Canton of St. Gallen: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Canton of St. Gallen
Flag of the canton
Capital:	St. Gallen
Abbr.:	SG
Joined:	1803
Population:	455,200
Area:	2,026 km²
Language:	German

St. Gallen (German: Sankt Gallen) is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. The area is 2,026 km² and population as of 2002 455,200. The capital is St. Gallen. There are alternative spellings for the canton: St. Gall, Saint Gall, Saint Gallen.

Cities and towns

Cities (with more than 10,000 inhabitants):

• St. Gallen (70,000 inh.)
• Jona (17,061)
• Gossau (16,941)
• Wil (16,443)
• Uzwil (11,997)
• Altstätten (10,372)
• Buchs (10,255)

Other sigificant places:

• Rapperswil

The canton is located in the north east of Switzerland. It is bounded to the north by Lake Constance (Bodensee). To the east lies the Rhine valley. Over the Rhine is Austria and Liechtenstein. To the south, the canton of St. Gallen is bounded by the cantons of Graubünden, Glarus and Schwyz. To the west lie the cantons of Zürich and Thurgau.

The two half cantons Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden are completely surrounded by lands of the canton of St. Gallen.

The main rivers of the canton are the Rhine, Thur, Linth and Seez. The topography changes from the plains near river Rhine and Lake Constance towards the mountainous areas in the south. About one quarter of the land is covered in forests and more than half consists of Alpine pastures.

The lands of the canton St. Gallen represent aquisitions of the abbey of St. Gallen over centuries. The canton of St. Gallen was part of the canton Säntis during the Helvetic Republic. This was only possible after secularizing the abbey in 1798. In 1803 the area joined the Swiss Confederation as canton St. Gallen. The constitution was established in 1890.

Agricultural activity consists predominantly of dairy farming and cattle breeding in the mountainous areas. In the plains fruit and wine production are important, but there is also mixed farming.

Industries of the canton include optical goods, pyrotechnics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Tourism plays an important role in the many resorts. There is a thermal spa in Bad Ragaz and a great number of winter sports facilities.

The canton is subdivided in following constituencies (Wahlkreise). The structure replaced districts (Bezirke) on January 1, 2003:

St. Gallen with 113,019 inhabitants : municipalities St. Gallen, Eggersriet, Wittenbach, Häggenschwil, Muolen, Waldkirch, Andwil, Gossau and Gaiserwald)

Rorschach with 39,395 inhabitants : municipalities Mörschwil, Goldach, Steinach, Berg, Tübach, Untereggen, Rorschacherberg, Rorschach and Thal

Rheintal with 62,523 inhabitants : municipalities Rheineck, St. Margrethen, Au, Berneck, Balgach, Diepoldsau, Widnau, Rebstein, Marbach, Altstätten, Eichberg, Oberriet and Rüthi

Werdenberg with 33,414 inhabitants : municipalities Sennwald, Gams, Grabs, Buchs, Sevelen and Wartau

Sarganserland with 35,553 inhabitants : municipalities Sargans, Vilters-Wangs, Bad Ragaz, Pfäfers, Mels, Flums, Walenstadt and Quarten

See-Gaster with 58,492 inhabitants : municipalities Amden, Weesen, Schänis, Benken, Kaltbrunn, Rieden, Gommiswald, Ernetschwil, Uznach, Schmerikon, Rapperswil-Jona (separated until 2007), Eschenbach, Goldingen and St. Gallenkappel

Toggenburg with 45,381 inhabitants : municipalities Wildhaus, Alt St. Johann, Stein, Nesslau, Krummenau, Ebnat-Kappel, Wattwil, Lichtensteig, Oberhelfenschwil, Brunnadern, Hemberg, St. Peterzell, Krinau, Bütschwil, Lütisburg, Mosnang, Kirchberg, Mogelsberg and Ganterschwil)

Wil with 67,416 inhabitants : municipalities Jonschwil, Oberuzwil, Uzwil, Flawil, Degersheim, Wil, Bronschhofen, Zuzwil, Oberbüren, Niederbüren and Niederhelfenschwil

See Municipalities of the canton of St. Gallen for an alphabetical list.