; Zoug	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Zoug	Zugo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler
ZH	Zürich; Zurich	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler	Zurich	Zurigo	Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler

Admission of new cantons

The enlargement of Switzerland by way of the admission of new cantons ended in 1815. The latest formal attempt considered by Switzerland was in 1919 from Vorarlberg but subsequently rejected. A few representatives submitted in 2010 a parliamentary motion to consider enlargement although it was widely seen as anti-EU rhetoric rather than a serious proposal. The motion was eventually dropped and not even examined by the parliament.

See also

• Cantonal bank
• Cantonal police
• Conference of the Cantonal Governments
• Template:Section link
• Flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland
• List of Swiss cantons by GDP
• List of cantons of Switzerland by elevation
• Spatial planning in Switzerland

References

Sources

• . Cited as Ehrenzeller.
• Cited as Häfelin.

External links

• Swissworld.org – The cantons of Switzerland
• Swisskarte.ch – Maps of the Cantons of Switzerland
• GeoPuzzleTemplate:Spaced ndashAssemble cantons on a Swiss map
• BadacTemplate:Spaced ndashDatabase on Swiss cantons and cities Template:In lang