What is a canton in Switzerland?
Q: What is a canton in Switzerland?
A: A canton is similar to a state in the United States and there are 26 of them in Switzerland.
Q: How did the structure of Switzerland change in 1848?
A: In 1848, after a civil war, Switzerland changed its structure so that each canton no longer had its own army or money.
Q: What is an Urkanton?
A: An Urkanton is one of the original cantons that existed since the foundation of Switzerland in 1291. These include Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden (Nidwalden and Obwalden together).
Q: When did Jura become a new canton?
A: Jura became a new canton in 1978 when it split from the Canton of Berne after some rioting.
Q: How do certain Swiss cantons differ from others when it comes to voting?
A: For historical reasons, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Obwalden and Nidwalden have their voting counted differently than other Swiss cantons during national elections.
Q: How much freedom do municipalities and cantons have in Switzerland?
A: Municipalities and Cantons have quite a bit of freedom as usually only general rules are set by Swiss law at the level of the whole confederation while detailed rules are made by each individual Canton as they see fit.
Q: How does drug abuse punishment vary between different Swiss Cantons?
A: Drug abuse is considered a federal offense but punishments for it can vary greatly between different Cantons with some issuing fines while others may issue prison terms for even light cases depending on how strictly they apply this law.
