Bellinzona (district)
Encyclopedia
The district of Bellinzona ( also called Belinzonese) is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland
. It has a population of (as of ).
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 4.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.5%. Out of the forested land, 59.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 7.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.7% is used for orchards or vine crops and 4.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the district is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 5.2% is unproductive vegetation and 2.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
, 492 people speak French
, 38,109 people speak Italian
, and 42 people speak Romansh. The remainder (2,912 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. The population was made up of 16,770 Swiss men (34.6% of the population), and 6,606 (13.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 19,192 Swiss women (39.6%), and 5,838 (12.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 364 live births to Swiss citizens and 98 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 329 deaths of Swiss citizens and 51 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 35 while the foreign population increased by 47. There were 6 Swiss men and 4 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 188 non-Swiss men and 157 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 749 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 91 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.4%.
The age distribution, , in the district is; 4,644 children or 9.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 4,796 teenagers or 9.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 5,627 people or 11.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 7,097 people or 14.7% are between 30 and 39, 8,137 people or 16.8% are between 40 and 49, and 6,291 people or 13.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 5,541 people or 11.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 3,732 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 2,541 people or 5.2% who are over 80.
there were 15,519 single family homes (or 45.9% of the total) out of a total of 33,816 inhabited buildings. There were 4,707 two family buildings (13.9%) and 10,816 multi-family buildings (32.0%). There were also 2,774 buildings in the district that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). there were 22,466 apartments in the district. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 7,594. There were 1,109 single room apartments and 4,040 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 18,452 apartments (82.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 3,421 apartments (15.2%) were seasonally occupied and 593 apartments (2.6%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 32.78% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(22.94%), the SP
(20.19%) and the Ticino League
(11.12%). In the federal election, a total of 13,901 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 48.7%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 28,519 registered voters in the district, of which 19,508 or 68.4% voted. 310 blank ballots and 37 null ballots were cast, leaving 19,161 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 5,371 or 28.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 3,541 or 18.5%), the PPD
+GenGiova (with 3,405 or 17.8%) and the PS
(with 3,193 or 16.7%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 209 blank ballots and 56 null ballots were cast, leaving 19,247 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 4,975 or 25.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 3,799 or 19.7%), the PPD (with 3,459 or 18.0%) and the SSI (with 3,162 or 16.4%).
. There are 5,346 individuals (or about 12.32% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 2,483 individuals (or about 5.72% of the population) did not answer the question.
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and there were 1,296 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the district, 2,357 students attended the standard primary schools and 153 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 1,911 students in the two year middle school and 11 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 749 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 438 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 905 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 129 students in the professional program.
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Bellinzona
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 19.15
|-
| || Arbedo-Castione
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 21.28
|-
| || Lumino
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 9.95
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 50.38
|}
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It has a population of (as of ).
Geography
The district has an area, , of 211.88 square kilometres (81.8 sq mi). Of this area, 27.98 km² (10.8 sq mi) or 13.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 145.46 km² (56.2 sq mi) or 68.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 17.51 km² (6.8 sq mi) or 8.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 3.27 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 1.5% is either rivers or lakes and 15.4 km² (5.9 sq mi) or 7.3% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 4.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.5%. Out of the forested land, 59.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 7.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.7% is used for orchards or vine crops and 4.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the district is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 5.2% is unproductive vegetation and 2.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
Demographics
Of the Swiss national languages , 1,843 speak GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 492 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 38,109 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and 42 people speak Romansh. The remainder (2,912 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. The population was made up of 16,770 Swiss men (34.6% of the population), and 6,606 (13.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 19,192 Swiss women (39.6%), and 5,838 (12.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 364 live births to Swiss citizens and 98 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 329 deaths of Swiss citizens and 51 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 35 while the foreign population increased by 47. There were 6 Swiss men and 4 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 188 non-Swiss men and 157 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 749 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 91 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.4%.
The age distribution, , in the district is; 4,644 children or 9.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 4,796 teenagers or 9.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 5,627 people or 11.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 7,097 people or 14.7% are between 30 and 39, 8,137 people or 16.8% are between 40 and 49, and 6,291 people or 13.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 5,541 people or 11.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 3,732 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 2,541 people or 5.2% who are over 80.
there were 15,519 single family homes (or 45.9% of the total) out of a total of 33,816 inhabited buildings. There were 4,707 two family buildings (13.9%) and 10,816 multi-family buildings (32.0%). There were also 2,774 buildings in the district that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). there were 22,466 apartments in the district. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 7,594. There were 1,109 single room apartments and 4,040 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 18,452 apartments (82.1% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 3,421 apartments (15.2%) were seasonally occupied and 593 apartments (2.6%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 11,582 |
| 1880 | 13,597 |
| 1900 | 17,742 |
| 1950 | 24,083 |
| 1960 | 26,681 |
| 1980 | 37,956 |
| 1990 | 40,618 |
| 2000 | 43,398 |
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 32.78% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(22.94%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(20.19%) and the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(11.12%). In the federal election, a total of 13,901 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 48.7%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 28,519 registered voters in the district, of which 19,508 or 68.4% voted. 310 blank ballots and 37 null ballots were cast, leaving 19,161 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 5,371 or 28.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 3,541 or 18.5%), the PPD
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
+GenGiova (with 3,405 or 17.8%) and the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 3,193 or 16.7%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 209 blank ballots and 56 null ballots were cast, leaving 19,247 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 4,975 or 25.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 3,799 or 19.7%), the PPD (with 3,459 or 18.0%) and the SSI (with 3,162 or 16.4%).
Religion
From the , 33,661 or 77.6% were Roman Catholic, while 1,908 or 4.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. There are 5,346 individuals (or about 12.32% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 2,483 individuals (or about 5.72% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The district had a total of 7,949 students . The Ticino education systemEducation in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and there were 1,296 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the district, 2,357 students attended the standard primary schools and 153 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 1,911 students in the two year middle school and 11 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 749 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 438 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 905 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 129 students in the professional program.
Circles and municipalities
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 19.15
|-
| || Arbedo-Castione
Arbedo-Castione
Arbedo-Castione is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:The Early Bronze Age Hoard of Castione contains material from north of the Alps. This large find indicates that the area was an important trading and transportation center during the...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 21.28
|-
| || Lumino
Lumino
Lumino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Lumino is first mentioned in 1168 as locus Lugomini. In German it used to be known as Lugmin. The convenient location at the entrance to the Val Mesolcina and the ancient fortifications in the...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 9.95
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 50.38
|}
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Monte Carasso
Monte Carasso
Monte Carasso is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The Swiss Heritage Society chose Monte Carasso for the 1993 Wakker Prize.-History:Monte Carasso is first mentioned in 1348 as Monte Carassio...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 9.64
|-
| || Gudo
Gudo
Gudo is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Prehistory:In 1909-10, work on the banks of the Ticino river in the hamlet of Progero uncovered an extensive prehistoric burial ground. This site, known as A Progero is a Swiss heritage site of national...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 9.94
|-
| || Sementina
Sementina
Sementina is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Geography:Sementina has an area, , of . Of this area, or 19.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 67.4% is forested...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 8.25
|-
| || Gorduno
Gorduno
Gorduno is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:The area around Gorduno was prehistorically settled, though very little is known about the earlier settlements. The modern municipality of Gorduno is first mentioned in 1182 as medius locus de...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 9.22
|-
| || Gnosca
Gnosca
Gnosca is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Gnosca is first mentioned in 1198 as Niosca in the records of Como and the cathedral of Milan. While it is likely that there were earlier settlements, nothing is known about them. An arbitration...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 7.45
|-
| || Preonzo
Preonzo
Preonzo is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Preonzo is first mentioned in 1335 as Prevonzo. In the 14th Century, Moleno and Preonzo formed a settlement. In 1335 it became a municipality in the County of Bellinzona. During the first...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 16.44
|-
| || Moleno
Moleno
Moleno is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Moleno is first mentioned in 1213, though this comes from a copy from 1588. In 1256 it was mentioned as a Rivo de Moline. During the Middle Ages, the water running from the Moleno valley formed...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 7.49
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 68.43
|}
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Giubiasco
Giubiasco
Giubiasco is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Due to its location at the center of numerous routes through the Alps, Giubiasco has been important since ancient times...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 6.23
|-
| || Pianezzo
Pianezzo
Pianezzo is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:In 1905, a major burial ground from the Iron Age came to light, which seems to be from the Golasecca culture. Objects found in the graves indicate that the settlement was also in contact with...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 8.02
|-
| || Sant'Antonio
Sant'Antonio
Sant'Antonio is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:A grave from the Early Iron Age has been discovered in the village. The so-called Squadra or part of the village made up the medieval municipality of Vallemorobbia. In 1803 it became a...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 33.58
|-
| || Camorino
Camorino
Camorino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:From time immemorial the inhabitants of Isone regularly crossed the Tiglio alpine pass to arrive in the Camorino area, where they owned vineyards and arable land. Over the centuries, many of...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 8.28
|-
| || Sant'Antonino
Sant'Antonino
For Sant'Antonino in France, see Sant'Antonino, Haute-Corse. Not to be confused with the municipality of Sant'Antonio in the same district.Sant'Antonino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland....
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 6.59
|-
| || Cadenazzo
Cadenazzo
Cadenazzo is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 13 March 2005 the formerly independent municipality of Robasacco was absorbed into Cadenazzo.-History:...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 8.37
|-
| || Isone
Isone
Isone is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.Isone is mainly known for being the location of the grenadier school of the Swiss Army. The Grenadiers are a corps of the infantry and is being instructed in Isone since 1970...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 12.82
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 83.89
|}