Vaud

Vaud
Canton of Vaud
Canton de Vaud (French)
Motto(s): 
Liberté et patrie
("Freedom and fatherland")
Anthem: Hymne vaudois
("The Vaudese Anthem")
Map
Location in Switzerland
Map of Vaud

Coordinates: 46°37′N 6°33′E / 46.617°N 6.550°E / 46.617; 6.550
CountrySwitzerland
Capital and largest cityLausanne
Subdivisions339 municipalities, 10 districts
Government
 • ExecutiveConseil d’État (7)
 • LegislativeGrand Council (150)
Area
 • Total3,211.94 km2 (1,240.14 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020)[2]
 • Total814,762
 • Density250/km2 (660/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalCHF 56.898 billion (2020)
 • Per capitaCHF 70,250 (2020)
ISO 3166 codeCH-VD
Highest point3,210 m (10,531 ft): Diablerets
Lowest point372 m (1,220 ft): Lake Leman
Joined1803
LanguagesFrench
Websitewww.vd.ch
The logo of Vaud

Vaud (/v/ VOH; French: (Canton de) Vaud, pronounced [kɑ̃tɔ̃ vo]),[4][5][6][7] more formally the Canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et patrie" on a white-green bicolour.

Vaud is the third-largest Swiss canton by population and fourth by size. It is located in Romandy, the French-speaking western part of the country, and borders the canton of Neuchâtel to the north, the cantons of Fribourg and Bern to the east, the canton of Valais to the south, the canton of Geneva to the south-west, and France to the west. The geography of the canton includes all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Plateau, and the (Swiss) Alps. It also includes some of the largest lakes of the country: Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel. It is a major tourist destination, renowned for its landscapes and gastronomy.

The largest city is Lausanne, followed by Yverdon-les-Bains and Montreux. As of 2020, the canton has a population of 814,762.[2] It is one of the four cantons where French is the sole official language, and it is the canton with the largest number of French speakers. Formerly a Bernese bailiwick, Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent canton in 1803.

  1. ^ Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017
  2. ^ a b "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  3. ^ Statistik, Bundesamt für (21 January 2021). "Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) nach Grossregion und Kanton - 2008-2018 | Tabelle". Bundesamt für Statistik (in German). Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Le français est la "langue officielle" du canton de Vaud..." Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Canton de Vaud (Confédération suisse)". Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Article 3 : Langue officielle". Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  7. ^ German: (Kanton) Waadt, pronounced [vat] or [vaːt]; Arpitan: (Quenton de) Vôd), Brochure "The Canton of Vaud", Office of Information and Communications (BIC). Retrieved 29 January 2021