Official Swiss Directory & Digital Agency for PME - ZIP.ch

Official Swiss Directory

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The Canton of Bern in a few words

Berne ville

The canton of Bern is bilingual and located in the North-West of Switzerland between the French- and German-speaking parts. The city of Bern is Switzerland's capital.

The cantons origin is the ancient city and republic of Bern (Respublica Bernensis), which was a city state of the Northern Bernese Alps and arised from the city of Bern in 1191. 

Being a member of the Swiss confederation since 1353, the canton is the third most populated canton of Switzerland. Its population is mainly protestant and German-speaking, about 8% of the population is French-speaking. 

Economy

Bern Hosptial

Due to its bilingualism Bern is the link between the German- and French-speaking regions of Switzerland. Bern is the site for numerous international enterprises, especially those of the precision mechanics industry such as watchmaking or medical technology. Nevertheless, the social and health care industry with its almost 71 100 employees remains the most important sector of Bern's economy. 

Tourism

Berne Lauterbrunnen

The canton is famous for being one of the three most popular touristic sites of Switzerland; maybe because of the Gstaad skiing-area, the city of Interlaken or Bern itself, its historic center is registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. 

The region in numbers

Area in km²
5'959
Volume, persons per km²
172
Population
1'026'200
Percentage of foreigners
16.1%
GDP in millions
76'715
Admission to confederation
1353
Number of municipalities
351
Unemployment rate in %
2.7%
Active population
545'500
Percentage of agricultural area
52,7%