Castaneda, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Castaneda is a municipality
in the district of Moesa
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
.
In the mid 19th Century an ice age
era graveyard and settlement was discovered near the village church. It was excavated in 1928, and about 100 graves were discovered. In 1978-80, in Pian del Remit, which is north-west of the church, a stone age
settlement was discovered underneath an ice age site. The rectangular midden
included post holes, fire sites, ceramic fragments and variety of sedimentary rocks
and crystals. The site was dated to 2800-1500 BC and included stone and bronze age
. A multi-stage dry stone
wall in Pian del Remit can't be exactly dated but may date from the iron age
into the modern era. Its original function (building foundation, terrace wall or marker stone) is not known.
The municipality is located in the Calanca sub-district of the Moesa district. It is located at the entrance to the Val Calanca, on a terrace that is part of the Misox valley.
, the gender distribution of the population was 44.0% male and 56.0% female. The age distribution, , in Castaneda is; 15 children or 6.8% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 6 teenagers or 2.7% are 10 to 14, and 7 teenagers or 3.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 28 people or 12.7% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 30 people or 13.6% are 30 to 39, 29 people or 13.1% are 40 to 49, and 33 people or 14.9% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 29 people or 13.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 24 people or 10.9% are 70 to 79, there are 17 people or 7.7% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 1.4% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SP
which received 34.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(27.5%), the FDP
(21.6%) and the CVP
(14.6%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Castaneda about 70.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Castaneda has an unemployment rate of 1.9%. , there were 3 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 3 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 34 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Moesa
Moesa (district)
Moesa District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of . The official language is Italian.It consists of three Kreise and seventeen municipalities:...
in the Swiss
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....
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 Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
.
History
Castaneda is first mentioned in 1295.In the mid 19th Century an ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
era graveyard and settlement was discovered near the village church. It was excavated in 1928, and about 100 graves were discovered. In 1978-80, in Pian del Remit, which is north-west of the church, a stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
settlement was discovered underneath an ice age site. The rectangular midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
included post holes, fire sites, ceramic fragments and variety of sedimentary rocks
Siliceous rock
Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica as the principal constituent. The most common siliceous rock is Chert other types include Diatomite. They commonly form from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, or some types of sponges....
and crystals. The site was dated to 2800-1500 BC and included stone and bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. A multi-stage dry stone
Dry stone
Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their unique construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a load-bearing facade of carefully selected interlocking...
wall in Pian del Remit can't be exactly dated but may date from the iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
into the modern era. Its original function (building foundation, terrace wall or marker stone) is not known.
Geography
Castaneda has an area, , of 3.9 km² (1.5 sq mi). Of this area, 3.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 76.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (15.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Calanca sub-district of the Moesa district. It is located at the entrance to the Val Calanca, on a terrace that is part of the Misox valley.
Demographics
Castaneda has a population (as of ) of . , 10.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1.4%. Most of the population speaks Italian (79.6%), with German being second most common (16.7%) and French being third ( 1.8%)., the gender distribution of the population was 44.0% male and 56.0% female. The age distribution, , in Castaneda is; 15 children or 6.8% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 6 teenagers or 2.7% are 10 to 14, and 7 teenagers or 3.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 28 people or 12.7% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 30 people or 13.6% are 30 to 39, 29 people or 13.1% are 40 to 49, and 33 people or 14.9% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 29 people or 13.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 24 people or 10.9% are 70 to 79, there are 17 people or 7.7% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 1.4% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss 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 SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 34.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(27.5%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(21.6%) and 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...
(14.6%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Castaneda about 70.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
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...
).
Castaneda has an unemployment rate of 1.9%. , there were 3 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 3 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 34 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1808 | 129 |
| 1850 | 188 |
| 1860 | 232 |
| 1900 | 178 |
| 1950 | 182 |
| 1960 | 151 |
| 1970 | 161 |
| 1980 | 198 |
| 1990 | 193 |
| 2000 | 221 |