50-539: Switzers may refer to: Swiss people , of Switzerland Swiss mercenaries , in older usage Switzers, New Zealand , now known as Waikaia, a town in New Zealand See also [ edit ] Switzer (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Switzers . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
100-527: A consociational state ), a term coined in conscious contrast to " nation " in the conventional linguistic or ethnic sense. The demonym Swiss (formerly in English also called Switzer ) and the name of Switzerland ultimately derive from the toponym Schwyz . Both have been widely used to refer to the Old Swiss Confederacy since the 16th century. The ethno-linguistic composition of
150-480: A 2018 revision of the law, allowing naturalization after a minimal period of residence of ten years, and in certain cases as little as five years (naturalization of spouses and children of Swiss citizens; years of residence at ages 8 to 18 count double). A further requirement is that the applicant be "well integrated" and "familiar with life in Switzerland", and must have both oral and written competence in one of
200-431: A national language or a nationalism based on ethnicity, instead pushing for the creation of a civic nation grounded in democratic ideology, common political institutions, and shared political ritual. Political allegiance and patriotism was directed towards the cantons , not the federal level, where a spirit of rivalry and competition rather than unity prevailed. C. G. Jung advanced the view that this system of social order
250-547: Is a major tourist destination, renowned for its landscapes and gastronomy. The largest city is Lausanne , followed by Yverdon-les-Bains and Montreux . As of 2020, the canton has a population of 814,762. It is one of the four cantons where French is the sole official language, and it is the canton with the largest number of French speakers. Formerly a Bernese bailiwick, Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent canton in 1803. Humans lived alongside
300-501: Is divided into 10 districts: There are 300 municipalities in the canton (As of 2022 ). The population is French -speaking and historically was mostly Protestant (Calvinist), dating from the early years of the Reformation . Recently, however, this has been changing due to immigration from Southern Europe . In 2000, the population was nearly evenly split between Protestants (40%) and Roman Catholics (34%). The population of
350-520: Is invoked alongsides "the Cantons" as sovereign entity, and article 1 reads "The People and the Cantons [...] form the Swiss Confederation." Article 37 still defines Swiss citizenship as inherited from communal and cantonal citizenship: "Any person who is a citizen of a commune and of the Canton to which that commune belongs is a Swiss citizen." As Swiss citizenship is entirely based on jus sanguinis ,
400-473: Is on Lake Neuchâtel. Main languages spoken at home in the canton (2020): French : 82.40% English : 9.10% Portuguese : 7.51% German : 5.15% Italian : 5.00% Spanish : 3.88% Albanian : 2.37% South Slavic languages : 1.61% Other languages: 6.75% Note: Respondents were permitted to choose more than one language. The capital , Lausanne , is the major city of the canton. There are light industries concentrated around it. In 1998, 71.7% of
450-653: The Canton of Vaud , is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation . It is composed of ten districts ; its capital city is Lausanne . Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et patrie" on a white-green bicolour. Vaud is the third-largest Swiss canton by population and fourth by size. It is located in Romandy , the French -speaking western part of the country, and borders the canton of Neuchâtel to
500-668: The European Union (0.46 million). The largest groups of Swiss descendants and nationals outside Europe are found in the United States , Brazil , and Canada . Although the modern state of Switzerland originated in 1848, the period of romantic nationalism , Switzerland is not a nation-state and the Swiss are not a single ethnic group . Rather, Switzerland is a confederacy ( Eidgenossenschaft ) or Willensnation ("nation of will", "nation by choice", that is,
550-548: The Helvetians ) or Gallo-Roman , Alamannic and Rhaetic stock. Their cultural history is dominated by the Alps , and the alpine environment is often cited as an important factor in the formation of the Swiss national character. For example, the "Swiss illness", the condition of Swiss mercenaries pining for their mountainous native home, became prototypical of the medical condition of nostalgia ("homesickness") described in
SECTION 10
#1732791855426600-604: The canton of Valais ( Chablais ). In the Jura mountains in the west, the canton borders the French departments of Ain , Jura , and Doubs . In the east, it borders the cantons of Fribourg and Bern . The total area is 3,212 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi). Along with the canton of Berne, Vaud is one of the two cantons whose territory extends from the Jura to the Alps, through
650-420: The place of origin rather than the place of birth is recorded in identity documents. As Swiss citizenship is tied to the cantonal citizenship associated with the "place of origin" ( Heimatort or Bürgerort "home commune, commune of citizenship"), a citizen's place of origin is inherited from his or her father (from the mother if born out of wedlock or if the father holds no citizenship). The significance of
700-763: The 17th century. In early modern Switzerland , the Swiss Confederacy was a pact between independent states within the Holy Roman Empire . The populations of the states of Central Switzerland considered themselves ethnically or even racially separate: Martin Zeiller in Topographia Germaniae (1642) reports a racial division even within the canton of Unterwalden , the population of Obwalden being identified as " Romans ", and that of Nidwalden as " Cimbri " (viz. Germanic ), while
750-579: The Burgundians. The Zähringens themselves were succeeded in 1218 by the counts of Savoy . It was only under the counts of Savoy that the area gained political unity as the Barony of Vaud . A part stretching from Attalens to the river Sarine , in the north, was absorbed by the canton of Fribourg. As the power of the House of Savoy declined at the beginning of the 15th century, troops from Bern occupied
800-559: The Netherlands ; roughly twice the ratio of Germany ). In 2003, 35,424 residents were naturalized, a number exceeding net population growth. Over the 25-year period of 1983 to 2007, 479,264 resident foreigners were naturalized, yearly numbers rising gradually from below 10,000 (0.1%) in the 1980s to above 40,000 (0.6%) in the 2000s. Compare the figure of 0.2% (140,795) in the United Kingdom (2004). The genetic composition of
850-511: The Sonderbund War (November 1847). Separation was prevented at the cost of very few lives. The current cantonal constitution dates from 14 April 2003, replacing the constitution of 1885. The canton stretches from Lake Neuchâtel in the north, where it borders the canton of Neuchâtel , to Lake Geneva ( French : Léman ) in the south, where it borders the canton of Geneva , the French department of Haute-Savoie (lake border) and
900-618: The Swiss Confederacy, and which were given the status of Swiss cantons only after the end of the Napoleonic era. These specifically include Grisons , Valais , Ticino , Vaud and Geneva . St. Gallen is a special case in a different sense, being a conglomerate of various historical regions created in 1803; in this case, patriotism may attach itself even to sub-cantonal entities, such as the Toggenburg . Similarly, due to
950-546: The Swiss population is similar to that of Central Europe in general. On the one hand, Switzerland at the crossroads of several prehistoric migrations; on the other hand, the Alps acted as a refuge in some cases. Genetic studies found the following haplogroups to be prevalent: Haplogroup R1b-U152 also known as R1b-S28 is the frequent haplogroup of Swiss people, followed by R1b-U106/R1b-S21. Vaud Vaud ( / v oʊ / VOH ; French : (Canton de) Vaud , pronounced [kɑ̃tɔ̃ də vo] ), more formally
1000-821: The Vaud lakes in prehistoric times. Later, the Celtic tribe of the Helvetii inhabited the area. Caesar 's troops defeated the Helvetii in 58 BC and as a consequence the Romans settled in the area. The many towns established by the Romans include Vevey ( Latin : Viviscus ) and Lausanne ( Lausonium or Lausonna ). While the exact date of the founding of Aventicum is not exact, it was likely established during or shortly after Augustus' reign. There are still many Roman remains around
1050-607: The accession of French-speaking Geneva and Neuchâtel and the partly francophone Valais and Bernese Jura (formerly part of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel ) to the Restored Swiss Confederacy in 1815. Romansh was formerly considered a group of Italian dialects , but Switzerland declared Romansh a national language in 1938 in reaction to the fascist Italian irredentism at the time. Switzerland experienced significant immigration from Italy in
SECTION 20
#17327918554261100-515: The canton (as of 31 December 2020) was 814,762. As of 2010 , the population included about 28% foreigners, including many Italians . The major population centres of the canton are: Lausanne (140,202 inhabitants in 31 December 2020), Montreux - Vevey (Montreux: 26090 Vevey:19752 inhabitants) and Yverdon-les-Bains (29,955 inhabitants). The region around Nyon is often considered part of the agglomeration of Geneva . All of these are on Lake Geneva (called Léman in French ), except for Yverdon, which
1150-498: The canton of Geneva (Céligny), that are surrounded by the canton of Vaud. The north-western part of the canton is also mountainous but in a more modest way with mountains generally not above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft); the Jura Mountains . The Vallée de Joux is one of the most popular destinations in the region and also a centre of luxury mechanical Swiss watch manufacturing. Source: Source: The canton of Vaud
1200-451: The canton. It consists of potatoes and leeks accompanied by regional sausages, notably Saucisse aux choux . Taillé aux greubons are a salted bakery specialty of the region consisting of crackling encased in puff pastry . Another of the canton's specialties is carac , a sweet tart consisting of a sweetcrust pastry case ( pâte sucrée ) filled with chocolate ganache , covered by a characteristic green icing or fondant layer topped with
1250-488: The canton. The area also hosts several popular skiing destinations such as Villars , Les Diablerets and Leysin . The central area of the canton, in contrast, consists of moraines and is hilly. There are plains along the lakes. In the north, Avenches is in an exclave of the canton surrounded by the canton of Fribourg and Lake Neuchâtel. On the other hand, there are three enclaves of the canton of Fribourg (Estavayer-le-lac, Vuissens, Surpierre), as well as two enclaves of
1300-528: The canton: Additionally, there are several public hautes écoles offering a limited selection of programmes: The canton is often referred to as the "culinary capital of Switzerland" and is renowned for its many cheeses, wines and charcuterie. It is also home to a high number of gourmet restaurants, such as the Hôtel de ville in Crissier , founded by Frédy Girardet . Papet Vaudois is a very popular dish of
1350-535: The cantonal patriotisms. Among the traditions enlisted to this end were federal sharpshooting competitions , or tirs . These competitions were one of the few recognized symbols of pan-Swiss identity prior to the creation of the 1815 Confederation and traditionally involved men from all levels of society, including the peasants, who in Romantic nationalism had become ideologically synonymous with liberty and nationhood. The Swiss national holiday , introduced in 1889,
1400-409: The case of naturalized citizens after a period of five years). The Swiss Constitution of 1874, which remained in force (with revisions) until 1999, defined Swiss citizenship as inherited from cantonal citizenship: Jeder Kantonsbürger ist Schweizer Bürger ("every citizen of a canton is a Swiss citizen"). In the preamble to the current Swiss Constitution of 1999, a "Swiss People" ( Schweizervolk )
1450-457: The citizens of the multi-ethnic Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) regardless of ethno-cultural background or people of self-identified Swiss ancestry . The number of Swiss nationals has grown from 1.7 million in 1815 to 8.7 million in 2020. More than 1.5 million Swiss citizens hold multiple citizenship . About 11% of citizens live abroad (0.8 million, of whom 0.6 million hold multiple citizenship). About 60% of those living abroad reside in
1500-472: The core ethno-linguistic groups listed above. As of 2011, 37% of total resident population of Switzerland had immigrant background. As of 2016, the most widely used foreign languages were English, Portuguese , Albanian , Serbo-Croatian and Spanish, all named as a "main language" by more than 2% of total population (respondents could name more than one "main language"). The Swiss populace historically derives from an amalgamation of Gallic (most significant
1550-897: The denial of political rights of the French-speaking Vaudois by the German-speaking Bernese; he was subsequently beheaded. Later, inspired by the French Revolution of 1789–1799, the Vaudois drove out the Bernese governor in 1798 and declared the Lemanic Republic . Vaud nationalists like Frédéric-César de La Harpe , born in Rolle, had called for French intervention in liberating the area, and French Revolutionary troops moved in, taking over
Switzers - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-507: The end of the entire Helvetic Republic in 1803. In 1803 Vaud joined the re-installed Swiss Confederation . In spite of Bernese attempts to reclaim Vaud, it has remained a sovereign canton ever since. In the 19th century, the canton of Vaud was an outspoken opponent of the Sonderbund Catholic separatist movement, which led to intervention by 99,000 Swiss Federal troops under General Henri Dufour against 79,000 separatists, in
1650-471: The establishment of the modern Swiss Confederation. Prior to 1915, citizens held passports issued by their cantons, the Confederation being considered as a federation of the cantons, not a state composed of natural persons as its citizens. The Swiss Constitution of 1848 regulated certain rights that the cantons were required to grant to citizens of other cantons, such as the right of residence (in
1700-596: The foot of the Jura mountains . Cattle breeding and pasture are common in the Alps and the Jura mountains. There is a salt mine at Bex . Tourism is important in many towns along Lake Geneva. Major lakeside resorts include Lausanne, Montreux , and Vevey . The Union Cycliste Internationale is based in Aigle, and many of its defamation lawsuits against critics have been heard in the Est Vaudois district court of Vevey. Two Swiss public universities are located within
1750-635: The historical imperialism of the canton of Bern , there is considerable irredentism within the Bernese lands, most visibly in the Bernese Jura but to a lesser extent also in parts of the Bernese Oberland such as Hasli . Swiss citizenship is still primarily citizenship in one of the Swiss cantons , and the naturalization of foreign citizens is the privilege of the cantons. No Swiss passports were issued prior to 1915, more than 60 years after
1800-437: The land. By 1536 Bern had completely annexed the area. Vaud's Protestant Reformation started with co-workers of John Calvin like Pierre Viret (a famous debate took place at the cathedral of Lausanne), but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it. The Bernese occupiers were not popular amongst the population. In 1723 Major Abraham Davel led a revolt against Bern, in protest at what he saw as
1850-499: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Switzers&oldid=956291163 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Swiss people The Swiss people ( German : die Schweizer , French : les Suisses , Italian : gli Svizzeri , Romansh : ils Svizzers ) are
1900-464: The national languages of Switzerland. The federal law just specifies minimal requirements for naturalization, and cantons are free to introduce more stringent requirements. In practice, the cantons delegate the actual procedure of naturalization to the communes . With 25% of the population resident aliens, Switzerland has one of the highest ratios of non-naturalized inhabitants in Europe (comparable to
1950-471: The north, the cantons of Fribourg and Bern to the east, the canton of Valais to the south, the canton of Geneva to the south-west, and France to the west. The geography of the canton includes all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains , the Swiss Plateau , and the (Swiss) Alps . It also includes some of the largest lakes of the country: Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel . It
2000-537: The people of Schwyz were identified as of Swedish ancestry , and the people of Uri were identified as " Huns or Goths ". Modern Switzerland is atypical in its successful political integration of a multiethnic and multilingual populace, and is often cited as a model for new efforts at creating unification, as in the European Union's frequent invocation of the Swiss Confederate model. Because
2050-548: The place of origin outside of the naturalization procedure has been gradually abolished in the early 21st century. Since 2012, the municipality or canton of a citizen's place of origin is no longer responsible for providing social welfare to that citizen. Since 2013, a woman no longer acquires the place of origin of her husband upon marriage. While the cantons are responsible for naturalization, federal Swiss nationality law regulates minimal requirements necessary for naturalization. These requirements were significantly reduced in
Switzers - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-410: The territories of modern Switzerland includes the following components: The core Eight Cantons of the Swiss Confederacy were entirely Alemannic-speaking, and German speakers remain the majority. However, from as early as the 15th century, parts of French-speaking Vaud and Italian-speaking Ticino were acquired as subject territories by Bern and Uri, respectively. The Swiss Romandie was formed by
2150-652: The three distinct geographic regions of Switzerland . The areas in the south east are mountainous, situated on the north side of the Bernese Alps . This region is commonly named the Vaud Alps ( French : Alpes Vaudoises ). The Diablerets massif, peaking at 3,210 metres (10,531 ft), is the highest mountain of the canton. Other summits such as the Grand Muveran and the Tour d'Aï are visible from most of
2200-679: The town today. Between the 2nd and the 4th centuries Alemannic tribes repeatedly invaded the area, and in the 5th century the Burgundians occupied the territory. The Merovingian Franks later replaced the Burgundians. Their control did not last long either, and in 888 the area of the canton of Vaud became part of the Carolingian Empire (the successor state to the Merovingians). In 1032 the Zähringens of Germany defeated
2250-466: The various populations of Switzerland share language, ethnicity, and religion not with each other but with the major European powers between whom Switzerland during the modern history of Europe found itself positioned, a policy of domestic plurality in conjunction with international neutrality became a matter of self-preservation. Consequently, the Swiss elites during the period of the formation of nation states throughout Europe did not attempt to impose
2300-571: The very late 19th and early 20th century, such that in 1910 that accounted for some 10% of the Swiss population. This immigration was halted by the Great Depression and WWII. It restarted after the war ended. As elsewhere in Western Europe, immigration to Switzerland has increased dramatically since the 1960s, so that a large proportion of the resident population of Switzerland are now not descended or only partially descended from
2350-591: The whole of Switzerland itself in the process and setting up the Helvetic Republic . Under Napoleon I (Emperor 1804–1815), Vaud became (1798–1803) the canton of Léman . Unrest about the abolition of feudal rights and taxes led to increased discontent, which culminated in the revolt of the Bourla-papey in spring 1802, closely followed by the Stecklikrieg (August to October 1802) that brought
2400-688: The workers worked in the tertiary sector and 20.8% in the secondary. The canton is the second-largest producer of wine in Switzerland. Most of the wine produced in the canton is white, and most vineyards are located on the steep shores of Lake Geneva such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces . There is agriculture in the areas away from Lake Geneva. Sugar beet is important around Orbe , tobacco in La Broye Valley , and fruit at
2450-557: Was another symbol of national identity at the federal level. The bonfires associated with the national holiday have become so customary since then that they have displaced the Funken traditions of greater antiquity. Identification with the national symbolism relating to the Old Swiss Confederacy was especially difficult for the cantons which had been joined to the Helvetic Republic in 1798 without any prior membership in
2500-472: Was one of a "chronic state of mitigated civil war" which put Switzerland ahead of the world in a civilizatory process of "introverting" warlike aggression. A similar view is attributed to Gottfried Keller , who is cited to the effect that the Swiss Confederacy could not exist without the endemic rivalry between cantons. From the 19th century onwards, there were conscious attempts to foster a federal "Pan-Swiss" national identity that would replace or alleviate
#425574