Canton of Neuchâtel

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Neuchâtel
Capital	Neuchâtel
Population (2007[update])	169,782 (Ranked 16th)
- Density	210 /km²
Area Coordinates: 46°59′N 6°47′E / 46.983°N 6.783°E / 46.983; 6.783	803 km² (Ranked 15th)
Highest point	1552 m - Chasseral
Lowest point	429 m - Lake Biel
Joined	1815
Abbreviation	NE
Languages	French
Executive	Conseil d'Etat (5)
Legislative	Grand Conseil (115)
Municipalities	62 municipalities
Districts	6 districts
Website	www.NE.ch

Neuchâtel (French: Canton de Neuchâtel; German: Kanton Neuenburg) is a canton of western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 (or 23.4%) are foreigners^[1]. The capital is Neuchâtel.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Economy 4 Education 5 Demographics 6 Districts 7 Municipalities 7.1 Neuchâtel 7.2 Boudry 7.3 La Chaux-de-Fonds 7.4 Le Locle 7.5 Val-de-Ruz 7.6 Val-de-Travers 8 Government 8.1 Legislative Power 8.2 Executive Power 9 Notable people 10 External links 11 References

[edit] Geography

The canton of Neuchâtel is located in Romandy, the western part of Switzerland. To its northeast it borders the canton of Bern, to the northwest France. The Lake Neuchâtel lies southeast of the canton, while the canton of Vaud is southwest of the canton of Neuchâtel. The canton lies in the central area of the Jura Mountains. Lake Neuchâtel drains the lands in the south, whilst the River Doubs drains the northern areas.

The canton is commonly divided into three regions. The viticultural region is located along the lake. Its name derives from the many vineyards found there. The region called Les Vallées lies further north. The two largest valleys of the canton of Neuchâtel lie in this region: the Ruz Valley and the Val de Travers. Both valleys lie at about 700 m (2,297 ft). The highest region of the canton, however, is the Neuchâtelois Mountains at 900 m (2,953 ft) to 1,065 m (3,494 ft). This region is made up of a long valley home to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and La Brévine.

[edit] History

The name of the canton goes back to the Roman designation of Novum Castellum (new castle). Rudolph III of Burgundy mentioned Neuchâtel in his will in 1032. The dynasty of Count Ulrich von Fenis took over the town and its territories in 1034. The dynasty prospered and by 1373 all the lands now part of the canton belonged to the count. In 1405, the cities of Bern and Neuchâtel entered a union. The lands of Neuchâtel passed to the lords of Freiburg about a century later, and then in 1504 to the French house of Orléans-Longueville (Valois-Dunois).

The French preacher Guillaume Farel brought the teachings of the Protestant Reformation to the area in 1530. When the house of Orléans-Longueville became extinct in 1707, the lands of Neuchâtel went to King Frederick I of Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia governed the Principality of Neuchâtel (German: Fürstentum Neuenburg) until 1848, with the exception of the period between 1806 and 1814 when the lands went as a sovereign principality to Napoleon Bonaparte's chief of staff, Louis Alexandre Berthier.

In 1815, the canton of Neuchâtel became part of the Swiss Confederation as a full member. For the first time, the Swiss admitted a canton that did not have a republican administration. This situation changed in 1848 when a peaceful revolution took place and established a republic. King Frederick William IV of Prussia did not give in immediately and several attempts at counter-revolution took place. In 1857, Frederick William renounced his claims on the area.

[edit] Economy

The canton is well-known for its wines, which are grown along the Lake Neuchâtel. There are dairy farming and cattle breeding in the valleys, but it is for the breeding of horses that Neuchâtel has a fine reputation. Watchmaking, see "Watch Valley", is well established in the canton, with fine mechanics and microchip production being established more recently.

[edit] Education

Higher educational institutions:

• La Haute école de gestion de Neuchâtel
• University of Neuchâtel

[edit] Demographics

The population is almost entirely French-speaking. The canton has historically been strongly Protestant, but in recent decades it has received an influx of Roman Catholic arrivals. In 2000, its population was closely split between Protestants (38%) and Roman Catholics. (31%).^[2].

The 170,000 inhabitants are fairly evenly distributed with many small towns and villages lining the shore of the Lake of Neuchâtel The average population density is 209 people per sq km (542 sq mi). Neuchâtel (2008 estimate: 32,400) is the canton's capital while La Chaux-de-Fonds (2008 estimate: 36,900) is the canton's largest settlement.

Some 38,000 of the inhabitants, or a little less than a quarter of the population, are of foreign extraction.

[edit] Districts

The Canton of Neuchâtel is divided into 6 districts which belong to 4 geographic regions:

• District of Neuchâtel, Le Littoral region, capital Neuchâtel
• District of Boudry, Le Littoral region, capital Boudry
• District of Val-de-Ruz, Val-de-Ruz region, capital Cernier
• District of Val-de-Travers, Val-de-Travers region, capital Môtiers
• District of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Montagnes Neuchâteloises region, capital La Chaux-de-Fonds
• District of Le Locle, Montagnes Neuchâteloises region, capital Le Locle

[edit] Municipalities

The following is a list of municipalities (communes) by district.

[edit] Neuchâtel Cornaux Cressier Enges Hauterive Le Landeron Lignières Marin-Epagnier Neuchâtel Saint-Blaise Thielle-Wavre [edit] Boudry Auvernier Bevaix Bôle Boudry Brot-Dessous Colombier Corcelles-Cormondrèche Cortaillod Fresens Gorgier Montalchez Peseux Rochefort Saint-Aubin-Sauges Vaumarcus [edit] La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds La Sagne Les Planchettes

[edit] Le Locle Brot-Plamboz La Brévine La Chaux-du-Milieu Le Cerneux-Péquignot Le Locle Les Brenets Les Ponts-de-Martel [edit] Val-de-Ruz Boudevilliers Cernier Chézard-Saint-Martin Coffrane Dombresson Engollon Fenin-Vilars-Saules Fontainemelon Fontaines Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane Les Hauts-Geneveys Le Pâquier Montmollin Savagnier Valangin Villiers

[edit] Val-de-Travers Boveresse Buttes Couvet Fleurier La Côte-aux-Fées Les Bayards Les Verrières Môtiers Noiraigue Saint-Sulpice Travers

[edit] Government

Neuchâtel was one of the first cantons in Switzerland to grant women the vote (1959) and also to grant the vote to foreigners holding a residence permit and who have been domiciled in the canton for at least 5 years (2002), as well as to lower the voting age to 18.

The cantonal authorities, which have their seat in the castle (the Château de Neuchâtel), are elected every four years by universal suffrage:

[edit] Legislative Power

The Grand Council (cantonal parliament), with 115 seats distributed in proportion to the population of the 6 districts that make up the electoral constituencies: Neuchâtel (35 seats), Boudry, (25) Val-de-Travers (8), Val-de-Ruz (10), Le Locle (10), La Chaux-de- Fonds (27).

The people also elect their representatives to the federal parliament every four years: five of the 200 members of the National Council (lower chamber) and 2 of the 46 members of the Council of States (upper chamber).

[edit] Executive Power

The State Council (cantonal government), 5 “ministers” who assume the annual presidency in turn and manage the departments of justice, health and safety; finance and social welfare; public economy; regional management; education and culture.

[edit] Notable people

• Daniel Borel - Cofounder of Logitech
• Le Corbusier - Swiss-French architect, designer and urbanist
• Abraham-Louis Breguet - Watchmaker
• Gil Montandon - Professional Ice Hockey Centre
• Gisèle Ory - Socialist member of the Council of States
• Jean-Frédéric Ostervald - Protestant pastor and translator of the Bible in French

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Canton of Neuchâtel

• Official Site
• Official Statistics
• Tourism: Neuchâtel and surroundings "Watch Valley"
• Portal Neuch.ch
• Village of Valangin

[edit] References

v • d • e Cantons of Switzerland     Aargau Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Innerrhoden Basel-City Basel-Country Bern Fribourg Geneva Glarus Graubünden Jura Lucerne Neuchâtel Nidwalden Obwalden Schaffhausen Schwyz Solothurn St. Gallen Thurgau Ticino Uri Valais Vaud Zug Zürich

v • d • e Territories and provinces of Prussia (1525–1947) Before 1701 Duchy of Prussia · Margraviate of Brandenburg · Cleves / Mark / Ravensberg (1614) · Farther Pomerania / Minden / Halberstadt (1648) · Lauenburg–Bütow / Draheim (1657) · Magdeburg (1680) · Colonies (Groß Friedrichsburg · Arguin · Crab Island · Tertholen) After 1701 Neuchâtel (1707) · Guelders (1713) · Minden-Ravensberg (1719) · Western Pomerania (1720, 1815) · Silesia / Glatz (1742) · East Frisia (1744) · East / West Prussia (1772-73) · South Prussia (1793) · New East Prussia / New Silesia (1795) Post-Congress of Vienna (1814–15) Brandenburg · Pomerania · Grand Duchy of Posen1 · Saxony · Silesia · Westphalia · Rhine Province2 (1822) · Province of Prussia (1824–78) · Hohenzollern (1850) · Schleswig-Holstein / Hanover / Hesse-Nassau (1866–68) Territorial reforms after 1918 Lower / Upper Silesia (1919) · Greater Berlin (1920) · Posen-West Prussia (1922) · Halle-Merseburg / Magdeburg / Kurhessen / Nassau (1944) 1 Became the Province of Posen in 1848.   2 From the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg.