Selma, Switzerland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Selma
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Selma Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Selma Location in Canton of Graubünden Show map of Canton of Graubünden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Graubünden
District	Moesa
Area
• Total	2.88 km2 (1.11 sq mi)
Elevation	977 m (3,205 ft)
Population  (Dec 2013)
• Total	33
• Density	11.46/km2 (29.7/sq mi)
Postal code	6545
Surrounded by	Arvigo, Braggio, Cauco, Santa Maria in Calanca
Twin towns	Wittenbach (Switzerland)

Selma was a very small town, also called a "municipality," located in the Moesa District within the Swiss canton of Graubünden. A canton is like a state or province in other countries.

On January 1, 2015, Selma joined with a few other nearby towns: Arvigo, Braggio, and Cauco. Together, they formed a new, larger municipality called Calanca.

The main language spoken by the people in Selma was Italian. For a long time, Selma was one of the tiniest communities in all of Switzerland. Even though it was small, the people of Selma wanted to stay independent.

About Selma's Location

Before it joined with other towns, Selma covered an area of about 2.9 square kilometers (which is about 1.1 square miles).

• A small part of this land, about 5.6%, was used for farming.
• Most of the area, 68.8%, was covered by forests.
• About 3.5% of the land had buildings or roads.
• The remaining 22.2% was made up of natural features like rivers or mountains, which aren't used for farming or building.

Selma was found in a part of the Moesa district known as the Calanca sub-district.

People of Selma

In 2013, Selma had a population of 33 people. Back in 2008, about 8.3% of the people living there were from other countries. Over ten years, the number of people living in Selma slowly went down by about 4.9%.

Most people in Selma, about 65.9%, spoke Italian in the year 2000. The rest, about 34.1%, spoke German.

Age Groups in Selma

In 2000, the population of Selma was almost evenly split between males and females. About 48.7% were male and 51.3% were female.

Here's a look at the different age groups:

• There were 8 children, or 18.2% of the population, who were between 0 and 9 years old.
• Only 2 teenagers, or 4.5%, were between 10 and 14 years old.
• There were no teenagers between 15 and 19 years old.
• For adults, 2 people (4.5%) were between 20 and 29.
• 9 people (20.5%) were between 30 and 39.
• 5 people (11.4%) were between 40 and 49.
• 7 people (15.9%) were between 50 and 59.
• For older adults, 5 people (11.4%) were between 60 and 69.
• Another 5 people (11.4%) were between 70 and 79.
• There was 1 person who was between 80 and 89 years old.

Education and Jobs

In Selma, a large number of adults (around 84% of those aged 25–64) had completed more than just basic schooling. This included either advanced high school education or higher education from a university or a specialized college.

The unemployment rate in Selma was about 3.41%. In 2005, there were a few people working in different job areas:

• 2 people worked in the primary economic sector, which usually means jobs like farming or fishing. There was 1 business in this area.
• No one was recorded working in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing or construction.
• 5 people worked in the tertiary sector, which covers services like shops, tourism, or healthcare. There were 2 businesses in this area.

Selma's Population Over Time

The table below shows how Selma's population changed throughout history:

See also

• You can also find information about Selma in Spanish for kids: Selma (Grisones) para niños