The Suisse romande (Romance Switzerland) is a local name for the French-speaking districts of western Switzerland. The name Romandie (Romandy) is also used. (Note that in French the word "romande" is an adjective and is not capitalised.) The term "Suisse romande" is also used to refer to Swiss French, the variety of French spoken in Switzerland. There are about 1.6 million French-speakers in Switzerland, about 20% of the total population.
The word "romande" indicates the Latin or Roman origin of the French language and the general orientation of the region to the French-speaking cultural sphere, to Roman Law and to some extent the Roman Catholic Church (although Geneva and Neuchâtel have a strong Protestant tradition). It is used in contrast to "Suisse alémanique" (German Switzerland) and "Suisse italienne" (Italian Switzerland).
The Suisse romande is not a precisely defined area, but in general includes the Cantons of Fribourg, Genève (Geneva), Jura, Neuchâtel, western Valais, Vaud and the northern part of Berne (known as the Jura Bienne or the Bernese Jura).
German-speaking Swiss refer to the Suisse romande as Welschland and to the French-speaking Swiss as Welsches. This word, related to Walloon and Welsh, refers in German to a foreigner of Celtic or more precisely Gallic origin.
The cultural identity of the Suisse romande is supported by Télévision Suisse Romande, Radio Suisse Romande and the Universities of Geneva (founded by Jean Calvin), Fribourg and Lausanne. Although the French Swiss strongly identify with French culture, centred on Paris, the French view them with some condescension, describing them as "les pauvres petites Suisses" (the poor little Swiss). The French Swiss sometimes use this expression themselves in a self-deprecating way.
The expression "Suisse romande" is best-known in the English-speaking world through the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of the Swiss Romande), based in Geneva and currently directed by Marek Janowski.