Everything about Jura Canton totally explained
The
Republic and Canton of the Jura, also known as
the Canton of Jura or
Canton Jura, is one of the
Cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest (created in 1979) of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of
Switzerland. The
capital is
Delémont. It shares borders with the Canton of
Basel-Landschaft, the
Canton of Bern, and the
French département of
Jura.
Geography
Canton Jura lies in the northwest of
Switzerland. It consists of parts of the
Jura mountains in the south and the Jura plateau in the north. The Jura plateau is hilly and almost entirely
limestone. The districts of
Ajoie and
Franches-Montagnes lie in this region. The term "
Jurassic" is derived from the Jura Alps, strata of which date to that era.
To the north and the west of the Canton lies
France. The
canton of Solothurn and
Basel-Landschaft are to east of the canton, while the
canton of Bern bounds the Jura to the south. The
River Doubs and the river
Birs drain the lands. The Doubs joins the
Saône and then the
Rhône, whereas the Birs is a tributary to the
Rhine.
History
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 of Berne. 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
Agriculture is important in Canton Jura.
Cattle breeding is significant, but there's also
horse breeding. The main industries are
watches,
textiles and
tobacco. There is a growing number of small and middle-sized business.
Demographics
The population is almost entirely
French-speaking. Just one municipality is
German-speaking: Ederswiler.
The majority is
Roman Catholic.
Districts
Municipalities
This is a list of the canton's 83
municipalities (
communes) by district.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jura Canton'.
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