Gerra (Gambarogno) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gerra (Gambarogno)
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Gerra (Gambarogno) Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Gerra (Gambarogno) Location in Canton of Ticino Show map of Canton of Ticino
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Locarno
Municipality	Gambarogno
Area
• Total	3.14 km2 (1.21 sq mi)
Elevation	216 m (709 ft)
Population
• Total	305
• Density	97.13/km2 (251.6/sq mi)
Postal code	6576
Surrounded by	Brissago, Caviano, Indemini, Pino sulla Sponda del Lago Maggiore (IT-VA), Ronco sopra Ascona, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio

Gerra (Gambarogno) was once a small town, or municipality, in Switzerland. It was located in the canton of Ticino, near the beautiful Lake Maggiore.

Gerra (Gambarogno) next to Lake Maggiore

On April 25, 2010, Gerra (Gambarogno) joined with several other towns. These included Caviano, Contone, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio, and Vira Gambarogno. Together, they formed a new, larger municipality called Gambarogno.

History of Gerra

The name Gerra likely came about in the 1700s. At that time, a village called Ronco de Martignoni started to grow. This village was first mentioned in 1591. It expanded into the Gerra river delta and along the shores of Lake Maggiore.

Early Community Life

Gerra was part of an old community system called a Vicinanza in Gambarogno. In the 1500s, three smaller settlements – Ronco de Martignoni, Ronco di Sopra, and Scimiana – joined to become their own independent municipality. This new municipality was officially recorded in 1596.

In 1744, the St. Rochus and Sebastian parish church was built in Gerra.

Changes Over Time

One of the original settlement areas, Scimiana, has stayed mostly the same over the years. Its narrow streets and traditional Gambarogno-style alleys are still there. However, many wooden balconies and old fishermen's houses have disappeared.

Today, most people who work in Gerra are in the services sector. This means they work in jobs like tourism, healthcare, or retail. Most of them also work outside of the village itself.

Geography of Gerra

An aerial view of Gerra from 1946

Gerra covers an area of about 3.14 square kilometers (1.21 square miles).

• About 9.9% of this land is used for farming.
• A large part, 84.1%, is covered by forests.
• About 8.9% of the land has buildings or roads.
• A small portion, 1.9%, is made up of rivers or lakes.
• The remaining 2.2% is land that cannot be used for farming or building.

Village Layout

The village of Gerra is located in the Locarno district. It is made up of three main parts: Ronco, Riva, and Scimiana.

Coat of Arms

The blazon (description) of Gerra's municipal coat of arms is: Gules a crossbow or and in a chief of the last an eagle displayed sable langued, beaked and membered of the first.

This means the shield is red (gules) with a golden (or) crossbow. At the top (chief) of the shield, there is a black (sable) eagle with a red tongue, beak, and claws. The coat of arms comes from the Balestra family. This is an example of canting arms, which means the design hints at the name. "Balestra" means "crossbow" in Italian.

People of Gerra

In December 2009, Gerra had a population of 305 people. About 16.5% of the people living there in 2008 were foreign nationals. Over ten years (1997–2007), the population grew by 9%.

Languages Spoken

Most people in Gerra speak Italian (67.3%). German is the second most common language (28.3%), and French is third (1.6%).

Population Makeup

In 2008, about 49.5% of the population was male and 50.5% was female.

• Swiss men made up 40.3% of the population.
• Non-Swiss men made up 9.2%.
• Swiss women made up 43.9%.
• Non-Swiss women made up 6.6%.

Age Groups

Here's a look at the age groups in Gerra in 2009:

• Children (0-9 years old): 9.2%
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): 9.2%
• Young adults (20-29 years old): 5.6%
• Adults (30-39 years old): 10.8%
• Adults (40-49 years old): 15.4%
• Adults (50-59 years old): 15.1%
• Seniors (60-69 years old): 17.4%
• Seniors (70-79 years old): 10.2%
• Seniors (over 80 years old): 7.2%

Homes and Housing

In 2000, there were 127 private households in Gerra, with an average of 2 people per household. About 50.4% of these homes were owned by the people living in them.

Most of the buildings in Gerra were single-family homes (75.8%). There were also some two-family buildings (10.1%) and multi-family buildings (9.7%). A small number of buildings (14) were used for both living and business.

Historical Population Data

The table below shows how the population of Gerra has changed over time:

Economy of Gerra

In 2007, Gerra had an unemployment rate of 2.93%. This means that about 3 out of every 100 people looking for a job could not find one.

Jobs and Businesses

In 2005, there were a few people working in different economic sectors:

• Primary sector: 2 people worked in jobs like farming or fishing. There was 1 business in this sector.
• Secondary sector: 5 people worked in manufacturing or construction. There was 1 business in this sector.
• Tertiary sector: 51 people worked in services, like shops, hotels, or offices. There were 13 businesses in this sector.

In total, 106 residents of Gerra were employed. About 37.7% of these workers were female.

Commuting and Tourism

In 2000, 22 workers traveled into Gerra for their jobs, while 70 workers traveled out of Gerra to work elsewhere. This means more people left Gerra for work than came in. About 31.8% of the people who came to work in Gerra were from outside Switzerland.

Most people (61.3%) used a private car to get to work, while 6.6% used public transportation. In 2009, Gerra had 2 hotels, showing some tourism activity.

Religion in Gerra

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Gerra were Roman Catholic (69.3%). About 15.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. A small number of people (12.99%) belonged to other churches, and 1.97% did not state their religion.

Education in Gerra

Gerra has a municipal preschool. In Switzerland, people are generally well-educated. In Gerra, about 81.3% of adults (aged 25 to 64) have completed either high school or higher education, like university.

Student Numbers

In 2009, there were 43 students in Gerra.

• 3 children were in kindergarten.
• 17 students attended standard primary schools.
• 1 student attended a special primary school.
• 10 students were in a two-year middle school program.
• 6 students were in a four-year program to prepare for higher education.

Vocational Training

For older students, there are vocational programs that prepare them for a trade or for college. In Gerra, 2 students were in full-time vocational school, and 4 were part-time.

In 2000, 24 students from Gerra attended schools outside the village.

See also

In Spanish: Gerra (Gambarogno) para niños