Do you know all 26 cantons?

Q: Which is the smallest canton?

By area, Basel-City with about 37 square kilometres. The canton with the fewest inhabitants is Appenzell Inner Rhodes, about 16’700.

Find the cantons on the map or match the capitals. Cantons and capitals are part of geography, one of the four areas in the test and the interview.

Independent practice platform, not official.

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Correct 0Canton 1 of 26

The 26 cantons of Switzerland

Switzerland has 26 cantons, each with its own constitution, government and parliament. Cantons and capitals are part of what you learn for the naturalisation test and the interview.

AG
Aargau

Capital: Aarau. Official language: German. Population: 735’808. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
AI
Appenzell Inner Rhodes

Capital: Appenzell. Official language: German. Population: 16’733. Part of the Confederation since 1513 (as Appenzell).
AR
Appenzell Outer Rhodes

Capital: Herisau. Official language: German. Population: 56’705. Part of the Confederation since 1513 (as Appenzell).
BS
Basel-⁠City

Capital: Basel. Official language: German. Population: 201’384. Part of the Confederation since 1501 (as Basel).
BL
Basel-⁠Country

Capital: Liestal. Official language: German. Population: 301’323. Part of the Confederation since 1501 (as Basel).
BE
Bern

Capital: Bern. Official languages: German and French. Population: 1’063’960. Part of the Confederation since 1353.
FR
Fribourg

Capital: Fribourg. Official languages: German and French. Population: 346’674. Part of the Confederation since 1481.
GE
Geneva

Capital: Geneva. Official language: French. Population: 531’102. Part of the Confederation since 1815.
GL
Glarus

Capital: Glarus. Official language: German. Population: 42’371. Part of the Confederation since 1352.
GR
Grisons

Capital: Chur. Official languages: German, Romansh and Italian. Population: 206’138. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
JU
Jura

Capital: Delémont. Official language: French. Population: 82’096. Part of the Confederation since 1979 (as a canton).
LU
Lucerne

Capital: Lucerne. Official language: German. Population: 437’944. Part of the Confederation since 1332.
NE
Neuchâtel

Capital: Neuchâtel. Official language: French. Population: 179’518. Part of the Confederation since 1815.
NW
Nidwalden

Capital: Stans. Official language: German. Population: 45’345. Part of the Confederation since 1291.
OW
Obwalden

Capital: Sarnen. Official language: German. Population: 39’662. Part of the Confederation since 1291.
SH
Schaffhausen

Capital: Schaffhausen. Official language: German. Population: 88’667. Part of the Confederation since 1501.
SZ
Schwyz

Capital: Schwyz. Official language: German. Population: 168’931. Part of the Confederation since 1291.
SO
Solothurn

Capital: Solothurn. Official language: German. Population: 289’792. Part of the Confederation since 1481.
SG
St. Gallen

Capital: St. Gallen. Official language: German. Population: 540’036. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
TG
Thurgau

Capital: Frauenfeld. Official language: German. Population: 299’509. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
TI
Ticino

Capital: Bellinzona. Official language: Italian. Population: 358’903. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
UR
Uri

Capital: Altdorf. Official language: German. Population: 38’275. Part of the Confederation since 1291.
VS
Valais

Capital: Sion. Official languages: German and French. Population: 371’288. Part of the Confederation since 1815.
VD
Vaud

Capital: Lausanne. Official language: French. Population: 855’106. Part of the Confederation since 1803.
ZG
Zug

Capital: Zug. Official language: German. Population: 133’739. Part of the Confederation since 1352.
ZH
Zurich

Capital: Zurich. Official language: German. Population: 1’620’020. Part of the Confederation since 1351.

Years as given by the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

Questions about the cantons

How many cantons does Switzerland have?

Switzerland has 26 cantons. Six of them have one seat in the Council of States instead of two: Obwalden, Nidwalden, Basel-⁠City, Basel-⁠Country, Appenzell Outer Rhodes and Appenzell Inner Rhodes.

What are half-cantons?

That is what the six cantons with one seat in the Council of States used to be called. The 1999 Federal Constitution calls them cantons. In votes that need a majority of the cantons, their vote counts half.

Which is the smallest canton?

By area, Basel-⁠City with about 37 square kilometres. The canton with the fewest inhabitants is Appenzell Inner Rhodes, about 16’700.