The 26 cantonss of Switzerland are the statess of the federal state.
Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts. Most of the cantons' legislatures are unicameral parliaments. Their size varies between 58 and 200 seats. A few legislatures are general assemblies (Landsgemeinden). The cantonal governments consist of either 5, 7 or 9 members, depending on the canton. All tasks that do not explicitly fall within the Confederation according to the Swiss Constitution are matters of the cantons. The cantons determine the degree of autonomy of the municipalities, thus this varies greatly.
In cantonal matters, direct democracy in the form of general assemblies (Landsgemeinde) is now confined to the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. In all other cantons democratic rights are expressed using the ballot box.
Since the creation of the Canton of Jura in 1978 there have been no new cantons. Sometimes the number of cantons is given as 23. In this case the cantons of Unterwalden, Appenzell and Basel are counted as two half-cantons each. Unterwalden is divided into Obwalden and Nidwalden, Appenzell into Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden, while Basel is divided into Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. These divisions exist for historical reasons and still only affect the number of seats in the Council of States and voting in federal initiatives. The new constitution of 1999 now enumerates each of the 26 cantons separately.
List and map
The table below lists the cantons in the order of the constitution.
| Abbr | Canton | Since | Capital | Population1 | Area2 | Density3 | Nr. of mun.s1 | Official languages
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZH | Zürich (Zurich) | 1351 | Zürich | 1,228,600 | 1,729 | 701 | 171 | German |
| BE | Bern (Berne) | 1353 | Bern | 947,100 | 5,959 | 158 | 399 | German, French |
| LU | Lucerne | 1332 | Lucerne | 350,600 | 1,493 | 233 | 107 | German |
| UR | Uri | 1291 | Altdorf | 35,000 | 1,077 | 33 | 20 | German |
| SZ | Schwyz | 1291 | Schwyz | 131,400 | 908 | 143 | 30 | German |
| OW | Obwalden (Obwald) | 1291 | Sarnen | 32,700 | 491 | 66 | 7 | German |
| NW | Nidwalden (Nidwald) | 1291 | Stans | 38,600 | 276 | 138 | 11 | German |
| GL | Glarus | 1352 | Glarus | 38,300 | 685 | 51 | 28 | German |
| ZG | Zug | 1352 | Zug | 100,900 | 239 | 416 | 11 | German |
| FR | Fribourg | 1481 | Fribourg | 239,100 | 1,671 | 141 | 242 | French, German |
| SO | Solothurn | 1481 | Solothurn | 245,500 | 791 | 308 | 126 | German |
| BS | Basel-Stadt (Basle-City) | 1501 | Basel | 186,700 | 37 | 5,072 | 3 | German |
| BL | Basel-Landschaft (Basle-Country) | 1501 | Liestal | 261,400 | 518 | 502 | 86 | German |
| SH | Schaffhausen | 1501 | Schaffhausen | 73,400 | 298 | 246 | 34 | German |
| AR | Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Outer Rhodes) | 1513 | Herisau4 | 53,200 | 243 | 220 | 20 | German |
| AI | Appenzell Innerrhoden (Inner Rhodes) | 1513 | Appenzell | 15,000 | 173 | 87 | 6 | German |
| SG | St. Gallen (St. Gall) | 1803 | St. Gallen | 452,600 | 2,026 | 222 | 90 | German |
| GR | Graubünden (Grisons) | 1803 | Chur | 185,700 | 7,105 | 26 | 211 | German, Romansh, Italian |
| AG | Aargau (Argovia) | 1803 | Aarau | 550,900 | 1,404 | 388 | 232 | German |
| TG | Thurgau (Thurgovia) | 1803 | Frauenfeld | 228,200 | 991 | 229 | 80 | German |
| TI | Ticino | 1803 | Bellinzona | 311,900 | 2,812 | 110 | 244 | Italian |
| VD | Vaud | 1803 | Lausanne | 626,200 | 3,212 | 188 | 382 | French |
| VS | Valais | 1815 | Sion | 278,200 | 5,224 | 53 | 160 | French, German |
| NE | Neuchâtel | 1815 | Neuchâtel | 166,500 | 803 | 206 | 62 | French |
| GE | Geneva | 1815 | Geneva | 414,300 | 282 | 1,442 | 44 | French |
| JU | Jura | 1979 | Delémont | 69,100 | 838 | 82 | 83 | French
|
| CH | Switzerland | Bern | 7,261,200 | 41,285 | 174 | 2,889 | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
Notes: 1 on 31 December 2001, National Statistics, 2 km², 3 per km², based on 2000 population 4 seat of government and parliament, the seat of the judicial authorities is Trogen.
The two letter abbreviations for Swiss cantons are widely used, e.g. on car license plates and in the ISO 3166-2 codes (with the prefix "CH-", i.e. CH-SZ for the canton of Schwyz).
| Abbr | English | French | Italian | German | Romansh | Spanish | Esperanto¹
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG | Aargau | Argovie | Argovia | Aargau | Argovia | Argovia | |
| AI | Appenzell Innerrhoden | Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures | Appenzello Interno | Appenzell Innerhoden | Appenzell dadens | Appenzell Rodas Interiores | |
| AR | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures | Appenzello Esterno | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | Appenzell dador | Appenzell Rodas Exteriores | |
| BS | Basel-Stadt | Bâle-Ville | Basilea Città | Basel-Stadt | Basilea-Citad | Basilea-Ciudad | Bazelo-Urbo |
| BL | Basel-Landschaft | Bâle-Campagne | Basilea Campagna | Basel-Landschaft | Basilea-Champagna | Basilea-Campaña | Bazelo-Kamparo |
| BE | Bern | Bern | Berna | Berne | Berna | Berna | Berno |
| FR | Fribourg | Fribourg | Friburgo | Freiburg or Fribourg | Friburg | Friburgo | Friburgo |
| GE | Geneva | Genève | Ginevra | Genf | Genevra | Ginebra | Ĝenevo |
| GL | Glarus | Glaris | Glarona | Glarus | Glaruna | Glaris | |
| GR | Graubünden | Grisons | Grigioni | Graubünden | Grischun | Grisones | Grizono |
| JU | Jura | Jura | Giura | Jura | Giura | Jura | |
| LU | Lucerne | Lucerne | Lucerna | Luzern | Lucerna | Lucerna | Lucerno |
| NE | Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel | Neuenburg | Neuchâtel | Neuchatel | Neuchâtel |
| NW | Nidwalden | Nidwald | Nidvaldo | Nidwalden | Sutsilvania | Unterwalden bajo | |
| OW | Obwalden | Obwald | Obvaldo | Obwalden | Sursilvania | Unterwalden alto | |
| SH | Schaffhausen | Schaffhouse | Sciaffusa | Schaffhausen | Schaffusa | Schaffhausen | Ŝafhaŭzo |
| SZ | Schwyz | Schwyz (or Schwytz) | Svitto | Schwyz | Sviz | Schwyz | |
| SO | Solothurn | Soleure | Soletta | Solothurn | Soloturn | Soleura | |
| SG | St. Gallen | Saint-Gall | San Gallo | St. Gallen | Son Gagl | Sankt Gallen | |
| TG | Thurgau | Thurgovie | Turgovia | Thurgau | Turgovia | Turgovia | |
| TI | Ticino | Tessin | Ticino | Tessin | Tessin | Tesino | Tiĉino |
| UR | Uri | Uri | Uri | Uri | Uri | Uri | |
| VS | Valais | Valais | Vallese | Wallis | Vallais | Valais | Valezo |
| VD | Vaud | Vaud | Vaud | Waadt | Vad | Vaud | Vaud |
| ZG | Zug | Zoug | Zugo | Zug | Zug | Zug | |
| ZH | Zürich | Zurich | Zurigo | Zürich | Turitg | Zürich | Zuriko |
