Canton of Zürich
The Swiss canton of Zürich (in German Kanton Zürich) has a population of about 1.2 million. It is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zürich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch.
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2 History 3 Political substructures 4 Government 5 Economy 6 Transport 7 External links |
Geography
The canton of Zürich is situated north of the Alps. Its neighbouring cantons are Schaffhausen to the north, Aargau to the west, the cantons of Zug and Schwyz to the south and the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen to the east. Most of the Lake Zürich is located within the canton.
The area of the canton of Zurich is 1,729 km2. About 80% of the land is considered productive. Forests make up 505 km2, whilst lakes cover 73 km2. The main lakes are the Lake Zurich, the Greifensee and the Pfäffikersee.
Most of the canton consists of shallow river valleys which drain towards the Rhine to the north of the canton. In the northwest and southeast of the canton there are more mountainous areas. The valley of the river Linth leads into the Lake Zurich and continues as the Limmat river. This valley is the most significant valley of the canton of Zurich. The valley of the Glatt river originates in the Greifensee and is seperated from the Limmat by ridges. The valley of the river Töss is gorge- like. It is located in the east of the canton and is seperated from the Toggenburg area in the Canton of St. Gallen by a mountainous area. The Hörnli (1133 m) is the highest elevation of this mountain ridge. The valley of the river Sihl is located in the west of the canton. In confluences with the river Limmat in the city of Zurich. The river Sihl is separated from the lake of Zurich by the Albis Range. The Albishorn (915 m) is the highest elevation of this range. The highest elevation in the canton is at the Höhrohnen in the southeast of the canton.
The Üetliberg is part of the Albis Range. This mountain is popular with the population of the city of Zurich for recreation. There is a railway up to the Üetliberg.
History
The canton of Zurich consists of lands acquired by the capital Zurich up to the year 1803. The canton of Zurich joined the Swiss confederation in 1351. The lower part of the canton was added to the territories of Zurich in 1362. The northern parts up to the river Rhine came to the canton after the city of Zurich purchased Winterthur from the Habsburgs in 1467. The constitution of the canton was established in 1869.
Most of the land is cultivated, but the canton of Zurich is not considered as an agricultural area. The lands to the north and east are more agrigultural, but in every part of the canton manufacturing predominates. The canton of Zurich is noted for machinery. Silk and cotton weaving were important in the past, but have not ceased to be of importance. There is a paper industry. Small and midle sized companies are important contributors to the economy of the canton of Zurich. The city of Zurich is a major banking centre, but insurance is also of importance.
The first Swiss railway run in the Limmat valley in 1847, connecting Zurich to Baden.
The major airport of Switzerland is located in Zurich- Kloten, a mere 12 kilometres from the city centre of Zurich. It is home to the Swiss airlines.Political substructures
Location of the canton
The districts are named after their captial.Government
Legislative power
The parliament has 180 members elected every four years.Executive power
The canton is government by a seven member council (Regierungsrat). On 6 April 2003, the following were elected for four years:
Economy
Transport
Railways in standard gauge run through all major valleys in the canton. The centre for transport is Zurich where a great number of local railways connect to national and international rail links. The railway station of the city of Zurich is one of the busiest in the world, counting the number of arriving and departing trains. Zurich is well connected to other European cities using rail links. The major trains ICE, TGV and Cisalpino are connect to Zurich.
