Laufen District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laufen District
Bezirk Laufen
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District
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| Country |  Switzerland |
| Canton |  Basel-Landschaft |
| Capital | Laufen |
| Area | |
| • Total | 89.55 km2 (34.58 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021)
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| • Total | 20,524 |
| • Density | 229.190/km2 (593.60/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Municipalities | 13 |
The Laufen District (also called Laufental District) is a special area in Switzerland. It's one of five districts in the canton of Basel-Country, where most people speak German. The main town and capital of this district is Laufen.
Before 1994, Laufen District was part of another canton called Bern. It was one of the seven historical areas of the Bernese Jura. In 1979, three nearby French-speaking districts left Bern to create a new canton called Jura. This left Laufen as a small area surrounded by Jura, Solothurn, Basel-Country, and France. In 1989, the people of Laufen voted to leave Bern and join Basel-Country. After some preparations, this change officially happened in 1994.
The district has a population of about 20,524 people (as of 30 June 2021).
Contents
Geography of Laufen District
The Laufen District covers an area of about 89.56 square kilometers (about 34.58 square miles). A large part of this land is used for farming, about 36.3%. Even more, about 52.2%, is covered by forests.
The remaining land is used for buildings and roads (10.5%). A small part (0.7%) includes rivers or lakes. Very little land (0.3%) is unproductive, meaning it cannot be used for farming or building. Most of the water in the district comes from flowing rivers.
Towns and Villages (Municipalities)
The Laufen District is made up of 13 different towns and villages, which are called municipalities in Switzerland.
| Municipality | Population (30 June 2021) |
Area, km² |
|---|---|---|
| Blauen | 705 | 7.13 |
| Brislach | 1,722 | 9.39 |
| Burg im Leimental | 281 | 2.83 |
| Dittingen | 738 | 6.75 |
| Duggingen | 1,550 | 5.86 |
| Grellingen | 1,896 | 3.31 |
| Laufen | 5,814 | 11.37 |
| Liesberg | 1,111 | 12.49 |
| Nenzlingen | 457 | 3.66 |
| Roggenburg | 271 | 6.65 |
| Röschenz | 1,887 | 10.07 |
| Wahlen | 1,529 | 5.42 |
| Zwingen | 2,563 | 4.62 |
| Total | 20,524 | 89.55 |
People and Population (Demographics)
As of as of June 2021[update], the Laufen district has a population of about 20,524 people. About 14.9% of these people are foreign nationals, meaning they are not Swiss citizens but live in the district.
Most people in the district (about 89.4%) speak German. The second most common language is Italian (3.0%), followed by Albanian (1.5%). A smaller number of people speak French or Romansh.
In 2010, the population included many young people. About 6.5% were children aged 0-6, and 15.2% were teenagers aged 7-19. Adults aged 20-64 made up a large part of the population. About 11.3% of the people were seniors aged 65-79, and 3.8% were over 80 years old.
Many people in the district are married (about 8,472 individuals in 2000). There were also many single people (7,062), as well as widows, widowers, and divorced individuals.
The average price to rent an apartment in 2000 was around 829 Swiss Francs (CHF) for a two-room apartment.
Historical Population Growth
The chart below shows how the population of Laufen District has changed over time:
Politics and Elections
In the 2007 federal election, people in Laufen District voted for different political parties. The most popular party was the SVP, which received about 29.42% of the votes. Other popular parties included the CVP (22.66%), the FDP (20.09%), and the SP (15.9%).
In this election, 6,170 votes were cast. The voter turnout was 48.2%, meaning that almost half of the people who could vote actually did.
Religion in Laufen District
According to the 2000 census, most people in Laufen District are Christian. About 63.2% were Roman Catholic, and 15.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
There were also smaller groups of people who were Orthodox Christians or belonged to the Christian Catholic Church. About 3.84% of the population was Islamic. A small number of people followed Buddhism, Hinduism, or Judaism. About 10.30% of the population said they did not belong to any church or were agnostic or atheist.
Education
In the Laufen District, many people have completed higher levels of education. About 38.1% of the population finished non-mandatory upper secondary education, which is like high school or vocational training. About 9.9% went on to complete even higher education, such as attending a university or a specialized college (called a Fachhochschule).
See also
In Spanish: Distrito de Laufen para niños
