Benken, St. Gallen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benken
Coat of arms
Benken Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Benken Location in Canton of St. Gallen Show map of Canton of St. Gallen
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	See-Gaster
Area
• Total	16.5 km2 (6.4 sq mi)
Elevation	420 m (1,380 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	2,994
• Density	181.5/km2 (470.0/sq mi)
Postal code	8717
Surrounded by	Bilten (GL), Kaltbrunn, Reichenburg (SZ), Schänis, Schübelbach (SZ), Tuggen (SZ), Uznach

Benken is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It's located in the canton of St. Gallen. Benken is part of the See-Gaster area.

Benken's History

Benken has a long history! The town was first written about way back in the year 741. Back then, it was known by a different name: Babinchova.

Exploring Benken's Geography

Aerial view of Benken in 1948

A modern view of Benken from the air

Benken covers an area of about 16.4 square kilometers (about 6.3 square miles). A large part of this land, about 72.8%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 12.6% of the area.

About 9.1% of Benken's land has buildings or roads. The remaining 5.5% includes natural features like rivers or lakes.

How Benken's Landscape Changed

Benken is located along the Linth river. The land around Benken has changed a lot over hundreds of years. In the Middle Ages, the village was next to a swampy river.

Big projects helped change the area:

• The Linth river was controlled between 1807 and 1823.
• A land improvement project happened from 1941 to 1964.

Now, Benken is surrounded by rich farmland. The municipality includes the main village of Benken along the Linth river. It also has smaller settlements called hamlets like Giessen, Sand, and Dorf. You can also find scattered farmhouses in the valley and on Büchel hill.

Benken's Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is like a special symbol for a town or family. Benken's coat of arms is yellow. It shows a red lion standing up. The lion is holding a black key pointing downwards to the left.

Understanding Benken's People

Benken has a population of 2,994 people. In 2007, about 11.7% of the people living in Benken were from other countries.

Languages Spoken in Benken

Most people in Benken speak German, about 93.2% of the population. The second most common language is Albanian, spoken by about 1.9% of the people. Italian is the third most common language, spoken by about 0.9%.

Age Groups in Benken

Here's a look at the different age groups in Benken (as of 2000):

• Children aged 0-9: 14.3%
• Teenagers aged 10-19: 17.5%
• Young adults aged 20-29: 11.0%
• Adults aged 30-39: 16.5%
• Adults aged 40-49: 14.6%
• Adults aged 50-59: 10.8%
• Seniors aged 60-69: 7.0%
• Seniors aged 70-79: 5.4%
• Seniors aged 80-89: 2.4%
• Seniors aged 90-99: 0.5%
• People 100 or older: 0.1%

Education in Benken

Many people in Switzerland are well-educated. In Benken, about 63.2% of adults (aged 25-64) have finished high school or gone on to higher education like university.

Here's a breakdown of education levels in Benken (as of 2000):

• 25.3% of people finished primary school.
• 32.0% finished secondary school.
• 7.6% went to a tertiary school (like a university).

Benken's Population Over Time

Here's how Benken's population has grown over the years:

Benken's Economy

In 2007, Benken had a low unemployment rate of 1.1%. This means most people who wanted to work had jobs.

Jobs in Benken

Benken's economy has different types of jobs:

• Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming. In 2005, about 231 people worked in this area.
• Secondary sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. About 432 people worked in this sector.
• Tertiary sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, offices, and healthcare. About 336 people worked in this sector.

Many people who live in Benken also work in other towns. In 2000, 475 residents worked in Benken, while 682 worked outside the municipality. Also, 384 people came into Benken for work from other places.

Getting Around Benken: Transport

Benken railway station is a train stop in Benken. It's on the train line that connects Rapperswil and Ziegelbrücke.

You can catch two different train services here:

• The S17 train goes between Rapperswil and Sargans.
• The S6 train connects Rapperswil with Schwanden.

Both trains run once an hour. This means you can catch a train to Rapperswil or Ziegelbrücke about every half hour.

Religion in Benken

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Benken are Roman Catholic, about 79.4%. About 8.3% of the population belongs to the Swiss Reformed Church.

A small number of people belong to other Christian churches, including the Orthodox Church. About 1.8% of the population is Islamic. Some people belong to other faiths, or do not belong to any church.

See also

In Spanish: Benken (San Galo) para niños