Riviera (district)
Encyclopedia
The district of Riviera is a district of the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
. It has a population of (as of ). The capital of the district is Biasca
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. Out of the forested land, 48.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.7% is used for growing crops and 1.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the district is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 11.5% is unproductive vegetation and 14.4% is too rocky for vegetation.
, 97 people speak French
, 9,978 people speak Italian
, and 12 people speak Romansh. The remainder (1,004 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.0% male and 50.0% female. The population was made up of 4,151 Swiss men (33.5% of the population), and 2,055 (16.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,566 Swiss women (36.8%), and 1,628 (13.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 69 live births to Swiss citizens and 37 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 84 deaths of Swiss citizens and 18 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 15 while the foreign population increased by 19. There were 3 Swiss men and 7 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 57 non-Swiss men and 32 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 113 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 24 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.7%.
The age distribution, , in the district of Riviera is; 1,243 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,388 teenagers or 11.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,400 people or 11.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,697 people or 13.7% are between 30 and 39, 2,104 people or 17.0% are between 40 and 49, and 1,592 people or 12.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,405 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,006 people or 8.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 565 people or 4.6% who are over 80.
there were 4,987 single family homes (or 55.0% of the total) out of a total of 9,061 inhabited buildings. There were 1,308 two family buildings (14.4%) and 2,240 multi-family buildings (24.7%). There were also 526 buildings in the district that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
there were 5,661 apartments in the district. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 2,025. There were 268 single room apartments and 1,187 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 4,494 apartments (79.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 958 apartments (16.9%) were seasonally occupied and 209 apartments (3.7%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 29.75% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(25.08%), the SP
(19.5%) and the Ticino League
(15.71%). In the federal election, a total of 3,264 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 48.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 6,836 registered voters in the district of Riviera, of which 4,550 or 66.6% voted. 74 blank ballots and 11 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,465 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 1,017 or 22.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 829 or 18.6%), the SSI (with 815 or 18.3%) and the PS
(with 814 or 18.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 40 blank ballots and 8 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,503 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 984 or 21.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 959 or 21.3%), the LEGA (with 930 or 20.7%) and the PPD (with 841 or 18.7%).
. There are 1,769 individuals (or about 15.47% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 416 individuals (or about 3.64% of the population) did not answer the question.
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in the district of Riviera there were 332 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the district, 649 students attended the standard primary schools and 25 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 576 students in the two year middle school and 7 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 213 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 121 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 241 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 35 students in the professional program.
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Osogna
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 18.99
|-
| || Biasca
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 59.13
|-
| || Cresciano
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 17.23
|-
| || Claro || align="center" | || align="center" | 21.22
|-
| || Iragna
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 18.39
|-
| || Lodrino || align="center" | || align="center" | 31.50
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 166.46
|}
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 Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
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....
. It has a population of (as of ). The capital of the district is Biasca
Biasca
Biasca is a town of the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Biasca is first mentioned in 830 as Aviasca in the Liber viventium of Pfäfers Abbey. In 1119 it was mentioned as Abiasca.-Early history:...
.
Geography
The district of Riviera has an area, , of 166.49 square kilometres (64.3 sq mi). Of this area, 9.77 km² (3.8 sq mi) or 5.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 97.23 km² (37.5 sq mi) or 58.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.41 km² (2.9 sq mi) or 4.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 2.9 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 1.7% is either rivers or lakes and 43.19 km² (16.7 sq mi) or 25.9% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. Out of the forested land, 48.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.7% is used for growing crops and 1.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the district is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 11.5% is unproductive vegetation and 14.4% is too rocky for vegetation.
Demographics
Of the Swiss national languages , 343 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....
, 97 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...
, 9,978 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 12 people speak Romansh. The remainder (1,004 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.0% male and 50.0% female. The population was made up of 4,151 Swiss men (33.5% of the population), and 2,055 (16.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,566 Swiss women (36.8%), and 1,628 (13.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 69 live births to Swiss citizens and 37 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 84 deaths of Swiss citizens and 18 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 15 while the foreign population increased by 19. There were 3 Swiss men and 7 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 57 non-Swiss men and 32 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 113 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 24 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.7%.
The age distribution, , in the district of Riviera is; 1,243 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,388 teenagers or 11.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,400 people or 11.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,697 people or 13.7% are between 30 and 39, 2,104 people or 17.0% are between 40 and 49, and 1,592 people or 12.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,405 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,006 people or 8.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 565 people or 4.6% who are over 80.
there were 4,987 single family homes (or 55.0% of the total) out of a total of 9,061 inhabited buildings. There were 1,308 two family buildings (14.4%) and 2,240 multi-family buildings (24.7%). There were also 526 buildings in the district that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
there were 5,661 apartments in the district. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 2,025. There were 268 single room apartments and 1,187 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 4,494 apartments (79.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 958 apartments (16.9%) were seasonally occupied and 209 apartments (3.7%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 4,449 |
| 1880 | 4,884 |
| 1900 | 6,024 |
| 1950 | 5,816 |
| 1980 | 9,579 |
| 1990 | 10,267 |
| 2000 | 11,434 |
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 29.75% 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...
(25.08%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(19.5%) 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...
(15.71%). In the federal election, a total of 3,264 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 48.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 6,836 registered voters in the district of Riviera, of which 4,550 or 66.6% voted. 74 blank ballots and 11 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,465 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 1,017 or 22.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; 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 829 or 18.6%), the SSI (with 815 or 18.3%) and the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 814 or 18.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 40 blank ballots and 8 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,503 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 984 or 21.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 959 or 21.3%), the LEGA (with 930 or 20.7%) and the PPD (with 841 or 18.7%).
Religion
From the , 8,858 or 77.5% were Roman Catholic, while 391 or 3.4% 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 1,769 individuals (or about 15.47% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 416 individuals (or about 3.64% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In the district of Riviera there was a total of 2,199 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 in the district of Riviera there were 332 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the district, 649 students attended the standard primary schools and 25 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 576 students in the two year middle school and 7 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 213 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 121 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 241 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 35 students in the professional program.
Circles and municipalities
!colspan="1" align=center bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Area km²
|-
| || Osogna
Osogna
Osogna is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Osogna is first mentioned around 1210-58 as Usonia.Roman graves have been found near the Nala creek....
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 18.99
|-
| || Biasca
Biasca
Biasca is a town of the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Biasca is first mentioned in 830 as Aviasca in the Liber viventium of Pfäfers Abbey. In 1119 it was mentioned as Abiasca.-Early history:...
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 59.13
|-
| || Cresciano
Cresciano
Cresciano is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Cresciano is first mentioned in 1269 as Crazano....
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 17.23
|-
| || Claro || align="center" | || align="center" | 21.22
|-
| || Iragna
Iragna
Iragna is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Iragna is first mentioned in 1210 as Inagna....
|| align="center" | || align="center" | 18.39
|-
| || Lodrino || align="center" | || align="center" | 31.50
|-
|bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | ||bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Total || bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="center" | 166.46
|}