(Redirected from Jura (canton))
The 'Republic and Canton of the Jura', also known as 'the Canton of Jura' or 'Canton Jura', is one of the
Cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest (created in 1979) of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of
Switzerland. The
capital is
Delémont. It shares borders with the Canton of
Basel-Landschaft, the
Canton of Bern, and the
French département of
Jura. Its official name in French is ''République et Canton du Jura''.
Geography
Canton Jura lies in the northwest of Switzerland. It consists of parts of the
Jura mountains in the south and the Jura plateau in the north. The Jura plateau is hilly and almost entirely
limestone. The districts of
Ajoie and
Franches-Montagnes lie in this region. The term "
Jurassic" is derived from the Jura Alps, strata of which date to that era.
To the north and the west of the Canton lies
France. The
canton of Solothurn and
Basel-Landschaft are to east of the canton, while the
canton of Bern bounds the Jura to the south. The
River Doubs and the river
Birs drain the lands. The Doubs joins the
Saône and then the
Rhône, whereas the Birs is a tributary to the
Rhine.
History
The
king of Burgundy donated much of the land that today makes up Canton Jura to the
Bishop of Basel in
999. The area was a sovereign state within the
Holy Roman Empire for more than 800 years. After the
Treaty of Westphalia in
1648 the Jura had close ties with the Swiss Confederation. In the
Congress of Vienna the Jura was given to the Canton Bern. This act caused dissension. The Jura was
French-speaking and
Roman Catholic, whereas the canton of Bern was mostly
German-speaking and
Protestant. The people of the Jura region called for independence. After a long struggle, a constitution was accepted in
1977. In
1978 the split was made official when the Swiss people voted in favour of it, and in
1979 the Jura joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member. However, the southern part of the Jura region, which is also predominantly French-speaking but has a
Protestant majority, opted not to join the newly-formed canton, and instead remained part of Bern. This area is now known as
Bernese Jura. The word Jura, therefore, may refer either to Canton Jura, or to the combined territory of Canton Jura and Bernese Jura.
On creation, the canton adopted the title Republic and Canton of the Jura. Other cantons in
Switzerland using the title "Republic and Canton" are
Ticino,
Canton Geneva, and
Canton Neuchâtel. In each case the title asserts the autonomy of the canton and its nominal sovereignty within the Swiss Confederation.
Economy
Agriculture is important in Canton Jura.
Cattle breeding is significant, but there is also
horse breeding. The main industries are
watches,
textiles and
tobacco. There is a growing number of small and middle-sized business.
Demographics
The population is almost entirely French-speaking. The majority is Roman Catholic.
Districts
Municipalities
This is a list of the canton's 83
municipalities (''communes'') by district.
Books
★ Ganguillet, Gilbert: Le conflit jurassien. Un cas de mobilisation ethno-régionale en Suisse, Zürich 1986.
★ Harder, Hans-Joachim: Der Kanton Jura. Ursachen und Schritte zur Lösung eines Schweizer Minderheitenproblems, Frankfurt am Main 1978.
★ Hauser, Claude: Aux origines intellectuelles de la Question jurassienne. Culture et politique entre la France et la Suisse romande (1910-1950), Diss. Fribourg 1997.
★ Henecka, Hans Peter: Die jurassischen Separatisten. Eine Studie zur Soziologie des ethnischen Konflikts und der sozialen Bewegung, Meisenheim am Glan 1972.
★ Jenkins, John R.G.: Jura Separatism in Switzerland, Oxford 1986.
★ Ruch, Christian: Struktur und Strukturwandel des jurassischen Separatismus zwischen 1974 und 1994, Bern 2001.
★ Schwander, Marcel: Jura. Konfliktstoff für Jahrzehnte, Zürich/Köln 1977.
★ Steppacher, Burkard: Die Jurafrage in der Schweiz, München 1985.
See also
★
French language
★
Franco-Provençal language
External links
★
Republic and Canton of Jura official site
★
Jura Tourism
★
Official Statistics
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