No matter which direction you approach Switzerland from, the closer you get to the border, the more cars you see with the distinctive Swiss license plates. The number plates, which have been carried in this way since 1932, are striking at the front because of their small size, the number plates at the back of the cars because they have two flags: the Swiss one on the left and the one on the right of the canton where the car in question is located. comes from. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons. According to legend, on August 1, 1291, representatives of the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden swore a perpetual oath on the Rütliwiese to support and protect each other against Habsburg rule. This fact is seen as the foundation of the Swiss confederation, in Latin Confederatio Helvetia, which explains the abbreviation CH on Swiss cars and web addresses. Until the French Revolution, the Swiss Confederation of States consisted of independent states, which at the time of Napoleon were gathered into the Helvetic Republic, a unitary state. However, this was a failure, resulting in the restoration of the confederation in 1803. The federal system that Switzerland has today was established in 1848.
Federation
It is obvious to compare a canton with a province, but incorrectly, because cantons show more similarities with the German federal states. Swiss cantons each have their own constitution and their own parliament. A canton can make independent decisions on all matters that fall outside the constitutional powers of the Swiss confederation. In this way, for example, it was possible that the conservative canton of Appenzell-Innerhoden only introduced women’s suffrage in 1991.
Cantons and semi-cantons
The cantons that were involved in the oath on the Rütliwiese in 1291 are considered the original cantons. While there were three cantons in 1291, today there are four cantons that bear this honorary title, since the canton of Unterwalden consists of the half-cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden. This phenomenon, the semi-canton, is more common. Basel and Appenzell were also once divided into two semi-cantons for political or religious reasons. A semi-canton has one representative in the cantonal council (one of the two chambers of the Swiss parliament), while a canton has two. Although the concept of semi-canton no longer officially exists (the former semi-cantons are now considered cantons), the term is still widely used.
Freiburg, Canton of Freiburg / Source: Oiram, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)
Cantonal weapons
Wherever you are in Switzerland, in addition to the Swiss cross, the cantonal coat of arms flies everywhere and both flags can be found on the license plates, as reported. The Swiss are proud of their country and the region they come from and show this in every possible way. Around the national holiday (August 1), streamers are for sale everywhere with all the cantonal weapons attached to them, which you see hanging everywhere. The overview below lists all cantons with their coat of arms, the usual abbreviation, the capital and the highest point.
About the table
Although the cantons in the table are arranged in alphabetical order, this is not the usual order in Switzerland. Normally the cantons are ranked according to the year of joining the confederation. In a common variation, the list is headed by the cantons of Zurich, Bern and Lucerne, with the remaining cantons following by year of accession.
- If applicable, multilingual cantons (German, French, Italian and Rhetoromanic are spoken in Switzerland) are listed by the names by which they are also known.
- The years in the ‘joined’ column refer to the year in which a canton joined the Swiss confederation.
- The numbers after the capitals refer to the map at the bottom of this article and have no administrative significance.
| weapon | abbreviation | canton | capital | joined | highest point |
| AG | Argau | Arau (1) | 1803 | Gleissfluegrat (908 m) | |
| AI | Appenzell-Innerhoden | Appenzell (2) | 1513 | Säntis (2,501 m) | |
| AR | Appenzell-Ausserhoden | Herisau (3) | 1513 | Säntis (2,501 m) | |
| BE | Bern (Berne) | Bern (4) | 1353 | Finsteraarhorn (4,274 m) | |
| BL | Basel-Land (Bâle Campaign) | Liestal (5) | 1501 | Passwang (1,205 m) | |
| B.S | Basel-Stadt (Bâle-Ville) | Basel (6) | 1501 | Basel (260 m) | |
| FR | Freiburg (Fribourg) | Freiburg (7) | 1481 | Vanil Noir (2,389 m) | |
| GE | Geneva | Geneva (8) | 1815 | Geneva (375 m) | |
| GL | Glarus | Glarus (9) | 1352 | Tödi (3,614 m) | |
| GR | Graubünden (Grischun) | Chur (10) | 1803 | Piz Bernina (4,049 m) | |
| JU | Jura | Delémont (11) | 1979 | Le Raimeux (1,302 m) | |
| LU | Lucerne | Lucerne (12) | 1332 | Brienzer Rothorn (2,350 m) | |
| NE | Neuchatel | Neuchatel (13) | 1815 | Chasseral (1,552 m) | |
| NW | Nidwalden | Die cut (14) | 1291 | Ruchstock (2,812m) | |
| OW | Obwalden | Sarnen (15) | 1291 | Titlis (3,239 m) | |
| S.G | St. Gallen | St. Gallen (16) | 1803 | Ringelspitz (3,247 m) | |
| SH | Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen (17) | 1501 | Schlossranden (901 m) | |
| S.O | Solothurn (Soleure) | Solothurn (18) | 1481 | Hasenmatt (1,445 m) | |
| SZ | Schwyz | Schwyz (19) | 1291 | Böser Faulen (2,802 m) | |
| TG | Thurgau | Frauenfeld (20) | 1803 | Grat beim Hörnli (1,135 m) | |
| T.I | Ticino (Ticino) | Bellinzona (21) | 1803 | Rheinwaldhorn (3,402 m) | |
| UR | Uri | Altdorf (22) | 1291 | Dammastock (3,630 m) | |
| VD | Vaud | Lausanne (23) | 1803 | Les Diablerets (3,210 m) | |
| USA | Valais (Valais) | Zion (24) | 1815 | Monte Rosa (4,634 m) | |
| ZG | Zug | Zug (25) | 1352 | Wiildspitz (1,580 m) | |
| ZH | Zurich | Zurich (26) | 1351 | Schnebelhorn (1,293) |
For information about the flags of the world, go to the next special.
Switzerland
read more
- Like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory: the Maison Cailler
- Mountain hiking with children
- Flumserberg, the child-friendly mountain
- Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark