Canton of Fribourg

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Canton of Fribourg
Canton de Fribourg (French)
Kanton Freiburg (German)
Canton of Freiburg
Canton
Flag of Canton of Fribourg.svg
Flag
Wappen Freiburg matt.svg
Coat of arms
Fribourg.svg
Brandmark
Canton of Fribourg
Location in Switzerland
Map of Fribourg

Karte Kanton Freiburg 2010.png
Coordinates: 46°43′N7°5′E / 46.717°N 7.083°E / 46.717; 7.083
Capital Fribourg/Freiburg
Subdivisions 168 municipalities, 7 districts
Government
 •  Executive Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat (7)
 •  Legislative Grand Council of Fribourg (130)
Area
[1]
 • Total1,671.42 km2 (645.34 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020) [2]
 • Total325,496
 • Density190/km2 (500/sq mi)
GDP
[3]
 • Total CHF 19.180 billion (2020)
 • Per capitaCHF 59,263 (2020)
ISO 3166 code CH-FR
Highest point 2,389 m (7,838 ft): Vanil Noir
Lowest point 429 m (1,407 ft): shore Lake Neuchâtel
Joined 1481
Languages French, German
Website www.fr.ch

The canton of Fribourg, [a] also canton of Freiburg, [b] is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French spoken by more than two thirds of the citizens and German by a little more than a quarter. [4] Both are official languages in the canton. The canton takes its name from its capital city of Fribourg.

Contents

History

On the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat significant traces of prehistoric settlements have been unearthed.

The canton of Fribourg joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481. The area is made up of lands acquired by the capital Fribourg. The present extent was reached in 1803 when Murten (Morat) was acquired. The canton of Fribourg joined the separatist league of Catholic cantons in 1846 (Sonderbund). The following year, its troops surrendered to the federal army.

Geography

Fribourg Prealps: Dent de Brenleire (2358 m, to the right) and Vanil Noir (2389 m, in the background) Freiburger Voralpen - Dent de Brenleire (rechts vorne) Vanil Noir (hinten).jpg
Fribourg Prealps: Dent de Brenleire (2358 m, to the right) and Vanil Noir (2389 m, in the background)

The canton is bounded to the west by Lake Neuchâtel, to the west and the south by the canton of Vaud, and to the east by the canton of Bern. The canton includes two enclaves within Vaud and one within the canton of Bern, as well as a large exclave on the lake; it also enclaves the Bernese municipality of Münchenwiler. The area of the canton is 1,669 square kilometers (644.4 sq mi), including the small enclaves.

The canton lies on the elevated Swiss Plateau. In the west the lands are flat, but towards the south east of the canton, the lands rise to a hilly region. This region is commonly called pre-Alps but is part of the Bernese Alps. The highest elevation in the canton is the Vanil Noir with 2,389 m (7,838 ft).

The river Saane/Sarine flows from the south to the north of the canton. Together with its tributaries it drains most of the lands in the canton, then joins the river Aare. The river Broye drains the west of the canton and flows northeast into Lake Morat (Murtensee). The southwest part of the canton is drained by the river Veveyse, which flows south into Lake Geneva (French : Le Léman).

Political subdivisions

Districts

Districts of canton Fribourg Districts of Canton Freiburg.png
Districts of canton Fribourg

The Canton is divided into seven districts:

Municipalities

There are 126 municipalities in the canton of Fribourg as of January 2023. The number is decreasing as the canton subsidizes mergers between municipalities.

Demographics

In contrast to the mainly Protestant cantons of Vaud to its west and Bern to its east, the canton of Fribourg is a predominantly Catholic enclave (as of 2000, 70%) with a Protestant minority (15%). [5] This explains why the canton straddles the French-German linguistic border, for in the past, denominational considerations were more important than linguistic when drawing Switzerland's cantonal borders.[ citation needed ]

The main centres of population are the capital Fribourg (34,300 inhabitants) and Bulle (18,200 inhabitants).[ citation needed ]

Two thirds of the population speak French; the remainder speak Alemannic dialects of German. The French-speaking areas are in the west of the canton, the Alemannic-speaking areas in the east. The number of bilingual towns, and consequently the large number of people who can speak both French and German fluently, has attracted businesses such as telesales companies. The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 325,496. [2] As of 2007, the population included 43,838 foreign-born residents, or about 16.65% of the total population. [6]

Historical population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Historic Population Data [7]
YearTotal PopulationSwissNon-SwissPopulation share
of total country
185099 89198 5561 3354.2%
1870114 994113 2191 7754.1%
1900127,951123,5794,3723.9%
1950158,695154,5274,1683.4%
1970180,309163,50316,8062.9%
2000241,706206,18235,5243.3%
2020325,4963.8%

Economics

Agriculture is important in the canton of Fribourg. The main agricultural activities are cattle breeding and dairy farming. The region is a major cheese producer, especially the district of Gruyère, home of the cheese of the same name. The chocolate industry is also well established in Broc, home to an international chocolate research centre. [8] Other agricultural produces include tobacco, fruit and cereals. Agriculture is predominant in the north of the canton where the most fertile lands lie.

There is light industry concentrated around the capital Fribourg. Other centres of light industry are Bulle, Villars-sur-Glâne, Düdingen (Guin), Murten (Morat) and Estavayer-le-Lac. These five centers have also a large number of established small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are in the service sector. Forests are important in the La Gruyère (Greyerz) district.

Power plants in the district of Sarine export electricity. The mountain areas attract tourists all year round. The lake regions are frequented by tourists in summer and autumn.

Transport

Transports publics Fribourgeois bus station in Fribourg Tpf-bahnhof.jpg
Transports publics Fribourgeois bus station in Fribourg

The canton of Fribourg is well connected to other areas of Switzerland with motorways A1, A12 and fast rail links. The main railway between Geneva and Lausanne in the south west to Bern and Zürich connects Fribourg with other centres of the country. Connections within the canton are mostly provided by the Transports Publics Fribourgeois, with numerous bus routes and trains connecting the main towns.

Politics

Federal election results

Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the Federal Elections 1971-2019 [9]
PartyIdeology1971197519791983198719911995199920032007201120152019
FDP.The Liberals a Classical liberalism 24.722.123.020.016.716.115.914.812.813.812.814.214.4
CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD Christian democracy 41.546.939.938.037.736.836.033.725.424.820.322.714.4
SP/PS Social democracy 19.925.730.724.022.218.617.320.321.522.726.724.217.4
SVP/UDC Swiss nationalism 8.74.36.48.88.99.78.311.421.422.021.425.919.2
EVP/PEV Christian democracy * b *******0.70.80.70.70.7
CSP/PCS Christian socialism 5.3**7.56.97.78.710.910.47.15.51.83.3
GLP/PVL Green liberalism **********3.53.23.8
BDP/PBD Conservatism **********1.91.30.7
PdA/PST-POP/PC/PSL Socialism ******0.9******
GPS/PES Green politics ****4.2 c 2.3*4.06.35.05.312.5
FGA Feminist ****1.7 c *******
SD/DS National conservatism *****1.40.90.3*****
EDU/UDF Christian right ********0.70.90.70.80.7
Other*1.0*1.71.99.69.78.63.11.61.5*12.9
Voter participation %53.547.748.652.946.345.039.541.245.448.047.247.243.0
^a FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
^b "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
^c Included under "Other" in this election.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ French: Canton de Fribourg [kɑ̃tɔ̃d(ə)fʁibuʁ] ; Arpitan: Quenton de Fribôrg [cɛ̃ˈtɔ̃dəfʁiˈbwa] ⓘ ; Romansh: Chantun Friburg; Italian: Canton Friburgo.
  2. ↑ German: Kanton Freiburg [ˈkantɔnˈfraɪbʊrɡ] ⓘ ; Swiss German: Kanton Frybùrg.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gruyères</span> Municipality in Fribourg, Switzerland

Gruyères is a town in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fribourg</span> Municipality in Switzerland

Fribourg or Freiburg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and district of La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, administrative and educational centre on the cultural border between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Its Old City, one of the best-maintained in Switzerland, sits on a small rocky hill above the valley of the Sarine. In 2018, it had a population of 38,365.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaud</span> Canton of Switzerland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canton of Bern</span> Canton of Switzerland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canton of Neuchâtel</span> Canton of Switzerland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Switzerland</span> Administrative division of Switzerland

Districts of Switzerland are a political subdivision for cantons. In the federally constituted Switzerland, each canton is completely free to decide its own internal organisation. Therefore, there exists a variety of structures and terminology for the subnational entities between canton and municipality, loosely termed districts. Most cantons are divided into Bezirke. They are also termed Ämter, Amtsbezirke, district or distretto. The Bezirke generally provide only administration and court organization. However, for historical reasons districts in cantons Grisons and Schwyz are their own legal entities with jurisdiction over tax and often have their own Landsgemeinde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murten</span> Municipality in Fribourg, Switzerland

Murten or Morat is a bilingual municipality and a city in the See district of the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saane/Sarine</span> River in Switzerland

The Sarine or Saane is a major river of Switzerland. It is 128 km (80 mi) long and has a drainage area of 1,892 km2 (731 sq mi). It is a tributary of the Aare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romandy</span> French-speaking part of Switzerland

Romandy is the French-speaking historical and cultural region of Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 million people, or 22.8% of the Swiss population, lived in Romandy. The majority of the romand population lives in the western part of the country, especially the Arc Lémanique region along Lake Geneva, connecting Geneva, Vaud, and the Lower Valais.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clavaleyres</span> Former municipality in Fribourg, Switzerland

Clavaleyres was a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2022, it merged with Murten in the Canton of Fribourg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulle</span> Municipality in Fribourg, Switzerland

Bulle is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. In January 2006 Bulle incorporated the formerly independent municipality of La Tour-de-Trême.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transports publics Fribourgeois</span>

The Transports Publics Fribourgeois (TPF) is a renaming of the former Chemins de fer Fribourgeois Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat when the municipal Transport en commun de Fribourg (TF) was absorbed in 2000.

The Chemins de fer fribourgeois Gruyère–Fribourg–Morat (GFM) was a railway company in Switzerland. It was established with the merger in 1942 of two standard gauge and one 1,000 mm gauge railways running mainly within the Swiss canton of Fribourg. It was officially called the Compagnie des Chemins de fer fribourgeois. The company also operated numerous regional buses in the same area. After a merger with Fribourg city transport, the company was renamed Transports publics fribourgeois/Freiburgische Verkehrsbetriebe (TPF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estavayer</span> Municipality in Fribourg, Switzerland

Estavayer is a municipality of the canton of Fribourg, situated on the south shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Estavayer is located between Yverdon and Bern. It is the capital of the district of Broye. It was created on 1 January 2017 when the former municipalities of Bussy, Estavayer-le-Lac, Morens, Murist, Rueyres-les-Prés, Vernay and Vuissens merged to form Estavayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A12 motorway (Switzerland)</span> Motorway in Switzerland

The A12 motorway, an Autobahn in western Switzerland, is a divided highway connecting the A9 to the A1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baillival Castle (Bulle)</span>

Baillival Castle (Bulle) is a bailiff's castle in the municipality of Bulle of the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fribourg–Yverdon railway</span> Railway line in Switzerland

The Fribourg−Yverdon railway is a single-track standard-gauge line of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in Romandy.

The Fribourg–Ins railway line is a single-track standard-gauge line in Switzerland operated by Transports publics Fribourgeois. It was built by the Chemin de fer Fribourg–Morat–Anet (FMA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RER Fribourg</span>

RER Fribourg or RER Fribourg | Freiburg is an S-Bahn network in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. The network has two hubs, Bulle and Fribourg, and began operating in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payerne railway station</span> Railway station in Payerne, Switzerland

Payerne railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Payerne, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is located at the junction of the standard gauge Fribourg–Yverdon and Palézieux–Lyss lines of Swiss Federal Railways.

References

  1. ↑ Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017
  2. 1 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.
  3. ↑ Statistik, Bundesamt für (21 January 2021). "Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) nach Grossregion und Kanton - 2008-2018 | Tabelle". Bundesamt für Statistik (in German). Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Annuaire statistique du canton de Fribourg – Statistisches Jahrbuch des Kantons Freiburg – 2014" (PDF; 8,95  MB) (in French and German). Fribourg, Switzerland: Amt für Statistik des Staates Freiburg. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Federal Department of Statistics (2004). "Wohnbevölkerung nach Religion". Archived from the original (Interactive Map) on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
  6. ↑ Federal Department of Statistics (2008). "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit, Geschlecht und Kantonen". Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  7. ↑ "Freiburg (Kanton)". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in German). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Nestle to launch personalized luxury chocolates". reuters.com. Reuters. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  9. ↑ Nationalratswahlen: Stärke der Parteien nach Kantonen (Schweiz = 100%) (Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
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