Tafers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tafers
|
||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
|
||
 Tafers
Location in Switzerland
Tafers
Location in Canton of Fribourg
|
||
| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Fribourg | |
| District | Sense | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 41.3 km2 (15.9 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 651 m (2,136 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
|
||
| • Total | 3,532 | |
| • Density | 85.52/km2 (221.50/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
1712
|
|
| Surrounded by | Alterswil, Düdingen, Fribourg (Freiburg im Üechtland/Fribourg), Sankt Antoni, Sankt Ursen, Schmitten | |
Tafers (also called Tavel in French) is a town in Switzerland. It is located in the Fribourg canton. Tafers is special because most people there speak German. This is different from the rest of Fribourg, which mostly speaks French. On January 1, 2021, two nearby towns, St. Antoni and Alterswil, became part of Tafers.
Contents
History of Tafers
Tafers has a long history. It was first mentioned in old records many centuries ago.
Early Mentions of Towns
The town of Alterswil was first written about in 1148. It was known as Alterihcwilere back then. Later, in 1228, it was called Vilar Altri. St. Antoni was first mentioned much later, in 1690, as S Antonii.
Geography of Tafers
Tafers covers an area of about 8.37 square kilometers. A large part of this land, about 63.5%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 21.2% of the area. The rest of the land, about 14.9%, has buildings and roads. Only a tiny bit, 0.1%, is land that cannot be used.
Most of the built-up areas are homes and other buildings. Roads and transportation also take up some space. The forests in Tafers are mostly dense, heavy woods. For farming, about 40% of the land grows crops. The other 22.6% is used for pastures where animals graze.
Tafers' Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Tafers shows a special design. It has a red background. On it, there is a guard standing, facing forward. The guard wears blue and black clothes. A cross is on the guard's left side. The guard holds a silver halberd, which is a type of old weapon.
People of Tafers
Tafers has a population of about 3,300 people. In 2008, about 10.8% of the people living in Tafers were from other countries. Over ten years (from 2000 to 2010), the number of people in Tafers grew by 4.9%. Most of this growth was from people moving into the town.
Languages Spoken
In 2000, most people in Tafers (about 89.9%) spoke German as their main language. French was the second most common language, spoken by about 4.5% of the people. A smaller number of people spoke Serbo-Croatian (1.3%) or Italian.
Population Breakdown
In 2008, about 49% of the population was male, and 51% was female. Most people were Swiss citizens. About 32.2% of the people living in Tafers in 2000 were also born there. Many others were born in the same canton (41.5%) or elsewhere in Switzerland (12%). About 10.6% were born outside Switzerland.
In 2000, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) made up 23.2% of the population. Adults (20-64 years old) were 60.6%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16.2%.
Most households in Tafers had about 2.5 people. In 2000, almost all apartments (94.7%) were lived in all the time. Only a few were empty or used only part of the year.
Historic Population Growth
The population of Tafers has changed over time. The chart below shows how the number of people in Tafers, St. Antoni, and Alterswil has grown.
Important Historic Buildings
Tafers has two buildings that are very important to Switzerland's history and culture. These are the Parish Church of St. Martin and the Sigristen House. They are listed as national heritage sites.
Economy and Jobs
In 2010, Tafers had a low unemployment rate of 2.1%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them.
Types of Jobs
Many people in Tafers work in different areas:
- Farming: About 66 people worked in farming in 2008. There were about 25 farms.
- Industry: About 301 people worked in factories and building. There were 23 businesses in this area.
- Services: The largest number of people, 1,047, worked in service jobs. This includes shops, hospitals, and schools. There were 89 service businesses.
In 2008, there were 1,110 full-time jobs in Tafers.
- 43 jobs were in agriculture.
- 280 jobs were in factories and construction.
- 787 jobs were in the service sector. This included jobs in sales, transportation, hotels, and healthcare. A large number, 402 jobs, were in healthcare.
Many people travel to Tafers for work. In 2000, 1,053 workers came into Tafers. At the same time, 870 workers left Tafers to work elsewhere. This means Tafers has more jobs than local workers. Most people (60.9%) used a private car to get to work. About 13.8% used public transportation.
Religion in Tafers
According to the 2000 census, most people in Tafers were Roman Catholic (77.7%). About 10.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Smaller groups included members of Orthodox churches, other Christian churches, and people who were Islamic. A small number of people did not belong to any church.
Education in Tafers
Education is important in Tafers. About 34.6% of the people have finished high school. Also, 13.7% have gone on to higher education, like a university or a special college.
School System
The Fribourg canton has a specific school system:
- Kindergarten: One year of optional kindergarten.
- Primary School: Six years of primary school.
- Lower Secondary School: Three years of required secondary school. Students are grouped by their abilities.
- Upper Secondary School: After lower secondary, students can choose a three or four-year upper secondary school. This can be a gymnasium (to prepare for university) or a vocational program (for job skills).
- Tertiary School: After upper secondary, students can go to a higher education school or start an apprenticeship.
In the 2010-2011 school year, Tafers had 653 students in 36 classes. There were 4 kindergarten classes with 75 students. The town had 9 primary classes with 177 students. There were also 23 lower secondary classes with 401 students. Some students from Tafers went to schools in other towns for upper secondary or special higher education.
In 2000, 370 students came to Tafers from other towns to go to school. At the same time, 111 students from Tafers went to schools outside the town.
See also
In Spanish: Tafers para niños
