Canton of Bern
The canton of Bern, or Berne (German: Kanton Bern; Romansh: Chantun Berna; French: canton de Berne; Italian: Canton Berna), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the de facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.
Canton of Bern
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Location in Switzerland
Map of Bern | |
| Coordinates: 46.84°N 7.60°E | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Capital | Bern |
| Subdivisions | 388 municipalities, 10 districts |
| Government | |
| • Executive | Regierungsrat, Conseil exécutif (7) |
| • Legislative | Grosser Rat, Grand conseil (160) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,959.59 km2 (2,301.01 sq mi) |
| Population (December 2020) | |
| • Total | 1,043,132 |
| • Density | 180/km2 (450/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | CHF 80.209 billion (2020) |
| • Per capita | CHF 77,027 (2020) |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-BE |
| Highest point | 4,274 m (14,022 ft): Finsteraarhorn |
| Lowest point | 401.5 m (1,317 ft): Aare at Wynau |
| Joined | 1353 |
| Languages | German, French |
| Website | www |
Comprising ten districts, Bern is the second-largest canton by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it is surrounded by eleven cantons. It borders the cantons of Jura and Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the cantons of Neuchâtel, Fribourg, and Vaud. To the south lies the cantons of Valais. East of the canton of Bern lie the cantons of Uri, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Lucerne and Aargau. The geography of the canton includes a large share of all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains (the Bernese Jura), the Swiss Plateau (the Bernese Mittelland) and the Alps (the Bernese Oberland).
The canton of Bern is bilingual, officially German- and French-speaking, and has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 1,043,132. The largest city, Bern, is also the seat of the federal government of Switzerland. Other major cities are Thun and Biel/Bienne. The canton is also renowned for its numerous Alpine resort towns, notably Interlaken and Gstaad.
Formerly part of the Holy Roman Empire, the canton of Bern entered an alliance with the Swiss Forest Cantons in 1323 and joined the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1353.