Cantons of Switzerland

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. They are like special regions that help make up the country of Switzerland. Long ago, these cantons started as small groups of people who worked together for safety and peace. Over time, more places joined in, and today there are 26 cantons.

Each canton used to be like its own little country, with its own rules, leaders, and even its own money, until Switzerland became one big country in 1848. Even now, the cantons still have many of their own powers, like taking care of schools and some laws.

The size of these cantons is very different. Some are very small, like Basel-Stadt, which is only 37 square kilometers, while others are huge, like Grisons, which covers over 7,000 square kilometers. The number of people living in each canton also varies a lot, from just 16,000 in Appenzell Innerrhoden to more than a million in Zürich.

Terminology

The word canton originally comes from a French word meaning "edge" or "corner." It started being used to describe the parts of the Swiss Confederacy in the late 1400s. In German, these parts were called Orte (meaning "places") and later Stände (meaning "states").

Today, all Swiss cantons, or regions, are republics. Some cantons, like Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud, and Ticino, officially call themselves republics in their rules.

History

Main articles: Eight Cantons, Thirteen Cantons, Restoration and Regeneration in Switzerland, and Switzerland as a federal state

Further information: Flags and coats of arms of cantons of Switzerland

Switzerland began as a group of 13 independent regions in the 16th century. These regions were called the Thirteen Cantons. Some were rural areas like Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. Others were cities such as Zürich and Bern.

These regions were part of a larger empire but acted like their own countries after winning a battle in 1499. Later, a new government was created after soldiers from France arrived in 1798. This new system did not last long, and the old way of governing was brought back in 1803. More regions joined over time, and by 1815 there were 19 cantons. In 1848, Switzerland became a united country where each region still had many powers of its own.

Constitutions and powers

See also: List of cantonal executives of Switzerland and List of cantonal legislatures of Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Constitution says that each Swiss canton has its own powers unless the country’s federal laws say otherwise. The country handles big topics like the army, money, mail, and foreign countries, but each canton has its own rules for many things.

Each canton has its own constitution, groups that make laws, groups that carry out those laws, police, and courts. Some cantons let people vote in big meetings, but most use voting papers instead. The cantons take care of important local matters such as healthcare, helping people in need, public education, and collecting taxes. People in Switzerland can also vote on some laws in their canton, and the rules about who can vote can be different in each place.

List

The cantons of Switzerland are listed in the order they joined the Swiss Confederation, showing their historical importance. Each canton has a special two-letter code, like on car license plates. These codes are also part of international rules for naming places, starting with "CH-" for Switzerland. For example, "CH-SZ" stands for the canton of Schwyz.

Main article: Eight Cantons

Half-cantons

Six of the 26 cantons in Switzerland are traditionally called "half-cantons". This name comes from historical divisions. Two of these half-cantons, Basel and Appenzell, were split for special reasons. The other pair, Unterwalden, comes from an old partnership between three areas.

The Swiss Constitution still mentions these half-cantons by pairing them together, like "Obwalden and Nidwalden", "Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft", and "Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden". Even though they are called half-cantons, they are treated the same as the other cantons in most ways. The only differences are that each half-canton elects only one member to the Council of States instead of two, and their votes count as half in special votes about changing the constitution.

Names in national languages

The name of each canton in Switzerland is shown in its own official language, highlighted in bold for clarity. This helps people understand how each region is called in the languages spoken there.

Admission of new cantons

Main article: Territorial evolution of Switzerland

Switzerland stopped adding new regions, called cantons, in 1815. The last serious idea to add a new canton happened in 1919 from a place called Vorarlberg, but it was not accepted. In 2010, some people suggested thinking about adding more cantons again, but this was more about talking than a real plan, and it was later dropped.