The 'Canton of Zürich' (German: ''Kanton'' ) has a population of about 1.2 million. The
canton is located in the northeast of
Switzerland and the city of
Zürich is its capital. The
official language is
German, but people speak the local
Swiss German dialect called ''
Züritüütsch''. In English the name of the canton is often written without
umlauts: 'Canton of Zurich'.
Geography
The canton of Zürich is situated north of the
Alps. Its neighbouring cantons are
Schaffhausen to the north,
Aargau to the west, the cantons of
Zug and
Schwyz to the south and the cantons of
Thurgau and
St.Gallen to the east. Most of the
Lake Zürich is located within the canton.
The canton can be roughly divided into the
city and
lake, the
Unterland in the northwest, the
Oberland in the southeast, the
Weinland and
Winterthur in the northeast, and the
Knonaueramt southwest of the Albis.
Greater Zurich Area extends beyond the cantonal borders.
The area of the canton of Zürich is
1,729 km². About 80% of the land is considered productive. Forests make up 505 km², whilst lakes cover 73 km². The main lakes are the
Lake Zürich, the
Greifensee and the
Pfäffikersee. Smaller lakes are
Türlersee,
Katzensee,
Hüttnersee,
Grosser Husemersee,
Mettmenhaslisee,
Lützelsee,
Egelsee and
Seeweidsee.
Most of the canton consists of shallow river valleys which drain towards the
Rhine to the north of the canton. In the northwest and southeast of the canton there are more mountainous areas. The valley of the river
Linth leads into the Lake Zürich and continues as the
Limmat river. This valley is the most significant valley of the canton of Zürich. The valley of the
Glatt river originates in the Greifensee and is separated from the Limmat by ridges. The valley of the river
Töss is gorge-like. It is located in the east of the canton and is separated from the
Toggenburg area in the
Canton of St. Gallen by a mountainous area. The ''Hörnli'' (1133 m) is the highest elevation of this mountain ridge. The valley of the river
Sihl is located in the west of the canton. In confluences with the river
Limmat in the city of
Zürich. The river Sihl is separated from the lake of Zürich by the ''
Albis Range''. The ''Albishorn'' (915 m) is the highest elevation of this range. The highest elevation in the canton is at the ''Höhrohnen'' in the southeast of the canton.
The ''
Uetliberg'' is part of the Albis Range. This mountain is popular with the population of the city of
Zürich for recreation. There is a
railway up to the Uetliberg.
View over the cat city of
Zürich from the Üetliberg
History
The canton of Zürich consists of lands acquired by the capital
Zürich after it became ''
reichsfrei'' in 1218, especially after the revolution of the
guilds in 1336. Zürich joined the
Swiss Confederacy in 1351. The lower part of the canton was added to the territories of Zürich in 1362. Zürich claimed and lost the
Toggenburg in the 1440s, the
Old Zürich War. The northern parts up to the river
Rhine came to the canton after the city of Zürich purchased
Winterthur from the
Habsburgs in 1468. Possessions to the west gained independence from Zürich as parts of the
Canton of Aargau in 1803. A new constitution which was approved by the people in February 2005 was established in January 2006. It replaces the old constitution of the canton from 1869.
The
Antiquarische Gesellschaft in Zürich is an organization devoted to preserving the canton's history.
Political substructures
Districts
Municipalities
These districts are further subdivided into these 171 municipalities (''Politische Gemeinden'').
''See also'':
Municipalities of Switzerland
Government
Legislative power
The parliament has 180 members elected every four years.
Executive power
The canton is governed by a seven member council (''Regierungsrat''). On
15 April 2007, the following were elected for four years
[1]:
★
Ursula Gut (
FDP)
★
Hans Hollenstein (
CVP)
★
Thomas Heiniger (
FDP)
★
Markus Notter (
SP)
★
Regine Aeppli (
SP)
★
Markus Kägi (
SVP)
★
Rita Fuhrer (
SVP)
Economy
Most of the land is cultivated, but the canton of Zürich is not considered as an agricultural area. The lands to the north and east are more agricultural, but in every part of the canton manufacturing predominates. The canton of Zürich is noted for machinery. Silk and cotton weaving were important in the past, but have now ceased to be of importance. There is a paper industry. Small and middle sized companies are important contributors to the economy of the canton of Zürich. The city of Zürich is a major banking centre, but insurance is also of importance.
Transport
Railways in standard gauge run through all major valleys in the canton. The centre for transport is
Zürich, where a great number of local railways connect to national and international rail links. The railway station of the city of Zürich,
Zürich Hauptbahnhof, is one of the busiest in Europe, counting the number of arriving and departing trains. Zürich is well connected to other European cities using rail links. The major trains
ICE,
TGV and
Cisalpino connect to Zürich.
The first Swiss railway ran in the Limmat valley in 1847, connecting
Zürich to
Baden.
The major airport of Switzerland is located in Zürich-Kloten, a mere 12 kilometres from the city centre of Zürich. It is home to the Swiss airlines.
The A1, A3 and A4 motorways run through the canton. Other motorways and motorroads which also run through the canton include the A7, the A51, the A52 and the A53. Major hubs are Zürich and Winterthur.
References
1. "Klare bürgerliche Mehrheit im Regierungsrat" , ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'', April 16, 2007.
External links
★
Official Site
★
Official Statistics
★
Guide for shops in canton zurich
★
Zürich Tourism
★
Greater Zurich Area
★ http://tages-anzeiger.ch/dyn/news/zuerich/620957.html
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