Canton of Jura

canton of Switzerland
(Redirected from Jura (canton))

The canton of Jura is one of the Cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons and is in the northwestern part of Switzerland. It was created in 1979 from some of the French-speaking parts of the Canton of Bern. The capital is Delémont. It borders the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn, Bern and Neuchâtel and the French department of Jura.

Jura
Republic and Canton of Jura
République et canton du Jura  (French)
Flag of Jura
Coat of arms of Jura
Anthem: La Nouvelle Rauracienne
Map
Location in Switzerland
Map of Jura

Coordinates: 47°22′N 7°9′E / 47.367°N 7.150°E / 47.367; 7.150
CapitalDelémont
Subdivisions64 municipalities, 3 districts
Government
 • ExecutiveGouvernement (5)
 • LegislativeParlement (60)
Area
 • Total838.51 km2 (323.75 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020)[2]
 • Total73,709
 • Density88/km2 (230/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeCH-JU
Highest point1,302 m (4,272 ft): Mont Raimeux
Lowest point364 m (1,194 ft): Allaine at Boncourt
Joined1979
LanguagesFrench
Websitewww.ju.ch

Geography

change

It includes parts of the Jura mountains in the south and the Jura plateau in the north. The Jura plateau is hilly and almost entirely limestone.

To the north and the west of Jura is France. The canton of Solothurn and Basel-Landschaft are east of Jura, while the canton of Bern is south of Jura. The River Doubs and the river Birs drain the lands.

History

change

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

change

Agriculture is important in Canton Jura. Cattle breeding is significant and there is also horse breeding. The main industries are watches, clothing and tobacco. There are a growing number of small and middle-sized businesses.

People

change

The people are almost all French-speaking. The majority is Roman Catholic.

Districts

change

Jura is divided into 3 districts:

Municipalities

change

This is a list of the canton's 83 municipalities by district.

Porrentruy

change

Delémont

change

Franches-Montagnes

change
change

Further reading

change
  • 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.

References

change
  1. Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017
  2. "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.

Other websites

change