| Epsach | ||||||||||
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| Population | 328 (Dec 2010)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 96 /km2 (250 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 3.39 km2 (1.31 sq mi)[2] | |||||||||
| Elevation | 465 m (1,526 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3272 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0735 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Bühl, Hermrigen, Mörigen, Täuffelen, Walperswil | |||||||||
| Website | Epsach.ch SFSO statistics |
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Epsach
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Map of Epsach
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Epsach is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
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Epsach is first mentioned in 1244 as Ebza.[3]
Epsach has an area, as of 2009[update], of 3.39 km2 (1.31 sq mi). Of this area, 2.65 km2 (1.02 sq mi) or 78.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.48 km2 (0.19 sq mi) or 14.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.22 km2 (0.085 sq mi) or 6.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.05 km2 (12 acres) or 1.5% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km2 (2.5 acres) or 0.3% is unproductive land.[4]
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.7%. 13.6% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 64.3% is used for growing crops and 6.2% is pastures, while 7.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.[4]
The municipality includes the villages of Epsach, Klus and Baar. It is located on the low hills between Lake Biel and the Seeland.
Epsach has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 328.[1] As of 2007[update], 2.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.6%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (96.6%), with French being second most common ( 2.2%) and Albanian being third ( 0.6%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 55.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (17.9%), the Green Party (11.1%) and the local small left-wing parties (5.8%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 28% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 55.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.8%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Epsach about 73.7% of the population (aged 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).
Epsach has an unemployment rate of 0.8%. As of 2005[update], there were 66 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 5 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 11 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector.[5] The historical population is given in the following table:[3]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 204 |
| 1850 | 324 |
| 1888 | 380 |
| 1900 | 366 |
| 1941 | 302 |
| 1950 | 334 |