Vallemaggia District Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Vallemaggia District

Distretto di Vallemaggia

District

Flag	Coat of arms

Country

Switzerland

Canton

Ticino

Capital

Cevio

Area

• Total

569.42 km² (219.85 sq mi)

Population

(2020)

• Total

5,952

• Density

10.4527/km² (27.0725/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Municipalities

The small village of Brunescio in Vallemaggia.

The Vallemaggia District is a special area in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It's like a region or a county. The district is home to 5,952 people (as of 31 December 2020). Its main town, or capital, is Cevio.

Exploring Vallemaggia's Geography

The Vallemaggia District is quite large, covering about 569 square kilometers (220 square miles). This was measured in 1997.

Here's how the land is used:

A small part, about 1.7%, is used for farming. This means fields where crops grow.
A big part, about 42.2%, is covered by forests. These are thick woods.
About 1.2% of the land has buildings or roads. This is where people live and travel.
Rivers and lakes make up about 2.7% of the area.
The largest part, about 42.9%, is unproductive land. This means it's too rocky or has too little soil for farming or building.

Most of the built-up areas are houses and other buildings. A small part is for roads and transport. In the forests, a lot of the land is heavily wooded. Some areas have orchards or small groups of trees.

Who Lives in Vallemaggia? (Demographics)

Let's look at the people living in Vallemaggia.

Languages Spoken

In 2000, most people in Vallemaggia spoke Italian.

4,814 people spoke Italian.
477 people spoke German.
88 people spoke French.
Only 12 people spoke Romansh.
About 202 people spoke other languages.

Population Changes

In 2008, there were slightly more women than men.

About 49.2% of the people were men.
About 50.8% were women.

Most people living here are Swiss citizens. Some are non-Swiss, meaning they are from other countries.

In 2008, 38 babies were born to Swiss families, and 2 to non-Swiss families. During the same year, 57 Swiss citizens and 5 non-Swiss citizens passed away.

More Swiss people moved back to Switzerland than left. More non-Swiss people moved to Switzerland than left. Overall, the Swiss population grew a little, while the non-Swiss population went down slightly.

Age Groups

Here's how old people were in Vallemaggia in 2009:

Children (0-9 years old): 8.8% of the population.
Teenagers (10-19 years old): 11.4% of the population.
Young adults (20-29 years old): 9.6% of the population.
Adults (30-59 years old): This is the largest group, making up about 42.2% of the population.
Seniors (60 years and older): About 28% of the population.

Homes and Buildings

In 2000, there were many buildings in the district.

Most were single-family homes (80.1%).
Some were two-family buildings (10.7%).
A smaller number were multi-family buildings (5.9%).
There were also buildings used for both living and business.

There were 4,844 apartments. The most common size was a 4-room apartment.

About 45.3% of apartments were lived in all year.
About 54.1% were used only during certain seasons, like for holidays.
A very small number (0.6%) were empty.

Historical Population

The number of people living in Vallemaggia has changed over time:

year	population
1850	7,482
1880	6,388
1900	5,195
1950	4,581
1980	4,650
1990	5,021
2000	5,593

How Vallemaggia is Governed (Politics)

People in Vallemaggia vote to choose their leaders. This is how they take part in politics.

Federal Elections

In the 2007 national election, people voted for different political parties.

The most popular party was the FDP, getting almost 30% of the votes.
Other popular parties were the CVP, the SP, and the Ticino League.
About 45.8% of people who could vote actually voted. This is called the voter turnout.

Local Elections

People also vote for leaders in their canton (like a state). In 2007, for the Ticino Gran Consiglio election:

About 66.3% of registered voters cast their ballots.
The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova.
Other popular parties were the SSI, the PLRT, and the PS.

For the Ticino Consiglio di Stato election in 2007, the PPD was again the most popular party.

Beliefs and Faith (Religion)

In 2000, most people in Vallemaggia were Roman Catholic.

About 81.8% of the population were Roman Catholic.
About 5.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
About 7.88% belonged to other churches.
About 4.61% did not share their religion.

Learning in Vallemaggia (Education)

In 2009, there were 1,005 students in the Vallemaggia District. Switzerland has a good education system.

Early Years and Primary School

Many children go to kindergarten for up to three years. In Vallemaggia, 135 children were in kindergarten.
After kindergarten, children go to primary school for five years. There were 302 students in regular primary schools and 7 in special schools.

Secondary School

After primary school, students go to lower secondary school.

Some go to a two-year middle school, then a two-year program to prepare for a job.
Others go to a four-year program to get ready for higher education, like university.
There were 267 students in middle school and 86 in the advanced program.

Higher Education and Job Training

Upper secondary school helps students prepare for jobs or university.

Students can learn a trade while working (apprenticeship). This takes three or four years.
Some students attend school full-time for one year, then do an internship.
There were 53 full-time and 132 part-time vocational students.
The professional program lasts three years. It prepares students for jobs in fields like engineering, nursing, or business. There were 21 students in this program.

Towns and Villages (Municipalities)

The Vallemaggia District has 8 main towns, called municipalities. They are grouped into different "circles" based on their valleys.

Circle of the Rovana

These towns are in the Rovana Valley.

Circle of the Rovana
Coat of arms	Municipality	Population (31 December 2020)	Area km²
	Cevio	1,142	151.42
	Linescio	42	6.61
	Cerentino	40	20.07
	Campo (Vallemaggia)	49	43.27
	Bosco/Gurin	52	22.04
	Total	1,325	243.41