Turtmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Turtmann
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Turtmann village train station
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 Turtmann
Location in Switzerland
Turtmann
Location in Canton of Valais
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Valais | |
| District | Leuk | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 640 m (2,100 ft) | |
| Population
(December 2011)
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| • Total | 997 | |
| • Density | 146.6/km2 (379.7/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3946
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| Surrounded by | Agarn, Bratsch, Eischoll, Ergisch, Gampel, Leuk, Niedergesteln, Steg, Unterems | |
Turtmann (which is Tourtemagne in French) used to be a town in the Leuk district of Valais canton in Switzerland. On January 1, 2013, Turtmann and another town called Unterems joined together. They formed a new, bigger town called Turtmann-Unterems.
Contents
History of Turtmann
Turtmann was first mentioned way back in 1050. It was called Curtmannonis then. Later, in 1210, people called it Torthemanei or Tortemagny.
Until 2003, Turtmann had a military airfield. This was a special airport used by the Swiss Air Force. Their Northrop F-5 fighter jets from squadron 13 used to fly from here. Now, the airfield is only used by civil (non-military) planes. After the Swiss Air Force left, a large underground aircraft cavern at the airfield was used to store Swiss Army M113 armored personnel carriers. These are vehicles that protect soldiers.
Where is Turtmann?
In 2011, Turtmann covered an area of about 6.8 square kilometers (2.6 square miles). A big part of this land, about 46.2%, is used for farming. Forests cover 36.4% of the area. The rest of the land has buildings or roads (14.2%) or is not used for anything (3.2%).
The town is located in the Leuk district. It's south of the Rhone river, in the Rhone valley. It sits right at the entrance to the Turtmann valley. Turtmann includes the main village and two smaller settlements called Tännu and Ried. These smaller places are sometimes called hamlets.
Turtmann's Coat of Arms
The town of Turtmann has its own special symbol, called a coat of arms. It shows a golden griffin, which is a mythical creature, holding a silver sword. There are also two six-pointed stars and green hills with a golden lily flower. The background color is red.
People in Turtmann
In 2011, Turtmann had 997 people living there. About 8.4% of the people living in Turtmann in 2008 were from other countries. Over ten years (from 1999 to 2009), the number of people in Turtmann went down by 5.6%. This was mostly because people moved away.
Most people in Turtmann (about 93%) speak German as their main language. The second most common language is Albanian (3.6%), and then Italian (1.5%). A few people also speak French or Romansh.
In 2000, about 57.4% of the people living in Turtmann were born there. Another 24.5% were born in the same canton (Valais). About 10.2% of the people were born outside of Switzerland.
Here's how the ages of people were spread out in 2000:
- Children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 30.7% of the population.
- Adults (20–64 years old) made up 56.9%.
- Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 12.4%.
The chart below shows how the population of Turtmann has changed over many years:
Important Places in Turtmann
The whole village of Turtmann is considered a special place. It is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. This means its buildings and layout are important to Swiss history and culture.
Turtmann's Economy
In 2010, the unemployment rate in Turtmann was 2.1%. This means only a small number of people who wanted jobs couldn't find them.
In 2008, many people worked in different types of jobs:
- Primary sector: 82 people worked in farming.
- Secondary sector: 147 people worked in things like manufacturing (making goods) and construction (building things).
- Tertiary sector: 155 people worked in services. This includes jobs like sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, and education.
Many people who lived in Turtmann also worked there. However, more people left Turtmann to work in other towns than came into Turtmann for work. In 2000, about 19.7% of working people used public transport to get to their jobs, while 51.7% used a private car.
Religion in Turtmann
Based on information from 2000, most people in Turtmann (84%) were Roman Catholic. About 2.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There were also people who followed other Christian churches, Islam, and Buddhism. Some people did not belong to any church or preferred not to say.
Education in Turtmann
In Turtmann, about 35% of the people have finished upper secondary education. This is like high school. About 6.3% have gone on to higher education, like university.
During the 2010-2011 school year, there were 91 students in Turtmann's school system. In Switzerland, young children can go to one year of non-required Kindergarten. Turtmann had 25 kindergarten students in two classes.
Students must go to six years of primary school. Turtmann had 91 students in primary school, spread across six classes. For secondary school, students from Turtmann go to schools in a nearby town.
See also
In Spanish: Turtmann para niños
