Neuchâtel District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neuchâtel District
District de Neuchâtel
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District
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| Country |  Switzerland |
| Canton |  Neuchâtel |
| Capital | Neuchâtel |
| Dissolved | 1 January 2018 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 80.02 km2 (30.90 sq mi) |
| Population
(2017)
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| • Total | 53,744 |
| • Density | 671.63/km2 (1,739.52/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Municipalities | 9 |
The Neuchâtel District was once one of six districts in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Think of it like a county or a region within a larger state. Its main town, or capital, was Neuchâtel. This district was home to about 53,744 people.
However, on January 1, 2018, the district system in Neuchâtel was changed. So, the Neuchâtel District no longer exists as a separate administrative area.
Contents
Towns and Villages
Before it was dissolved, the Neuchâtel District included nine different towns and villages, which are called municipalities in Switzerland. Here's a list of them:
| Coat of Arms | Municipality | Population (31 December 2020) |
Area km² |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} |
Cornaux | 1,587 | 4.72 |
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Cressier | 1,892 | 8.55 |
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Enges | 266 | 9.59 |
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Hauterive | 2,636 | 2.12 |
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La Tène | 5,176 | 5.44 |
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Le Landeron | 4,642 | 10.31 |
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Lignières | 979 | 12.51 |
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Neuchâtel | 33,455 | 18.1 |
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Saint-Blaise | 3,258 | 8.87 |
| Total | 53,744 | 80.21 |
Changes Over Time
Sometimes, smaller towns or villages join together to form a larger municipality. This is called a merger.
- In 1966, the municipality of Landeron-Combes changed its name to Le Landeron.
- In 2009, two municipalities, Marin-Epagnier and Thielle-Wavre, merged to create a new one called La Tène.
About the People
Most people in the former Neuchâtel District speak French. About 80% of the population uses French as their main language. German is the second most common language, spoken by about 6% of the people, followed by Italian at nearly 4%.
In 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males and females. About 48% were male and 52% were female. Many people living in the district were Swiss, but a good number were also from other countries.
Many residents were born in Neuchâtel or elsewhere in Switzerland. However, a significant portion, about 28%, were born outside of Switzerland.
The chart below shows how the population of the district has changed over many years:
Politics and Voting
In Switzerland, people vote for their representatives in federal elections. In the 2007 election, the Social Democratic Party was the most popular party in the Neuchâtel District, getting about 28% of the votes. Other popular parties included the Swiss People's Party and the FDP. About half of the people who could vote actually did vote in that election.
Religious Beliefs
According to a census in 2000, many people in the district were either Roman Catholic (about 33%) or belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (about 31%). There were also smaller groups of people who followed other Christian faiths, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Judaism. About 21% of the population said they did not belong to any church or religion.
Weather in Neuchâtel
The city of Neuchâtel, which was the capital of the district, gets a fair amount of rain or snow each year. On average, it has about 122 days of precipitation and receives about 932 millimeters (about 36.7 inches) of rain or snow.
The wettest month is usually August, with about 97 millimeters (3.8 inches) of precipitation over about 10 days. May has the most days with rain or snow (about 12 days), but less total precipitation. April is typically the driest month.
Learning and Schools
Education is very important in Switzerland. In the Neuchâtel District, many adults have completed higher levels of education. About 35% of the population finished high school, and nearly 17% went on to get a university degree or similar higher education.
In the canton of Neuchâtel, children usually attend two years of non-required kindergarten. After that, they have five years of required primary school. Then, for the next four years of required secondary education, students often travel to one of the thirteen larger secondary schools in the canton.
In the 2010-2011 school year, there were 48 kindergarten classes with 942 students and 138 primary classes with 2,561 students in the Neuchâtel District.
See also
In Spanish: Distrito de Neuchâtel para niños
