Vicosoprano
Encyclopedia
Vicosoprano is a former municipality
in the district of Maloja
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
, and is the largest village in the Val Bregaglia
. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia
.
The municipality is located in the Bergell sub-district of the Maloja district. It is the largest municipality of the Bergell sub-district. It consists of the village of Vicosoprano (elev. 1067 m (3,500.7 ft)) and the hamlets
of Roticcio und Pongello. In 1971 the settlement of Casaccia joined Vicosoprano.
On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Bondo
, Castasegna
, Soglio
, Stampa
, and Vicosoprano merged into a new municipality, Bregaglia
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. The age distribution, , in Vicosoprano is; 67 children or 15.6% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 34 teenagers or 7.9% are 10 to 14, and 14 teenagers or 3.3% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 39 people or 9.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 55 people or 12.8% are 30 to 39, 82 people or 19.1% are 40 to 49, and 42 people or 9.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 33 people or 7.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 38 people or 8.9% are 70 to 79, there are 18 people or 4.2% who are 80 to 89, and there are 7 people or 1.6% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 64.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(18.9%), the FDP
(14.3%) and the CVP
(2.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Vicosoprano about 66.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Vicosoprano has an unemployment rate of 0.96%. , there were 24 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 130 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 89 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 19 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. The wettest month is May during which time Vicosoprano receives an average of 185 mm (7.3 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 72 mm (2.8 in) of precipitation over 13.3 days.
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 Maloja
Maloja (district)
Maloja District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of . It is trilingual, with official languages used by municipalities inside the district being, in order of dominance, German, Italian, and Romansh.It consists of two...
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...
, and is the largest village in the Val Bregaglia
Bregaglia Range
The Bregaglia Range is a small group of mostly granite mountains in Graubünden, Switzerland and the Province of Sondrio, northern Italy. It derives its name from the partly Swiss, partly Italian valley, the Val Bregaglia, and is known as Bergell in German...
. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia
Bregaglia
Bregaglia is a municipality in the district of Maloggia in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a merger of the municipalities of Bondo, Castasegna, Soglio, Stampa and Vicosoprano, all located in the Val Bregaglia.-External links:...
.
Geography
Vicosoprano has an area, , of 54 km² (20.8 sq mi). Of this area, 8.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (64.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Bergell sub-district of the Maloja district. It is the largest municipality of the Bergell sub-district. It consists of the village of Vicosoprano (elev. 1067 m (3,500.7 ft)) and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Roticcio und Pongello. In 1971 the settlement of Casaccia joined Vicosoprano.
On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Bondo
Bondo, Switzerland
Bondo is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:...
, Castasegna
Castasegna
Castasegna is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, right at the Italian border. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. The town is situated in the Bergell valley, above the river Mera.-Geography:...
, Soglio
Soglio, Switzerland
Soglio is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden close to the border with Italy. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:...
, Stampa
Stampa
Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:Stampa has an area, , of . Of this area, 14.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested...
, and Vicosoprano merged into a new municipality, Bregaglia
Bregaglia
Bregaglia is a municipality in the district of Maloggia in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a merger of the municipalities of Bondo, Castasegna, Soglio, Stampa and Vicosoprano, all located in the Val Bregaglia.-External links:...
.
Demographics
Vicosoprano has a population of 445, of which 9.7% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -10.2%., the gender distribution of the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. The age distribution, , in Vicosoprano is; 67 children or 15.6% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 34 teenagers or 7.9% are 10 to 14, and 14 teenagers or 3.3% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 39 people or 9.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 55 people or 12.8% are 30 to 39, 82 people or 19.1% are 40 to 49, and 42 people or 9.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 33 people or 7.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 38 people or 8.9% are 70 to 79, there are 18 people or 4.2% who are 80 to 89, and there are 7 people or 1.6% 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 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...
which received 64.6% 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....
(18.9%), 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....
(14.3%) 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...
(2.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Vicosoprano about 66.7% 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...
).
Vicosoprano has an unemployment rate of 0.96%. , there were 24 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 130 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 89 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 19 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 383 |
| 1900 | 417 |
| 1950 | 415 |
| 1960 | 568 |
| 1970 | 387 |
| 2000 | 429 |
- Population increase during construction of the dam at AlbignaAlbigna lakeAlbigna Lake is a reservoir in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It is located in the municipality of Vicosoprano at an elevation of 2,163 m on the southwest side of the Bregaglia valley, northeast of Pizzo Cacciabella. The lake has a surface area of 1.13 km²...
.
Languages
Most of the population speaks Italian (80.7%), with German being second most common (12.8%) and Romansh being third ( 4.2%). The majority of the population speaks the local dialect of Lomard .| Languages in Vicosoprano | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
| 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.... |
43 | 10.83 % | 41 | 10.43 % | 55 | 12.82 % |
| Romansh | 8 | 2.02 % | 16 | 4.07 % | 18 | 4.20 % |
| 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... |
342 | 86.15 % | 329 | 83.72 % | 346 | 80.65 % |
| Population | 397 | 100 % | 393 | 100 % | 429 | 100 % |
Weather
Vicosoprano has an average of 111.4 days of rain per year and on average receives 1492 mm (58.7 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is May during which time Vicosoprano receives an average of 185 mm (7.3 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 72 mm (2.8 in) of precipitation over 13.3 days.