Bister, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Bister is a municipality
in the district of Raron
in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located in the Östlich-Raron district. It consists of houses scattered across the valley slopes.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per bend Azure and Sable, in base issuant from Water wavy Argent Coupeaux Vert and a wheat ear Or.
All of the population speaks German
as their first language.
, the population was made up of 26 Swiss citizens and 1 non-citizen residents (3.70% of the population). Of the population in the municipality, 15 or about 45.5% were born in Bister and lived there in 2000. There were 12 or 36.4% who were born in the same canton, while 4 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1 or 3.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 9.1% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 57.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 33.3%.
, there were 15 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 17 married individuals, 1 widows or widowers and 0 individuals who were divorced.
, there were 14 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 7 households that consist of only one person and 1 households with five or more people. , a total of 14 apartments (31.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 25 apartments (56.8%) were seasonally occupied and 5 apartments (11.4%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 47.62% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(28.57%), the SVP
(17.46%) and the FDP
(6.35%). In the federal election, a total of 18 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 69.2%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 17 votes were cast, of which 1 or about 5.9% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.4%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 18 votes were cast. The voter participation was 69.2%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 4, all of which were in agriculture.
, there were 9 workers who commuted away from the municipality. Of the working population, 12.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 50% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. 1 (or about 3.03% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
.
). Of the 3 who completed tertiary schooling, 2 were Swiss men, 1 was a Swiss women.
, there were 2 students from Bister who attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Raron
Raron (district)
The district of Raron was one of the 12 districts comprising the Republic of Wallis and after 1848 the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Today it is divided into two demi-districts, which are geographically separated by the District of Brig....
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in Switzerland
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....
.
History
Bister is first mentioned in 1374 as Bystur. In 1480 it was mentioned as Bistar.Geography
Bister has an area, , of 5.8 square kilometre. Of this area, 18.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 40.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 41.3% is unproductive land.The municipality is located in the Östlich-Raron district. It consists of houses scattered across the valley slopes.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Per bend Azure and Sable, in base issuant from Water wavy Argent Coupeaux Vert and a wheat ear Or.
Demographics
Bister has a population of . , 3.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of 3.8%. It has changed at a rate of 7.7% due to migration and at a rate of -15.4% due to births and deaths.All of the population speaks German
German 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....
as their first language.
, the population was made up of 26 Swiss citizens and 1 non-citizen residents (3.70% of the population). Of the population in the municipality, 15 or about 45.5% were born in Bister and lived there in 2000. There were 12 or 36.4% who were born in the same canton, while 4 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1 or 3.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 9.1% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 57.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 33.3%.
, there were 15 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 17 married individuals, 1 widows or widowers and 0 individuals who were divorced.
, there were 14 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 7 households that consist of only one person and 1 households with five or more people. , a total of 14 apartments (31.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 25 apartments (56.8%) were seasonally occupied and 5 apartments (11.4%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
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 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...
which received 47.62% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(28.57%), the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(17.46%) and 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....
(6.35%). In the federal election, a total of 18 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 69.2%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 17 votes were cast, of which 1 or about 5.9% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.4%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 18 votes were cast. The voter participation was 69.2%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Bister had an unemployment rate of 0%. , there were 8 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. No one was employed in the secondary sector or the tertiary sector. There were 16 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 56.3% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 4, all of which were in agriculture.
, there were 9 workers who commuted away from the municipality. Of the working population, 12.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 50% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 28 or 84.8% were Roman Catholic, while 3 or 9.1% 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...
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. 1 (or about 3.03% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
Education
In Bister about 11 or (33.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 3 or (9.1%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 3 who completed tertiary schooling, 2 were Swiss men, 1 was a Swiss women.
, there were 2 students from Bister who attended schools outside the municipality.