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Bern (Swiss Standard German: ⓘ), or Berne (French: ⓘ), [note 1] is the de facto [note 2] capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city". [note 3] [3] With a population of about 146,000 (as of 2024), Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland, behind Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. [4]
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state [1] with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848. Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts. [2]
Zurich was the Federal capital for 1839–40, and consequently, the victory of the Conservative party there in 1839 caused a great stir throughout Switzerland. But when in 1845 the Radicals regained power at Zurich, which was again the Federal capital for 1845–46, Zurich took the lead in opposing the Sonderbund cantons.
The canton of Bern, or Berne (German: Kanton Bern; French: canton de Berne; Romansh: Chantun Berna; Italian: Canton Berna), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the de facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.
The modern Swiss federal state came into being when the federal constitution became effective on September 12, 1848, but the location of the nation's capital remained unresolved. On 28 November, the Federal Assembly voted in favor of Bern as the federal city and the seat of the federal authorities (however, to this day, Switzerland has no de ...
The Federal Council is the Swiss executive. It leads the federal administration and serves as a collective head of state. It is a collegial body of seven members, elected to four-year terms by the Federal Assembly, which oversees the council. Each member leads a department of the federal government.
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The 22 cantonal coats of arms (all but Jura, with the half-cantons represented jointly) in stained glass set in the dome of the Federal Palace of Switzerland (c. 1900) The Swiss Federal Constitution [16] declares the cantons to be sovereign to the extent that their sovereignty is not limited by federal law. [17]