Bernese Jura

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Bernese Jura (Jura Bernois in French) is the name for the French-speaking area of the Swiss canton of Bern and it consists of the 3 French-speaking districts of the canton of Bern. 8.2% of the population in the canton of Berne is French-speaking and 84% is German-speaking. The Bernese Jura is located in the northern part of the canton. Its watch industry is known worldwide. According to the canton's constitution, one of the seven members of the executive cantonal government has to be a French-speaking citizen of this area. The French-speaking part of the canton of Bern, the Bernese Jura, has 12 seats guaranteed and 3 seats are guaranteed for the French-speaking minority of the bilingual district of Biel/Bienne in the canton's Parliament, which contains 160 seats. The Bernese Jura has a population of about 51,405 in 2004.