2.4.2 Switzerland: Cantons
Description
This article is from the Switzerland FAQ, by Marc Schaefer schaefer@alphanet.ch with numerous contributions by others.
2.4.2 Switzerland: Cantons
Voters are women or men aged 18 (no foreigners). Eligible are same.
There is usually a `Grand Council' (legislative branch) and a `State
Council' (executive). The Cantons have a very high degree of
independence. See 2.5.1. Basically each canton has its own political
model and a generalization is only possible to a certain
extent. Foreigner's vote has been discussed in Neuchatel (voted and
refused), Geneva and AR, but has not been accepted yet.
Some Cantons (Swiss-German) have a very special democratic assembly
called a Landsgemeinde where all important decisions are made. This
public assembly is held on the central square of the Canton's capital.
These are the following Cantons and half-cantons, along with their
entry dates into the Swiss Confederation:
Aargau (AG; 1803), Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden (AR/half; 1501),
Basel-Landschaft (BL/half; 1501), Basel-Stadt (BS/half; 1501), Bern
(BE; 1353), Fribourg (FR; 1481), Geneve (GE; 1815), Glarus (GL; 1352),
Graubunden (GR; 1803), Appenzell Inner-Rhoden (AI/half; 1501), Jura
(JU; 1978), Luzern (LU; 1332), Neuchatel (NE; 1815), Nidwalden
(NW/half; 1291), Obwalden (OW/half; 1291), Sankt Gallen (SG; 1803),
Schaffhausen (SH; 1501), Schwyz (SZ; 1291), Solothurn (SO; 1481),
Thurgau (TG; 1803), Ticino (TI; 1803), Uri (UR; 1291), Valais (VS;
1815), Vaud (VD; 1803), Zug (ZG; 1352), Zuerich (ZH; 1351).
You can find a map of Switzerland with the Cantons and lakes at the
following URL:
http://www-internal.alphanet.ch/archives/gfx/maps/suisse2.gif
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