| Kanton Zürich | |||
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| — Canton of Switzerland — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Capital | Zurich | ||
| Subdivisions | 171 municipalities, 12 districts | ||
| Government | |||
| • Executive | Regierungsrat (7) | ||
| • Legislative | Cantonal Council (180) | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 1,729 km2 (667.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (12/2010)[2] | |||
| • Total | 1,371,007 | ||
| • Density | 792.9/km2 (2,053.7/sq mi) | ||
| Highest point | 1,292 m (4,239 ft) - Schnebelhorn | ||
| Lowest point | 332 m (1,089 ft) - Rhine at the border in Weiach | ||
| Joined | 1351 | ||
| Abbreviation | ZH | ||
| Languages | German | ||
| Website | ZH.ch | ||
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Map of Zürich
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The Canton of Zurich (German: Kanton ) has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 1,371,007.[2] The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch. In English the name of the canton is often written without an umlaut.
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The canton of Zurich consists of lands acquired by the capital Zurich after it became reichsfrei in 1218, especially after the revolution of the guilds in 1336. Zurich joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1351. The lower part of the canton was added to the territories of Zurich in 1362. Zurich claimed and lost the Toggenburg in the Old Zurich War of the 1440s. The northern parts up to the river Rhine came to the canton after the city of Zurich purchased Winterthur from the Habsburgs in 1468. Possessions to the west gained independence from Zurich as parts of the Canton of Aargau in 1803. The people approved a new constitution for the canton in February 2005, replacing the 1869 constitution. The new constitution took effect in January 2006.
The Antiquarische Gesellschaft in Zürich is an organization devoted to preserving the canton's history.
The canton of Zurich is situated north of the Alps. Its neighbouring cantons are Schaffhausen to the north, Aargau to the west, the cantons of Zug and Schwyz to the south and the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen to the east. Most of the Lake Zurich is located within the canton.
The canton can be roughly divided into the city and lake, the Unterland in the northwest, the Oberland in the southeast, the Weinland and Winterthur in the northeast, and the Knonaueramt southwest of the Albis. Greater Zurich Area extends beyond the cantonal borders.
The area of the canton of Zurich is 1,729 km². About 80% of the land is considered productive. Forests make up 505 km², whilst lakes cover 73 km². The main lakes are the Lake Zurich, the Greifensee and the Pfäffikersee. Smaller lakes are Türlersee, Katzensee, Hüttnersee, Grosser Husemersee, Mettmenhaslisee, Lützelsee, Egelsee and Seeweidsee.
Most of the canton consists of shallow river valleys which drain towards the Rhine to the north of the canton. In the northwest and southeast of the canton there are more mountainous areas. The valley of the river Linth leads into the Lake Zurich and continues as the Limmat river. This valley is the most significant valley of the canton of Zurich. The valley of the Glatt river originates in the Greifensee and is separated from the Limmat by ridges. The valley of the river Töss is gorge-like. It is located in the east of the canton and is separated from the Toggenburg area in the Canton of St. Gallen by a mountainous area. The Hörnli (1133 m) is the highest elevation of this mountain ridge. The valley of the river Sihl is located in the west of the canton. In confluences with the river Limmat in the city of Zurich. The river Sihl is separated from the lake of Zurich by the Albis Range. The Albishorn (915 m) is the highest elevation of this range. The highest elevation in the canton is at the Höhrohnen in the southeast of the canton.
The Uetliberg is part of the Albis Range. This mountain is popular with the population of the city of Zurich for recreation. There is a railway up to the Uetliberg.
The Cantonal Council has 180 members elected every four years.
The canton is governed by a seven member council (Regierungsrat). On 03 April 2011, the following were elected for four years [3]:
The Canton is divided into 12 districts (German: Bezirke):
There are 171 municipalities in the canton (Politische Gemeinden).
In 1519, Huldrych Zwingli became the pastor of the Grossmünster in Zurich, and soon thereafter Zurich became a reformed or Protestant canton. Even though Zwingli died in battle in 1531, the canton remained a stronghold of the Swiss Reformed Church over the following centuries. While a plurality of the population is Protestant (43%), 31% of the population was Roman Catholic in 2004,[4] a legacy of considerable immigration from Southern Europe.
Most of the land is cultivated, but the canton of Zurich is not considered as an agricultural area. The lands to the north and east are more agricultural, but in every part of the canton manufacturing predominates. The canton of Zurich is noted for machinery. Silk and cotton weaving were important in the past, but have now ceased to be of importance. There is a large paper industry. Small and middle sized companies are important contributors to the economy of the canton of Zurich. The city of Zurich is a major banking centre, and insurance is also of importance.
Railways in standard gauge run through all major valleys in the canton. The centre for transport is Zurich, where a great number of local railways connect to national and international rail links. The railway station of the city of Zurich, Zürich Hauptbahnhof, is one of the busiest in Europe, counting the number of arriving and departing trains. Zurich is well connected to other European cities using rail links. The major trains ICE, TGV and Cisalpino connect to Zurich.
The first Swiss railway ran in the Limmat valley in 1847, connecting Zurich to Baden.
The major airport of Switzerland is located in Zurich-Kloten, a mere 12 kilometres from the city centre of Zurich. It is home to Swiss International Air Lines
The A1, A3 and A4 motorways run through the canton. Other motorways and expressways which also run through the canton include the A7, the A51, the A52 and the A53. Major hubs are Zurich and Winterthur.
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