Canton of uri
The Canton of Uri (in German) Kanton 
Uri (?·i)) is one of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the region of Central Switzerland. Its territory includes the valley of the river Reuss, which extends from the lake of the Four Cantons, to the north, to the pass of San Gotardo, to the south. German is the official language. The capital is Altdorf. William Tell's legend has its origin in this canton.
Etymology
The name of the canton of Uri would come from the Celtic word ure, which means bull, or from the old German Auroch, which means aurochs, wild ox. This is based on the fact that the region's shield has a bull's head.
History
Uri was first mentioned in 732 as belonging to the abbot of Reichenau. In 853 it was handed over to the Zurich convent by Louis the German. In 1231 under the reign of Frederick II, it became a direct dependency of the Emperor. In 1243 the region had a common seal. In 1274 the powerful Rudolf I of Habsburg recognized these privileges.
In 1291, together with Schwyz and Unterwalden, they formed a league, the Confederation of the III cantons, which would constitute the nucleus of the nascent Swiss Confederation. The alliance was established with the signing of the Federal Pact of 1291 (Bundesbrief), also known as the Grütli Oath. In 1386 Uri participated in the victory over the Austrians in the battle of Sempach, obtaining as a reward the lands of Urseren in 1410. It also expanded to the south (Orsera and Leventina valleys) and to the east towards Glarus (Urnerboden). The Orsera valley and the Urnerboden are part of the current canton of Uri.
The region resists the Protestant Reformation and remains Catholic. During the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803), Uri was part of the canton of Waldstätten. With the signing of the Act of Mediation in 1803, Uri regained its independence, although the Leventina Valley was united against its will to the new canton of Ticino. All attempts at constitutional and religious reforms were fruitless. For this reason, in 1815 Uri joined the Sarnen League. Later he was one of the members of the Sonderbund (The Other Alliance), a Catholic separatist alliance that was defeated by the Swiss Confederation in 1847.
Geography
The canton of Uri is bordered on the north by the canton of Schwyz; to the east with the cantons of Grisons and Glarus; to the south with the cantons of Ticino and Valais; and to the west with the cantons of Bern, Obwalden and Nidwalden.
The canton of Uri is located in the region of Central Switzerland between the Lake of Four Cantons and the St. Gotthard massif, on the northern slopes of the Swiss Alps. The area of the canton of Uri, of about 1,077 km², occupies the entire Reuss valley. Only half of the territory is considered productive land, since forests cover a considerable part and glaciers account for 20% of it. The highest point in the canton is Dammastock, at an altitude of 3,630 m, located to the north of the Furka pass or Furkapass.
In addition, the canton is crossed by the following sections of the Swiss Alps:
- Bernese Alps (Uranese Alps)
- Glaron Alps (Urban-glaron Alps)
- Lepontino Alps (Alpes del Monte Leone y del San Gotardo, Alpes del Adula)
- Swiss prealpes (Schwyz and Uri prealpes)
Demographics
The canton of Uri has 36,008 inhabitants in 2014, making it one of the least populated cantons in Switzerland. In fact only the cantons of Appenzell Inner Rhodes and Obwalden are less populated. In addition, three quarters of the population are concentrated in the Reuss river valley.
85% of the population claim to be of Catholic belief, while 6% declare to be Protestant. At the linguistic level, the official language of the canton is German, spoken by 93.5% of the population. The German-Swiss dialect spoken in the region belongs to the Hochalamanisch family.
Economy
The Reuss river valley constitutes the main cultivation area of the canton, this is partly due to the fact that the terrain is quite rugged and is not adapted to cultivation. Forestry is one of the most important sectors of agriculture. Hydroelectric power generation is of great importance.
Tourism is also an important source of income for the canton of Uri. An excellent network of roads and railways facilitate tourism in remote mountain areas. In fact, a major real estate project for tourism is planned in Andermatt.
Politics
Uri's first constitution dates from 1888, and was revised in 1929 after the Landgemeinde was abolished. The current constitution dates from 1984. The canton of Uri is represented by two representatives in the Council of States or the House of Cantons, and by a senator in the National Council.
At the cantonal level, the Landrat (Country Council) exercises legislative power, and is made up of 64 members elected for a period of four years. The twenty communes each form an electoral district, thus, the most populous communes and which elect at least three deputies, use the proportional election system, while the small communes vote according to the majority system. In general, the Landrat sessions last two days and are repeated up to six times a year.
Modifications to laws and the constitution are necessarily made through a popular vote. Landrat decisions can be denounced by at least 300 voters, being submitted to a referendum. The adoption, modification or abolition of laws, decisions or part of the constitution can also be initiated by popular initiative by 300 voters, which again leads to a popular vote.
The executive power is held by the seven members of the Council of State, directly elected by the voters of the canton for a period of four years. The Council is chaired by the Landaman, who is elected for a two-year term.
At the judicial level, the canton of Uri has two judicial districts: Uri and Ursern. Uri's Court has ten members and is based in Altdorf, while Ursern's has seven members and is located in Andermatt. Altdorf is also home to the 13-member High Cantonal Court. Canton judges are directly elected by the people.
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Transportation
Uri canton is one of the most important alpine passes. The region has been a major transit point for centuries. The Gotthard Pass was of great importance for the populations around the Alpine region from the year 1220 with the expansion of the Schöllenen Gorges (Schöllenenschlucht) and the construction of the Devil's Bridge ( Teufelsbrücke) in 1230. In 1882 the 15-kilometre-long St. Gotthard railway tunnel was opened, located a few meters from the Göschenen railway station. In 1980, the San Gotardo road tunnel continued, almost 17 kilometers long on the Swiss A2 motorway. On June 1, 2016, the Gotthard base tunnel opens in Erstfeld, which at approximately 57 kilometers long is the longest railway tunnel in the world.
Communes
The canton is divided into twenty communes. It is not divided into districts and does not have any cities (communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants).