Everything about Vaud totally explained
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flag_img_path=Flag of Canton of Vaud.svg|
coa_img_path=Vaud-coat of arms.svg|
locatormap_img_path=Swiss_Canton_Map_VD.png|
cantonalmap_img_path=Karte Kanton Waadt.png|
capital=
Lausanne|
area=3212|area_rank=4th|area_scale=9|
population=657,700|population_rank=3rd|population_asof=2004|
population_density=205|
since=1803|
abbr=VD|
languages=
French|
executive=Conseil d'Etat|executive_members=7|
legislative=
Grand Conseil|parliament_members=150|
highest=Les Diablerets|highest_m=3210|lowest=
Lake Geneva|lowest_m=372|
municipalities_number=376 (as of 2008-01-01)|
districts_designation=districts|districts_number=10|}}
The
Canton of
Vaud (
French pronunciation [vo]) is one of the 26 cantons of
Switzerland and is located in the southwestern part of the country. The capital is
Lausanne.
Geography
The canton stretches from
Lake Neuchâtel in the north, where it borders the
canton of Neuchâtel to
Lake Geneva in the south, bordering the
canton of Geneva,
Haute-Savoie (lake border with
France) and
canton of Valais. On the
Jura ranges in the west, the canton borders the
French départements of
Ain,
Jura, and
Doubs. In the east, it borders
canton of Fribourg and
canton of Bern. The total area is 3,212 km².
In the north, there's an
exclave containing
Avenches surrounded by canton of Fribourg and
Lake Neuchâtel. On the other hand, there are two enclaves of the canton of Fribourg, as well as two enclaves of the
canton of Geneva, that are surrounded by the canton of Vaud.
The areas in the southeast are mountainous, part of the
Swiss Alps. The
Diablerets Glacier, peaking at 3,210m, rests in these mountains, which also host several popular skiing destinations such as
Villars,
Les Diablerets and
Leysin. The central area of the canton, in contrast, consists of moraines and is thus hilly. There are plains along the lakes.
History
Along the lakes, Vaud was inhabited in prehistoric times. Later on, the
Celtic tribe of the
Helvetii inhabited the area. The tribe was defeated by
Caesar's troops in
58 BC and as a consequence the
Romans settled the area. The towns of
Vevey and
Lausanne (
Lausonium or
Lausonna) are two of the many towns established by the Romans.
In
27 BC the state of
Civitas Helvetiorum was established around the capital of
Avenches (
Aventicum). There are still many Roman remains around the town today. Between the
2nd and the
4th century the area was repeatedly invaded by
Alemannic tribes, and in the
5th century the
Burgundians occupied the area. The
Merovingian Franks later replaced the Burgundians. Their occupancy didn't last long either, and in
888 the area of the canton of Vaud was made part of the
Carolingian Empire. In
1032 the
Zähringens of Germany defeated 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 was given political unity, establishing what is today in greater part known as the canton 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
Savoys declined at the beginning of the
15th century the land was occupied by troops from
Bern. By
1536 the area was completely annexed. Reformation was started by co-workers of
John Calvin like
Pierre Viret, including a famous debate at the cathedral of Lausanne; but it was only decisively implemented when Bern put its full force behind it. The Bernese occupants were not popular amongst the population and the
French Revolutionary troops were received with enthusiasm in
1798. The French troops were victorious and a
Lemanic Republic was declared. This was soon turned into the canton of
Léman, which in
1803 joined the Swiss confederation.
The current constitution dates from
April 14 2003, replacing the one from
1885. In the
19th century the canton of Vaud was an outspoken opponent of the Catholic separatist movement (
Sonderbund).
Culture
Vaud shares a lot with its fellow French-speaking Protestant cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel. It has still a strong rural component, protected by high subsidies, even if most of the economy and population are now urbanised, around services (finance, telecommunications, tourism) and industry (packaging, tobacco, food-processing, watchmaking, pharmaceuticals &c). There are survivals of its own
Franco-Provençal patois, around which an association was formed.
Quality of life is very high, but natality is very low. Life expectancy is high. Education shares the generally high Swiss standards.
Economy
The
capital Lausanne is the major city in the canton. There are light industries concentrated around it. In
1998, 71.7% of 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 wine, and most vineyards are located on the steep shores of Lake Geneva. There is agriculture in the areas away from Lake Geneva. Sugar beet is important around
Orbe, tobacco in
La Broye Valley and fruit is grown on 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 the Lake Geneva. Major lakeside resorts include
Lausanne,
Montreux or
Vevey.
Education
The Canton is home to several renowned universities and schools:
Districts
Demographics
The population is
French-speaking and has been overwhelmingly
Protestant (Calvinist) since the early years of the
Reformation.
The major population centers of the canton are:
Lausanne (approx. 275,000 inhabitants in
2000),
Montreux-
Vevey (70,000 inhabitants) and
Yverdon-les-Bains. The region around
Nyon is often considered part of the agglomeration of
Geneva. All of these are on
Lake Geneva, except for Yverdon, which is on
Lake Neuchâtel.
Other cities and towns include:
Morges,
Renens,
Rolle.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Vaud'.
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