| Repubblica e Cantone Ticino | |||
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| — Canton of Switzerland — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Capital | Bellinzona | ||
| Largest City | Lugano | ||
| Subdivisions | 157 municipalities, 8 districts | ||
| Government | |||
| • Executive | Consiglio di Stato (5) | ||
| • Legislative | Gran Consiglio (90) | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 2,812.2 km2 (1,085.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (12/2010)[2] | |||
| • Total | 333,753 | ||
| • Density | 118.7/km2 (307.4/sq mi) | ||
| Highest point | 3,402 m (11,161 ft) - Adula (Rheinwaldhorn) | ||
| Lowest point | 195 m (640 ft) - Lake Maggiore | ||
| Joined | 1803 | ||
| Abbreviation | TI | ||
| Languages | Italian | ||
| Website | TI.ch | ||
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Map of Ticino
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Canton Ticino or Ticino (Italian pronunciation: [tiˈtʃiːno]; German: Tessin [tɛˈsiːn]; see also in other languages) is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language. Ticino borders the Canton of Uri to the north, Valais to the west (through the Novena Pass), Graubünden to the northeast, Italy's regions of Piedmont and Lombardy to the south and it surrounds the small Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia. Together with areas of the canton of Graubünden it makes up the so-called Italian Switzerland.
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In ancient times, the area of what is today Ticino was settled by the Lepontii, a Celtic tribe. Later, probably around the rule of Augustus, it became part of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Western Empire, was ruled by the Ostrogoths, the Lombards and the Franks. Around 1100 it was the centre of struggle between the free communes of Milan and Como: in the 14th century it was acquired by the Visconti, Dukes of Milan. In the fifteenth century the Swiss Confederates conquered the valleys south of the Alps in three separate conquests.
Between 1403 and 1422 some of these lands were already annexed by forces from the Canton of Uri, but subsequently lost. Uri conquered the Leventina Valley in 1440.[3] In a second conquest Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden gained the town of Bellinzona and the Riviera in 1500.[3] Some of the land and Bellinzona itself were previously annexed by Uri in 1419 but lost again in 1422. The third conquest was fought by troops from the entire Confederation (at that time constituted by 12 cantons). In 1512 Locarno, the Maggia Valley, Lugano and Mendrisio were annexed. Subsequently, the upper valley of the Ticino River, from the St. Gotthard to the town of Biasca (Leventina Valley) was part of Uri. The remaining territory (Baliaggi Ultramontani, Ennetbergische Vogteien, the Bailiwicks Beyond the Mountains) was administered by the Twelve Cantons. These districts were governed by bailiffs holding office for two years and purchasing it from the members of the League.[3]
The lands of the canton of Ticino are the last lands to be conquered by the Swiss Confederation. The Confederation gave up any further conquests after their defeat at the battle of Marignano in 1515 by Francis I of France. The Val Leventina revolted unsuccessfully against Uri in 1755.[3] In February 1798 an attempt of annexation by the Cisalpine Republic was repelled by a volunteer militia in Lugano. Between 1798 and 1803, during the Helvetic Republic, the districts of Bellinzona and Lugano were separate cantons, but in 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino that joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year.[3] During the Napoleonic Wars, many Ticinesi (as was the case for other Swiss) served in Swiss military units allied with the French.
In the early 19th century, Ticino was the poorest of the cantons of Switzerland. According to the contemporary Franco-Danish scholar Conrad Malte-Brun, "in no part of Switzerland is there more poverty, bordering on wretchedness, so much idleness, and so little industry".[4] Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton. In 1878, however, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital. The current constitution dates from 1997. The previous constitution, heavily modified, dates from 1830, nearly 20 years before the constitution of actual Swiss Confederation.[5]
The canton of Ticino is located in the south of Switzerland. It is almost entirely surrounded by Italy which lies to its east, west and south. To the north lie the cantons of Valais and Uri, to the northeast the canton of Graubünden.
Its area is 2,812 square kilometres (1,086 sq mi), of which about three quarters are considered productive.[6] Forests cover about a third of the area, but also the lakes Maggiore and Lugano make up a considerable part of the total area. These lakes are known with the above listed names, but are officially named Lake Verbano and Lake Ceresio.
The canton is split geographically in two parts by the Monte Ceneri pass. The northern, more mountainous part, called Sopraceneri, is formed by the two major Swiss valleys around the lake Maggiore: Ticino valley and Maggia valley. The southern part, called Sottoceneri, is the region around the Lake Lugano.
The River Ticino is the largest river in the canton. It drains most of the canton, flowing from the northwest through the Bedretto valley and the Leventina valley to enter Lake Maggiore near Locarno. Its main tributaries are the Brenno in the Blenio valley and the Moesa in the Mesolcina valley in Graubünden. The lands of the canton are shaped by the river, which in its mid portion forms a wide valley, commonly known as the Riviera.
The western lands of the canton, however, are drained by the Maggia River. The Verzasca valley is located between the Ticino river and the Maggia river. There is also a smaller area that drains directly into the Lake Lugano. Most of the land is considered within the Alps (Lepontine Alps), but a small area is part of the plain of the River Po which drains the north of Italy.
As a result of its more southerly position, it is one of the warmest cantons in Switzerland. Additionally, Ticino is prone to fierce storms and has the highest level of lightning discharge in the whole of Europe.
The current Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino, originating from a draft approved on 18 August 1801 during the Helvetic Republic,[7] was approved on 14 December 1997.[8] In its preamble, it states that it was created by the Ticinese people (popolo) "in order to guaranty peaceful life together with respect for the dignity of man, fundamental liberties and social justice (...) faithful to its historic task to interpret Italian culture within the Helvetic Confederation".[8]
The Gran Consiglio is the legislative authority of the canton, exercising sovereignty over any matter not explicitly delegated by the constitution to another authority.[8] The Gran Consiglio has 90 members called deputati (deputies), elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system.[8] Deputies serve four-year terms, and annually nominate a President and two Vice-Presidents. The Gran Consiglio meets in Bellinzona, the cantonal capital.[8]
The five-member Council of State (Italian: Consiglio di Stato), not to be confused with the federal Council of States, is the executive authority of the canton, and it directs cantonal affairs according to law and the constitution. It is elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Each year, the Council of State nominates its president, who is not re-electable.[8] The current president of the Council of State is Gabriele Gendotti.[9]
The Canton of Ticino is divided into 8 districts:
There are 157 municipalities in the canton (as of November 2010[update]). These municipalities (comuni) are grouped in 38 circoli (circles or sub-districts) which are in turn grouped into districts (distretti). Since late 1990 there is an ongoing project to aggregate some municipalities.
The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2010) is 333,753.[2] As of 2007[update], the population included 82,794 foreigners, or about 25.2% of the total population.[10] The population density (in 2005) is 114.6 persons per km2.[6] As of 2000, 83.1% of the population spoke Italian, 8.3% spoke German and 1.7% spoke Serbo-Croatian.[6] The population (as of 2000[update]) is mostly Roman Catholic (76%) with a Protestant (7%) minority.[11]
The official language, and the one used for most written communication, is Swiss Italian. Despite being very similar to standard Italian, Swiss Italian presents some differences to the Italian spoken in Italy due to the presence of French and German from which it assimilates words. Insubric dialects (Ticinese) are still spoken, especially in the valleys, but they are not used for official purposes.
Tertiary sector workers make up 76.5% of the Ticinese workforce, compared to the Swiss average of 67.1%. Commerce (23.1%), tourism (10.1%) and financial activities (3.9) are all important for the local economy, while the contribution from agriculture and fishing is marginal, employing 6.5% of the workforce on a Swiss average of 15.4%.[12]
Ticino is Switzerland's third largest financial center after Zurich and Geneva.[13] The banking industry alone has 8,400 employees and generates 17% of the gross cantonal product.[13] Because of Ticino's shared language and culture, its financial industry has very close ties to Italy.[13] In 2008, Ticino had an unemployment rate of 5%, higher than in rest of Switzerland, where it was estimated at 3.4%, and particularly high for foreigners (over 8%).[14]
Frontalieri, commuter workers living in Italy (mostly in the provinces of Varese and Como) but working regularly in Ticino, form a large part (over 20%) of the workforce, far larger than in the rest of Switzerland, where the rate is below 5%. Foreigners in general hold 44.3% of all the jobs, again a much higher rate than elsewhere in the Confederation (27%).[15] Frontalieri are usually paid less than Swiss workers for their jobs, and tend to serve as low-cost labor.[16]
Italy is by far Ticino's most important foreign trading partner, but there's a huge trade deficit between imports (5 billion CHF) and exports (1.9 billion).[17] Many Italian companies relocate to Ticino, either temporarily or permanently, seeking lower taxes and an efficient bureaucracy:[18] just as many Ticinese entrepreneurs doing business in Italy complain of red tape and widespread protectionism.[19]
There are several tunnels underneath the Gotthard Pass connecting the canton to northern Switzerland: the first to be opened was the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long Gotthard Rail Tunnel in 1882, replacing the pass road, connecting Airolo with Göschenen in the Canton of Uri.[21] A 17 km (11 mi) motorway tunnel, the Gotthard Road Tunnel, opened in 1980.[22] A second rail tunnel through the pass, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, is currently under construction. When completed, it will be the longest tunnel in the world,[20] reducing travel time between Zürich and Lugano to 1 hour 40 minutes.[20]
Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TiLo), a joint venture between the Italian Ferrovie dello Stato and the Swiss Federal Railways launched in 2004, manages the traffic between the regional railways of Lombardy and the Ticinese S-Bahn Canton Ticino via a S-Bahn system.[23]
The Regional Bus and Rail Company of Canton Ticino provides the urban and suburban bus network of Locarno, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with an Italian company, the Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno with the Simplon trans-Alpine route.
Lugano Airport is the busiest airport in southern Switzerland, serving some 200,000 passengers a year.[24]
There are two major centres of education and research located in the canton of Ticino. University of the Italian Switzerland (USI, Università della Svizzera Italiana) in Lugano is the only Swiss university teaching in Italian. The University of Applied Sciences of Italian Switzerland (SUPSI, Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana), in Manno on the other hand is a professional training college focused on a practical method of teaching in the areas of applied art, economy, social work, technology and production science.[13]
There is also a small American and Swiss accredited private college, Franklin College Switzerland, located above Lugano, as well as The American School in Switzerland in Collina d'Oro, a K-13 international school accepting day and boarding students.
There are four daily Italian-language newspapers published in Ticino: Corriere del Ticino, laRegione Ticino, Giornale del Popolo and Il Grigione Italiano.
The city of Locarno is host to the Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland's most prestigious film festival.
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