Vaud


Vaud
Coat of arms of the Canton of Vaud
Map of Switzerland highlighting the Canton of Vaud
Capital Lausanne
Population (2007) 672,039 (Ranked 3rd)
  - Density 205 /km²
Area Coordinates: 46°37′N 6°33′E / 46.617°N 6.55°E / 46.617; 6.55 3212 km² (Ranked 4th)
Highest point 3210 m - Les Diablerets
Lowest point 372 m - Lake Geneva
Joined 1803
Abbreviation VD
Languages French
Executive Conseil d'Etat (7)
Legislative Grand Conseil (150)
Municipalities 376 (as of 2008-01-01) municipalities
Districts 10 districts
Website www.VD.ch
Map of the Canton of Vaud

The Canton of Vaud (French pronunciation [vo]) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne.

Contents

Geography

Glacier3000 cable car

The canton stretches from Lake Neuchâtel in the north, where it borders the canton of Neuchâtel to Lake Geneva in the south, bordering the canton of Geneva, Haute-Savoie (lake border with France) and canton of Valais. On the Jura ranges in the west, the canton borders the French départements of Ain, Jura, and Doubs. In the east, it borders canton of Fribourg and canton of Bern. The total area is 3,212 square kilometers (1,240.2 sq mi).

Alongside with the canton of Berne, Vaud is one of the two cantons whose territory extends from the Jura to the Alps, through the three distinct geographic regions of Switzerland.

Alps

See also: Swiss Alps

The areas in the southeast are mountainous, situated on the north side of the Bernese Alps. The region is commonly named Vaud Alps (French: Alpes Vaudoises). The Diablerets massif, peaking at 3,210 meters (10,531 ft), is the highest mountain of the canton and the only glaciated area. Other summits such as the Grand Muveran or the Tour d'Aï are well visible from most of the canton. The area also host several popular skiing destinations such as Villars, Les Diablerets and Leysin.

Plateau

See also: Swiss plateau
Lavaux wineyards above Lake Geneva

The central area of the canton, in contrast, consists of moraines and is thus hilly. There are plains along the lakes.

In the north, there is an exclave containing Avenches surrounded by canton of Fribourg and Lake Neuchâtel. On the other hand, there are two enclaves of the canton of Fribourg, as well as two enclaves of the canton of Geneva, that are surrounded by the canton of Vaud.

Jura

See also: Jura Mountains

The north-western part of the canton is also mountainous but in a more modest way with mountains (or hills) generally not above 1,500 metres. The Vallée de Joux is one of the most popular destinations in the region. and the heart of luxury mechanical Swiss Watch manufacturing (see "Watch Valley".

History

Chillon Castle near Montreux, from here the Savoy counts unified much of Vaud.

Along the lakes, Vaud was inhabited in prehistoric times. Later on, the Celtic tribe of the Helvetii inhabited the area. The tribe was defeated by Caesar's troops in 58 BC and as a consequence the Romans settled the area. The towns of Vevey (Latin: Viviscus) and Lausanne (Lausonium or Lausonna) are two of the many towns established by the Romans.

In 27 BC the state of Civitas Helvetiorum was established around the capital of Avenches (Aventicum). There are still many Roman remains around the town today. Between the 2nd and the 4th century the area was repeatedly invaded by Alemannic tribes, and in the 5th century the Burgundians occupied the area. The Merovingian Franks later replaced the Burgundians. Their occupancy did not last long either, and in 888 the area of the canton of Vaud was made part of the Carolingian Empire. In 1032 the Zähringens of Germany defeated the Burgundians. The Zähringens themselves were succeeded in 1218 by the counts of Savoy. It was only under the counts of Savoy that the area was given political unity, establishing what is today in greater part known as the canton of Vaud. A part stretching from Attalens to the River Sarine, in the north, was absorbed by the canton of Fribourg.

As the power of the Savoys declined at the beginning of the 15th century the land was occupied by troops from Bern. By 1536 the area was completely annexed. Reformation was started by co-workers of John Calvin like Pierre Viret, including a famous debate at the cathedral of Lausanne; but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it. The Bernese occupants were not popular amongst the population and the French Revolutionary troops were received with enthusiasm in 1798. The French troops were victorious and a Lemanic Republic was declared. This was soon turned into the canton of Léman, which in 1803 joined the Swiss confederation.

The current constitution dates from April 14, 2003, replacing the one from 1885. In the 19th century the canton of Vaud was an outspoken opponent of the Catholic separatist movement (Sonderbund).

Culture

Vaud shares a lot with its fellow French-speaking Protestant cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel. It has still a strong rural component, protected by high subsidies, even if most of the economy and population are now urbanised, around services (finance, telecommunications, tourism) and industry (packaging, tobacco, food-processing, watchmaking, pharmaceuticals &c). There are survivals of its own Franco-Provençal patois, around which an association was formed.

Quality of life is very high, but the birthrate is very low. Life expectancy is high. Education shares the generally high Swiss standards.

Economy

The capital Lausanne is the major city in the canton. There are light industries concentrated around it. In 1998, 71.7% of the workers worked in the tertiary sector and 20.8% in the secondary.

The canton is the second largest producer of wine in Switzerland. Most of the wine produced in the canton is white wine, and most vineyards are located on the steep shores of Lake Geneva such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces. There is agriculture in the areas away from Lake Geneva. Sugar beet is important around Orbe, tobacco in La Broye Valley and fruit is grown on the foot of the Jura mountains. Cattle breeding and pasture are common in the Alps and the Jura mountains. There is a salt mine at Bex. Tourism is important in many towns along the Lake Geneva. Major lakeside resorts include Lausanne, Montreux and Vevey.

Education

The Canton is home to several renowned universities and schools:

Districts

Future districts of Canton Vaud

Since January 1, 2008, Vaud was reorganized into 10 districts:

Districts of Canton Vaud

From 1803 till 2007 the Canton of Vaud has been divided into 19 districts:

Demographics

The population is French-speaking and historically was overwhelmingly Protestant (Calvinist), dating from the early years of the Reformation. Recently, however, this has been changing due to immigration from Southern Europe. In 2000, the population was nearly evenly split between Protestants (40%) and Roman Catholics (34%).[1].

The population of the canton is 672,039 (2007) of which 195,071 (or 29%) are foreigners[2]. The major population centres of the canton are: Lausanne (approx. 275,000 inhabitants in 2000), Montreux-Vevey (70,000 inhabitants) and Yverdon-les-Bains. The region around Nyon is often considered part of the agglomeration of Geneva. All of these are on Lake Geneva, except for Yverdon, which is on Lake Neuchâtel.

See also

External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vaud

References

  1. ^ Bundesamt fur Statistik (Federal Department of Statistics) (2004). "Wohnbevölkerung nach Religion" (Interactive Map). http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/05/blank/key/religionen.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-15. 
  2. ^ Bundesamt fur Statistik (Federal Department of Statistics) (2008). "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit, Geschlecht und Kantonen" (Microsoft Excel). http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/key/raeumliche_verteilung/kantone__gemeinden.html. Retrieved on November 5, 2008. 
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