Cantons of Switzerland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Swiss cantons Schweizer Kantone  (German) Cantons suisses  (French) Cantoni svizzeri  (Italian) Chantuns svizras  (Romansh)
Also known as: Stände, États, Stati
Valais Ticino Grisons Geneva Vaud Neuchâtel Jura Bern Thurgau Zurich Aargau Lucerne Solothurn Basel-Landschaft Schaffhausen Uri Schwyz Glarus St. Gallen Appenzell Innerrhoden Appenzell Ausserrhoden Obwalden Nidwalden Zug Fribourg Basel-Stadt France Italy Liechten- stein Austria Germany
Category	Federated state
Location	Switzerland
Found in	Regions
Created	13th century
Number	26 cantons (as of 1979)
Populations	16,003 (Appenzell Innerrhoden) – 1,487,969 (Canton of Zürich)
Areas	37 km2 (14 sq mi) – 7,105 km2 (2,743 sq mi)
Government	List of cantonal executives of Switzerland
Subdivisions	Districts and municipalities

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are like the states or provinces that make up the country of Switzerland. Imagine Switzerland as a big puzzle, and each canton is a unique piece!

The first three groups of cantons were called the Waldstätte, meaning 'forest settlements'. Over time, the number of cantons grew. From 1353 to 1481, there were eight cantons, known as the Acht Orte. Later, from 1513 to 1798, there were thirteen cantons, called the Dreizehn Orte.

Before 1848, each canton was almost like its own country. They had their own borders, armies, and even their own money! This changed when Switzerland became a federal state in 1848, bringing them closer together. The word canton has been widely used since the 1800s.

The number of cantons has changed over time. In 1803, it grew to 19. By 1815, it was 22. The canton of Jura joined as the 23rd canton in 1979. In 1999, the official number became 26. This was because some "half-cantons" were officially recognized as full cantons.

Cantons come in different sizes. The smallest is Basel-Stadt, which is only 37 square kilometers. The largest is Grisons, at 7,105 square kilometers. Their populations also vary a lot, from about 16,000 people in Appenzell Innerrhoden to 1.5 million in Zürich.

History of Swiss Cantons

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

In the 1500s, the Old Swiss Confederacy had 13 independent cantons. These were split into two types:

• Five rural states (countryside areas): Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Glarus, and Appenzell.
• Eight urban states (cities): Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Zug, Basel, Fribourg, Solothurn, and Schaffhausen.

Even though they were technically part of the Holy Roman Empire, these cantons became truly independent after the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximilian I in 1499.

The old system changed when the Helvetic Republic was formed in 1798, after the French invaded Switzerland. During this time, cantons were just administrative areas and didn't have their own power. But this republic didn't last long.

In 1803, cantons got their power back with the Act of Mediation. Switzerland became a federation of states again, with 19 cantons. By 1815, three more cantons joined: Valais, Neuchâtel, and Geneva.

After some conflicts, Switzerland became a modern federal state in 1848. The cantons kept a lot of their independence. However, they could no longer have their own armies or deal with other countries on their own.

How Cantons Work

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. 1900)

The Swiss Federal Constitution says that cantons are independent. But their independence is limited by federal (national) laws. The federal government handles things like:

• The armed forces
• Money
• Postal service
• Phone and internet
• Immigration
• Foreign relations
• Major laws
• Customs duties

Each canton has its own:

• Constitution: Its own set of rules.
• Legislature: A group of people who make laws.
• Executive: A group of people who run the government.
• Police: To enforce laws.
• Courts: To handle legal cases.

Most cantonal legislatures are single-chamber parliaments, meaning they have one main group of lawmakers. Their size can vary from 58 to 200 members. In a few cantons, like Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus, citizens still gather in large outdoor assemblies called Landsgemeinden to vote on laws.

Cantons are in charge of many important things that affect daily life. These include:

• Healthcare: Hospitals and medical services.
• Welfare: Support for people in need.
• Law enforcement: Local police.
• Public education: Schools and learning.
• Taxation: Collecting taxes from people and businesses.

Each canton also decides its own official language(s). Cantons can even make agreements with other cantons or with foreign countries!

The cantonal constitutions also decide how much freedom the local municipalities (towns and villages) have. Most municipalities can collect taxes and make their own local laws. Some even have their own police.

Just like at the national level, citizens in each canton can directly participate in making decisions. They can ask for a public vote to change the cantonal constitution or laws. They can also reject laws or spending plans passed by the parliament.

Swiss citizens are citizens of a specific municipality and the canton it belongs to. Cantons play a role in granting citizenship, though the process usually starts at the local level.

Switzerland only has one national public holiday (August 1st). Other public holidays are decided by each canton.

List of Cantons

The cantons are listed here in the order they appear in the federal constitution. This order shows their historical importance and when they joined the Swiss Confederation.

	Arms	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	Area (km2)	Density (per km2)	No. munic. (2018)	Official languages
1		ZH	Zürich	Zurich	1351	Zurich	149,004	96,359	1,553,423	1,729	898	166	German
2		BE	Bern; Berne	Bern / Berne	1353	Bern	80,209	77,027	1,043,132	5,960	175	347	German, French
3		LU	Luzern	Lucerne	1332	Lucerne	28,176	67,936	416,347	1,494	279	83	German
4		UR	Uri	Uri	1291	Altdorf	1,985	54,006	36,819	1,077	34	20	German
5		SZ	Schwyz	Schwyz	1291	Schwyz	9,876	61,223	162,157	908	179	30	German
6		OW	Obwalden	Obwalden / Obwald	1291 or 1315 (as part of Unterwalden)	Sarnen	2,564	67,453	38,108	491	78	7	German
7		NW	Nidwalden	Nidwalden / Nidwald	1291 (as Unterwalden)	Stans	2,867	66,209	43,520	276	158	11	German
8		GL	Glarus	Glarus	1352	Glarus	2,763	67,849	40,851	685	60	3	German
9		ZG	Zug	Zug / Zoug	1352	Zug	20,029	156,210	128,794	239	539	11	German
10		FR	Fribourg; Freiburg	Fribourg / Freiburg	1481	Fribourg	19,180	59,263	325,496	1,671	195	136	French, German
11		SO	Solothurn	Solothurn / Soleure	1481	Solothurn	18,029	65,237	277,462	790	351	109	German
12		BS	Basel-Stadt	Basel-Stadt / Basel-City	1501 (as Basel until 1833/1999)	Basel	37,168	189,354	201,156	37	5,444	3	German
13		BL	Basel-Landschaft	Basel-Landschaft / Basel-Country	1501 (as Basel until 1833/1999)	Liestal	20,567	70,866	292,955	518	566	86	German
14		SH	Schaffhausen	Schaffhausen / Schaffhouse	1501	Schaffhausen	7,244	87,569	83,107	298	278	26	German
15		AR	Appenzell Ausserrhoden	Appenzell Ausserrhoden / Appenzell Outer-Rhodes	1513 (as Appenzell until 1597/1999)	Herisau	3,190	57,601	55,309	243	228	20	German
16		AI	Appenzell Innerrhoden	Appenzell Innerrhoden / Appenzell Inner-Rhodes	1513 (as Appenzell until 1597/1999)	Appenzell	1,043	64,358	16,293	172	94	6	German
17		SG	St. Gallen	St. Gallen / St. Gall	1803	St. Gallen	38,041	74,210	514,504	2,031	253	77	German
18		GR	Graubünden; Grischun; Grigioni	Grisons / Graubünden	1803	Chur	14,519	72,754	200,096	7,105	28	108	German, Romansh, Italian
19		AG	Aargau	Aargau	1803	Aarau	43,590	63,177	694,072	1,404	494	212	German
20		TG	Thurgau	Thurgau / Thurgovia	1803	Frauenfeld	17,208	61,190	282,909	992	285	80	German
21		TI	Ticino	Ticino / Tessin	1803	Bellinzona	29,311	83,450	350,986	2,812	125	115	Italian
22		VD	Vaud	Vaud	1803	Lausanne	56,898	70,250	814,762	3,212	254	309	French
23		VS	Valais; Wallis	Valais	1815	Sion	19,194	55,313	348,503	5,224	67	126	French, German
24		NE	Neuchâtel	Neuchâtel	1815/1857	Neuchâtel	15,343	87,080	175,894	802	219	31	French
25		GE	Genève	Geneva	1815	Geneva	51,976	102,876	506,343	282	1,792	45	French
26		JU	Jura	Jura	1979	Delémont	4,687	63,643	73,709	839	88	55	French
-		CH	Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft; Confédération suisse; Confederazione Svizzera; Confederaziun svizra	Swiss Confederation	1815/1848	(Bern)	694,662	80,418	8,670,300	41,291	210	2,222	German, French, Italian, Romansh

The two-letter codes for Swiss cantons are used a lot, like on car license plates. For example, CH-SZ is for the canton of Schwyz. The "CH" comes from "Confœderatio Helvetica," which is Latin for "Helvetian Confederation."

Half-Cantons: A Special Case

Six of the 26 cantons used to be called "half-cantons." This term is not official anymore, but it helps explain their history. There are three pairs of these half-cantons:

• Unterwalden (split into Obwalden and Nidwalden)
• Basel (split into Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft)
• Appenzell (split into Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden)

The reasons for these divisions are historical. For example, the old canton of Appenzell split in 1597 because of religious differences. Appenzell Innerrhoden remained Catholic, while Appenzell Ausserrhoden became Protestant. The historical canton of Basel divided in 1833 after people in the countryside wanted more say in the government.

Even though they were called "half-cantons," they are almost equal to other cantons today. There are only two main differences:

• They elect only one member to the Swiss Council of States instead of two.
• In national votes about changing the constitution, their vote counts as half of a full canton's vote.

You might notice that Swiss coins minted since 1983 show 23 stars. This includes the canton of Jura, which joined later. However, the coins don't show all 26 cantons, even though that's the official number now.

Names in National Languages

Here are the names of each canton in English and Switzerland's official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. The name in the canton's own official language is shown in bold.

Images for kids

• 

  This cartoon shows the division of the canton of Basel in 1833.

See also

In Spanish: Cantones de Suiza para niños