Odder Municipality

Odder Municipality is a municipality (Danish: "kommune") in the Central Denmark Region on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in Central Denmark south of Aarhus. It is a part of the greater Aarhus area. The municipality covers an area of 225.04 km², including the islands of Alrø and Tunø. It borders Aarhus Municipality to the north, Skanderborg Municipality to the north-west and Horsens Municipality to the west. It also connects to Hedensted Municipality across Horsens Fjord to the south, and connects to Samsø Municipality through a ferry route.
Odder Municipality was not merged with any adjacent municipality under the municipal reform of 2007.
The municipality includes the inhabited islands of Alrø and Tunø, as well as the uninhabited islands of Pollerne, Søby Rev and Hov Røn.
History.
Odder is first mentioned in 1363. In the middle ages, Odder was not a municipality but instead a Hundred called Hads Hundred. Denmark has historically been divided into syssels in the middle ages, and Hads Hundred was part of Løversyssel. After the Reformation Hads Hundred was placed under the Aarhusgaard Fief. It became a fief of its own in 1548, with the fief's capital set at the Åkær Manor. Hads Hundred was part of Skanderborg Fief from 1597-1650, after which it turned into Åkær County in 1660. That county was dissolved after a year, and Hads Hundred was put under Skanderborg County. It came under Aarhus County in 1799.
The two parish municipalities of Torrild and Odder were merged in 1965. In the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform, the following parish municipalities were merged to form the current Odder Municipality: Alrø, Gosmer-Halling, Gylling, Hundslund, Saksild-Nølev, Odder, Randlev-Bjerager, Torrild, Ørting-Falling and Tunø. The 2007 municipal reform did not change anything for Odder Municipality.
Towns.
Below are all settlements in the municipality with populations of at least 200 people (populations as of 2020).
Odder.
Odder is located centrally in the northern part of the municipality. It borders the forests of "Dyrehave", "Vejlskov" and "Præstelund" to the south, and the forests of "Bøgebjerg" and "Balle Skov" to the north-west. It is surrounded by fields in all other directions.
Odder is the administrative center of the municipality, and the location of the municipality's town hall. The eastern edge of the town is bordered by the botanical garden and zoo known as "The Ecological Garden" (Danish: "Den Økologiske Have"). South of that are a series of schools and the Grundtvigianism church Odder Grundtvigske Valgmenighedskirke. Further west, but still south of Odder River (Danish: "Odder Å") is Odder Station and Odder Church. The culture center Pakhuset is located near the train station. The road "Rosengade" is a pedestrian street with many shops, restaurants and facilities. Odder Rådhus is located north of the street. Odder Museum is located further west, bordering Odder River. North of the river, and along the western part of the town are residential areas. The northern parts of the town include a sizable industrial quarter.
Near the center of the town is a sports facility called Spektrum Odder. It includes three sports halls, swimming pools, football stadiums and a café.
Hou.
Hou (also spelled Hov) is located 10 km south-east of Odder. It borders Kattegat to the south and east, and the narrow strait of Hov Løb between the town and the island of Hov Røn. The forest of "Halling Skov" borders Hou to the south-west. Hou is other than that surrounded by fields.
In Hou is a marina and harbour, with daily ferry departures to Samsø and Tunø. The marina is a popular tourist destination.
Villages.
There are two settlements on the island of Tunø: the main village of Tunø By and the smaller settlement of Løkkegårde. Tunø is a popular tourist destination.
There are three settlements on Alrø: Alrø By, Sønderby and Løkken. A dam from 1929 connects Alrø to the mainland. Alrø Church is located in Alrø By.
Rude Strand is located north of Hou and east of Odder. The Rude Strand Tumulus (Danish: "Rude Strand Langhøj") is located here.
Norsminde Fjord, north-west of Odder, cuts the village of Norsminde in two, with the northern part of the village located in Aarhus Municipality and the southern part in Odder Municipality. The northern part is called Norsminde, while the southern part is called Kysing Næs or Norsminde Strand. The ruins of Kysing Church is located in Kysing Næs.
In addition to these villages, there are a number of smaller settlements in the municipality. These are all the settlements with populations of less than 200 people:
Nature.
Odder Municipality is home to many forests, and its coastal location on Kattegat make it home to a long coastline with many breeding sites for birds.
A hilly area west of Hou has been protected since 1959. Another 368 acres south of Odder has been protected since 1979.
Near the center of the town of Odder is a protected nature area known as Stampmølledalen, home to a forest and the brook Stampmøllebækken. It has been protected since 2000, to ensure free access to nature for the citizens of Odder, as well as to preserve the area home to the common kingfisher, a rare species in Denmark. The white-throated dipper can also be found in Stampmølledalen during the winter.
18 acres of coast on the peninsula of Gyllingnæs has been protected since 1985. The area is known as Horskær and is home to many birds, including several of the birds of prey found in Denmark, such as common kestrel, common buzzard and western marsh harrier.
The northern coast along Horsens Fjord, by Vorsø and Alrø, has been protected in five stages. In Odder Municipality, the protected area include Uldrup Bakker, Sondrup Plantage, Åkær Å, Hestehave, Bavnhøj, Skablund Skov and the surrounding areas. The total protected area, across both Odder and Horsens Municipality span 2,100 acres.
Søby Rev are a series of small islands and islet located in Kattegat south of Hou. They span 7,5 acres. The vegetation consist mainly of grass and leymus arenarius.
There are a series of smaller islands and islets in the municipality. A number of small uninhabited islands and islets, known as Pollerne, are located east of Alrø.
Norsminde Fjord.
Norsminde Fjord borders the municipality to the north-east, and 50 acres in Odder Municipality has been protected since 1970. The fjord is an important area for birds, and has a varied surrounding nature that includes hills and beach meadows. The fjord itself span 187 acres. The fjord is home to a large amount of birds, though is not used for breeding by any birds. It is rich in food, so it is a popular foraging spot for coot, wigeon, mallard, tufted duck, teal, mute swan, lapwing, golden plover, dunlin and oystercatcher. The white-tailed eagle, and a series of other birds of prey, can be found in the area. The western marsh harrier is one of the few birds that breed in the fjord. In total, more than 200 species of birds has been registered seen in the fjord.
The dykes along the fjord are mainly covered in crataegus. The vegetation in the fjord itself is dominated by ulva lactuca, which can at times block out the sun for other plants in the water. The ulva lactuca is very resistant, and is a sign of pollution from the surrounding agriculture.
Hou Røn.
Hou Røn is an island of 2 acres located 2 km south-east of Hou. The island first appeared in the 1930s, and has at times been entirely flooded or split into several islands. It grew together to form the current island over time, and is today covered in vegetation. The island is a breeding spot for many birds, including common eider, mallard, oystercatcher, great black-backed gull, European herring gull and red-breasted merganser. At one point rats had invaded the island, but they were removed from the island again by a local hunter. Hunting on the island is forbidden while birds are breeding.
Alrø.
Alrø is a flat island, with the highest point of the island being only 14 meters above sea level. With many parts of the island lying below sea level, the island can at times be split into two. The island span 8 km², and most of the land is used for agriculture. This also means that there is barely any forests, though roe deer and several other mammals still live on the island. The European hare thrive on the island's fields. The raccoon dog is also found on the island. The greylag goose and white-tailed eagle breed on the island, and great cormorant is also commonly seen.
Tunø.
Nearly the entire island of Tunø has been protected since 1965. The protected area amounts to 3.5 km² or 348 acres in total, and only excludes Tunø By and a small part of the harbour. The island is hilly, with forests, bogs and stony beaches. A valley splits the island in two, and it has historically been two separate islands. The valley is today covered in forests.
There aren't many birds on the island, though with the notable exception of the black guillemot. The island is home to one of Denmark's largest populations of black guillemot, a rare bird in Denmark. The other birds on the island are eurasian woodcock, western marsh harrier, common pheasant, grey partridge and common gull. The European green toad can be found on the island, and the nearby island of Samsø is the northernmost habitat for the frog in Europe. The mammals on the island are few, with only roe deer, European hare, European hedgehog, harbor seal, mice and rats. The harbour porpoise can be seen off the island's coast. The common blue butterfly is found on Tunø, though is rare in the rest of Denmark.
The Tunø Knob Offshore Wind Farm is located off the coast of Tunø.
Politics.
The municipality is part of Business Region Aarhus and of the East Jutland metropolitan area, which had a total population of 1.378 million in 2016.
Odder municipality was not merged with other municipalities as part of the extensive Municipal Reform of 2007. The mayor has since 2014 been Uffe Jensen of Venstre.
Municipal council.
Odder's municipal council consists of 19 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since 1989.
Mayors.
Since the 1970 municipal reform, the mayors of Odder Municipality have been:
Economy.
The largest industries in Odder Municipality are healthcare, education, retail, construction and food services.
Companies with their headquarter in Odder Municipality include a stroller factory called Oddervognen. The company has existed since 1925, and is the only stroller factory remaining in Denmark. ProTruck is a company that sell forklifts and similar specialized vehicles, and is also located in Odder.
Demographics.
There are 22,844 people living in Odder Municipality (2020). 49.27% are men and 50.73% are women.
Below is the age distribution of the municipality.
Education.
There are 7 ground schools, 4 efterskoler and 3 independent schools in the municipality. There are also 3 gymnasiums, 4 folk high schools and 1 youth school in the municipality. One of the ground schools, Vestskolen, is split into two department: Skovbakken and Vestermarken.
There are 2 libraries in the municipality: one in Odder and one on Tunø.
Transport.
The Odder Line is a former railroad, today a light rail, connecting Aarhus and Odder. It originally also connected Odder and Hou, but that stretch was shut down in 1977. The rail was renovated and turned into a light rail in 2008.
There are three ferry routes from Odder Municipality. "Cykelfærgen" connects Alrø and the town of Snaptun in Hedensted Municipality. "Samsøfærgen" connects Hou and the town of Sælvig on Samsø. "Tunøfærgen" connects Hou and Tunø.
Sights.
The sights of the municipality are mostly found in the town of Odder, though with churches found in many smaller towns and villages across the municipality.
Churches.
See List of churches in Odder Municipality
Events.
Hou Harbour Festival (Danish: "Hou Havnefestival") takes place in Hou every year in the second weekend of July. The festival take place around Hou Harbour, and includes food, live music, sport and entertainment. The sport events include swimming contests in the harbour.
Sondrup Market is a yearly flea market. It takes place the first saturday in July in Hundslund. In addition to the flea market, Sondrup Market also has live music and entertainment. The organization responsible for the market also arranges other smaller markets in Hundslund across the year.
A yearly music festival takes place on Tunø. It has been held yearly since 1987.
Parishes.
There are 14 parishes in Odder Municipality. Shown in the table below are the populations of each parish, as well as the percentage of that population that are members of the Church of Denmark. All numbers are from 1 January 2020.
Symbols.
The coat of arms of Odder Municipality is a slightly modified version of the town of Odder's coat of arms. It features a golden oak twig with two leaves and an acorn on red background. Two white wavy lines cross the coat of arms and come together at the top. The white lines represent the rivers surrounding Odder. The coat of arms was adopted in 2009.


Central Moravia

Central Moravia (Střední Morava) is an area of the Czech Republic defined by the Republic's Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, level NUTS 2. It is formed by the Olomouc Region and Zlín Region. It covers an area of 9 231 km2 and 1,219,394 inhabitants (population density 133 inhabitants/km2).
Economy.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 19.3 billion € in 2018, accounting for 9.3% of Czech economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 22,400 € or 74% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 70% of the EU average.
See also.
NUTS of the Czech Republic


Flags of the regions of France

The galleries below show flags attributed to the eighteen (formerly, twenty-seven) regions, five overseas collectivities, one sui generis collectivity and one overseas territory of France. Most of them are both non-official and traditional as regions often use their logos as a flag though some regions used the banner of arms as official flags.


Stropkov District

Stropkov District ("okres Stropkov") is a district in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia.
Until 1918, the district was mostly part of the county of Kingdom of Hungary of Zemplín, apart from an area in the
north west around Duplín, Tisinec, Krušinec, Výškovce, Vislava, Oľšavka, Gribov and Kožuchovce which formed part of the county of Šariš.


Rhodope (regional unit)

Rhodope (, "Rodópi", ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with the regional units Evros and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace. The capital of the prefecture is the city of Komotini. The second largest town is Sapes. Most of the Muslims of Thrace, the only officially recognized minority in Greece, are settled in this area, where they form around half of the population.
Geography.
Rhodope borders on the regional unit Xanthi to the west and Evros to the east, and on Bulgaria's Kardzhali Province to the north. The Aegean Sea lies to the south. The eastern Rhodope Mountains cover the northern part of the regional unit. Apart from the mountainous areas, the territory consists mainly of farmland, forests and grasslands.
The southern and the central part have a mainly Mediterranean climate, and the northern part a mainly continental climate with cold winters.
Administration.
The regional unit Rhodope is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
In 2015 this regional unit has three seats in the Hellenic Parliament.
Prefecture.
Rhodope was established as a prefecture in 1930 (), when the former Thrace Prefecture was divided into the Rhodope and Evros prefectures. In 1944 Xanthi Prefecture was created from the western part of Rhodope Prefecture. Since the 1990s Rhodope cooperated with Evros in the Rhodope-Evros Super-prefecture.
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the East Macedonia and Thrace region, with no change in its boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
Provinces.
"Note:" Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.


Outline of Scotland

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Scotland:
Scotland – country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the largest island, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Geography of Scotland.
Geography of Scotland
Environment of Scotland.
Environment of Scotland
Regions of Scotland.
Ecoregions of Scotland.
List of ecoregions in Scotland
Administrative divisions of Scotland.
Administrative divisions of Scotland
Municipalities of Scotland.
Municipalities of Scotland
Demography of Scotland.
Demographics of Scotland
Government and politics of Scotland.
Politics of Scotland
Branches of the devolved government of Scotland.
Government of Scotland
Law and order in Scotland.
Scots law
Military of Scotland.
Military of Scotland
Local government in Scotland.
Local government in Scotland
Culture of Scotland.
Culture of Scotland
Sports in Scotland.
Sports in Scotland
Economy and infrastructure of Scotland.
Economy of Scotland
Education in Scotland.
Education in Scotland


List of settlements in Rutland by population

This is a list of settlements in Rutland by population based on the results of the 2011 census. The next United Kingdom census will take place in 2021. In 2011, there were 24 built-up area subdivisions with 250 or more inhabitants in Rutland, shown in the table below.
List of settlements.
Notes:


Mijancas

Mijancas is a town in the municipality of Berantevilla in the region of Cuadrilla de Añana in the province of Álava in Spain. It is located at an altitude of 524 meters and has a population of 41 inhabitants.


Province of Livorno

The province of Livorno or, traditionally, province of Leghorn () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city of Livorno. When formed in 1861, the province included only Livorno and Elba Island. It was extended in 1925 with land from the provinces of Pisa and Genoa. It has an area of and a total population of 343,003 (2012). There are 19 "comuni" (singular: "comune") in the province. The coastline of the area is known as "Costa degli Etruschi" (Etruscan Coast).
The province of Livorno is coastal and contains a number of coastal towns. Livorno is a highly important port for tourism and trading, and a number of watchtowers are located nearby the city. At Calafuria, the sea contains sponges, shellfish, fish, and protected red coral ("Corallium rubrum"). The coastlines of Quercianella and Castiglioncello are rocky. The waters around the province of Livorno sometimes contain dolphins. The town Marina di Bibbona was initially founded as a fort due to its strategic coastal position. Town San Vincenzo contains a fourteenth-century tower for strategic reasons. The sand of Golfo di Baratti is silver and black due to its high iron concentration, and the area contains an archaeological park.
Subdivisions.
"Comuni".
The province is subdivided into 19 "comuni" (singular: "comune"). This is the complete list of "comuni" in the province of Livorno:
At 30 April 2014, the main "comuni" by population are:


List of English districts by population density

This is a list of the districts of England ordered by population density, based on population estimates for from the Office for National Statistics. The densities are calculated by dividing the latest Population Estimate by the Standard Area Measurement.


Svendborg Municipality

Svendborg Municipality is a municipality ("kommune") in Region of Southern Denmark on the southeast coast of the island of Funen, as well as on the islands of Drejø, Hjortø, Skarø, Thurø, and Tåsinge off Funen's southeastern shores in south-central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 418 km², and has a total population of 59,040 (2008). Its mayor is Bo Hansen (2017), a member of the Social Democrats political party. The main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Svendborg.
South of the municipality separating that part located on Funen from the other islands is Svendborg Strait ("Svendborg Sund").
The 1,220-meter (4003-ft) long Svendborgsund Bridge ("Svendborgsundbroen") connects the municipality at the city of Svendborg over the islands of Tåsinge and Siø, where the 774 meter (2540 ft) long Langeland Bridge ("Langelandsbroen") continues to the city of Rudkøbing on the island of Langeland. The Svendborgsund Bridge was opened in 1966. The Langeland's Bridge was opened in 1962, and is Denmark's 10th longest bridge.
Ferry service connects the municipality at the town of Svendborg to the municipality's islands of Skarø, Drejø, and Hjortø, and to the town of Ærøskøbing on the island of Ærø.
On 1 January 2007 Svendborg municipality was, as the result of "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merged with Gudme and Egebjerg municipalities to form an enlarged Svendborg municipality.
Politics.
Svendborg's municipal council consists of 29 members, elected every four years. The municipal council has seven political committees.
Municipal council.
Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.
Locations.
The ten largest urban areas in the municipality are:


Province of Frosinone

The Province of Frosinone () is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 "comuni" (singular: "comune"; see Comuni of the Province of Frosinone). Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area of and a total population of 493,605 (2016).
The Province was established by Royal Decree on 6 December 1926 with territories belonging to the then provinces of Rome and Caserta. The areas of the then province of Caserta were the left valley of the Liri-Garigliano river, the district of Sora, the Comino Valley, the district of Cassino, the Gulf of Formia and Gaeta, the Pontine islands, which until then had been for centuries included in the Province called Terra di Lavoro, of the Kingdom of Naples (or of the Two Sicilies). Anyway, most of these territories were part of the ancient Latium adiectum.
Geography.
The province largely follows the territory of the low and middle Latin Valley, a larger region that extends from south of Rome to Cassino. In the eastern area, on the other hand, the Comino Valley extends along the border with Abruzzo.
The territorial boundaries are mostly marked by mountain ranges: the Ernici Mountains to the north and the Lepini Mountains to the southwest, the Ausoni and Aurunci Mountains to the south, the Mainarde to the northeast.
The mountain system of the territory of the province of Frosinone follows the natural development of the mountain ranges of the Italian peninsula; the two main systems are part of the central Apennines to the north, and the Lazio pre-Apennines to the south, divided by the low and middle Latin Valley crossed by the Sacco and Liri rivers.
History.
The first traces of human presence in the provincial territory date back to prehistoric times: a famous skull of "Homo erectus" ("Homo cepranensis", in the Prehistorical Museum of Pofi), dating from 800,000 years ago, constitutes the most ancient finding of the "Homo" species in Europe.
In historical times (10th-9th centuries BC), the area, previously occupied by the so-called Pelasgic civilization, was settled by Indo-European colonists. This arrival is referred to in numerous legends, such as those of Aeneas and Saturn. The latter, ousted by Olympus, was said to come to Lazio to help the men and found seven cities whose name begins with "A" (for example, Alatri and Anagni).
In the 7th century BC the area of what is now the province entered the orbit of Rome, which made it the so-called Latium adiectum ("Adjoined Lazio"). However, Rome needed some 300 years to obtain a definitive victory against the Volsci and the Hernici. The territory was colonized by thousands of Latins and Romans without citizenship, unlike the areas on the coast where there were mainly small colonies of Roman citizens. Also the original inhabitants became Romanized after the Social and the Samnite Wars.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the northern part of the province (officially referred to as Campagna since the 12th century) belonged to the Papal States, while the region south of the Liri orbited around the powers of Benevento and then Naples.
In the Middle Ages, the abbey of Monte Cassino was always a major landowner and a politically renowned element of the area. The southeastern part was a frontier area which was long claimed by the other major powers of the time, the Duchies of Benevento and Gaeta and the County of Aversa: annexed to the Kingdom of Naples under the Normans (12th century), from the late 14th century it became part of the county and then, with an independent status, of the Duchy of Sora. Pontecorvo remained a Papal enclave from 1463.
After the unification of Italy, in 1927 the Fascist government made Frosinone the capital of a province which unified different that which belonged to the Papal and Neapolitan states. This action generated criticism, as these states were considered too different in history, language and culture, especially by the Bourbon-nostalgic party that maintained a strong position in southern Italy for many decades.
The creation of a new province, with capitals in Cassino, Formia and Sora, and comprising the former territories of the Kingdom of Naples, has been proposed.
Main "comuni".
As of 31 December 2014, the main "comuni" by population are:


Canton of Glarus

The canton of Glarus ( ) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.
The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.
The majority of the population (81%) identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic denominations.
History.
According to legend, the inhabitants of the Linth Valley were converted to Christianity in the 6th century by the Irish monk Saint Fridolin, the founder of Säckingen Abbey in what is now the German state of Baden-Württemberg. From the 9th century, the area around Glarus was owned by Säckingen Abbey, the town of Glarus being recorded as "Clarona". The Alemanni began to settle in the valley from the early 8th century. The Alemannic German language took hold only gradually, and was dominant by the 11th century. By 1288, the Habsburgs had claimed all the abbey's rights.
Glarus joined the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1352 as one of the foundational eight cantons ("Acht Orte") of the period of 1353–1481. The first recorded Landsgemeinde of Glarus took place in 1387. Habsburg attempts to reconquer the valley were repelled in the Battle of Näfels of 1388. A banner depicting Saint Fridolin was used to rally the people of Glarus at that battle, and from that time Glarus has used the image of Saint Fridolin on its flags and in its coat of arms.
The County of Werdenberg was annexed to Glarus in 1517.
Between 1506 and 1516 the later reformer Huldrych Zwingli was priest in Glarus, but Glarus remained Catholic, and by 1564 all of Zwingli's followers were eliminated. This, however, did not end the struggles between the Protestants and the Catholics in the area. To secure peace it was decided that each party should have its own assembly ("Landsgemeinde") in 1623, and at a later stage in 1683, each side was granted the right to have its own tribunals.
Between 1798 and 1803 Glarus was part of the canton of Linth as established by Napoleon. In 1836 the constitution was adapted to unite the assemblies and establish a single "Landsgemeinde".
In the early 1840s, after several years of failed crops and as food became scarce, much of the canton found itself deep in poverty. With more workers than available jobs, emigration to the United States of America was seen as a solution. The Glarus Emigration Society was established in 1844, which offered loans to help residents purchase land in the New World. Many of the resulting emigrants went to the state of Wisconsin, where they founded the town of New Glarus.
On May 6, 2007 Glarus became the first Swiss canton to lower the voting age to 16.
Geography.
The canton of Glarus is dominated by the deep valley of the Linth River and the smaller Sernftal on the east. Most of the area is mountainous. The highest peak in the Glarus Alps is the Tödi at Other mountains include the Hausstock () and the Glärnisch (). The canton contains part of a thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO world heritage site, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Famous outcrops in the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona include those at Lochsite near Glarus and in a mountain cliff called "Tschingelhörner" between Elm and Flims (in the same cliff is a natural hole called the Martinsloch). There is also a large lake called Walensee (Lake Walen) on the north. The total area of the canton of Glarus is , of which about half is considered productive. Forestry is an important branch of industry in the canton.
Municipalities.
The "Landsgemeinde" (cantonal assembly) of 2006 decided that the 25 municipalities of Glarus be consolidated to three, effective 1 January 2011.
Demographics.
The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 7,314 foreigners (or 19.13% of the total population).
The population () is nearly evenly split between Protestants (44%) and Roman Catholics (37%).
83.6% is German-speaking and 6.8% is Italian-speaking.
Economy.
The geography of the canton helped to establish slate works in the 17th century. The mountainous surroundings of Glarus were also an advantage in industrialisation. Cotton spinning was important in the 18th century, complementing traditional woolen spinning. Industrialisation also brought cotton printing, hydroelectric plants and later metal and machinery factories, as well as paper mills.
In 2014, about 5% of the workers in Glarus work in the primary sector (the total for all of Switzerland is 3.3%) Of these 5%, in 2008, nearly three-quarters are involved in dairy farming and cattle breeding. In 2014 the secondary sector employed 8,322 or about 38.2% of the total, which is much higher than 21.8% for the entire country. Of those in the secondary sector, over one-quarter worked in the construction industry. The tertiary sector employed 12,366 or about 56.8% of the total, which is almost 18% lower than 74.9% nationwide. Of those in the tertiary sector, 11.72% work in retail shops and 10.37% are in health care.


Canton of Fribourg

The canton of Fribourg, also canton of Freiburg (, , ) is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French spoken by two thirds of the citizens and German by about one third. Both are official languages in the canton. The canton takes its name from its capital city of Fribourg.
History.
On the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat significant traces of prehistoric settlements have been unearthed.
The canton of Fribourg joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481. The area is made up of lands acquired by the capital Fribourg. The present extent was reached in 1803 when Murten (Morat) was acquired. The canton of Fribourg joined the separatist league of Catholic cantons in 1846 (Sonderbund). The following year, its troops surrendered to the federal army.
Geography.
The canton is bounded to the west by Lake Neuchâtel, to the west and the south by the canton of Vaud, and to the east by the canton of Bern. The canton includes two enclaves within Vaud and one within the canton of Bern, as well as a large exclave on the lake. The area of the canton is , including the small enclaves.
The canton lies on the elevated Swiss Plateau. In the west the lands are flat, but towards the south east of the canton, the lands rise to a hilly region. This region is commonly called "pre-Alps" but is part of the Bernese Alps. The highest elevation in the canton is the Vanil Noir with .
The river Saane/Sarine flows from the south to the north of the canton. Together with its tributaries it drains most of the lands in the canton, then joins the river Aare. The river Broye drains the west of the canton and flows northeast into Lake Morat (Murtensee). The southwest part of the canton is drained by the river Veveyse, which flows south into Lake Geneva ().
Political subdivisions.
Districts.
The Canton is divided into seven districts:
Municipalities.
There are 165 municipalities in the canton of Fribourg . The number is decreasing as the canton subsidizes mergers between municipalities.
Demographics.
In contrast to the mainly Protestant cantons of Vaud to its west and Bern to its east, the canton of Fribourg is a predominantly Roman Catholic enclave (, 70%) with a Protestant minority (15%). This explains the canton's existence, even though it straddles the French-German linguistic border, for in the past, denominational considerations were more important than linguistic when drawing Switzerland's cantons.
The main centres of population are the capital Fribourg (34,300 inhabitants) and Bulle (18,200 inhabitants).
Two thirds of the population speak French, the remainder speak Alemannic dialects of German. The French-speaking areas are in the west of the canton, the Alemannic-speaking areas in the east. The number of bilingual towns, and consequently the large number of people who can speak both French and German fluently, has attracted businesses such as telesales companies. The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 43,838 foreign-born residents, or about 16.65% of the total population.
Economics.
Agriculture is important in the canton of Fribourg. The main agricultural activities are cattle breeding and dairy farming. The region is a major cheese producer, especially the district of Gruyère, home of the cheese of the same name. The chocolate industry is also well established in Broc, home to an international chocolate research centre. Other agricultural produces include tobacco, fruit and cereals. Agriculture is predominant in the north of the canton where the most fertile lands lie.
There is light industry concentrated around the capital Fribourg. Other centres of light industry are Bulle, Villars-sur-Glâne, Düdingen (Guin), Murten (Morat) and Estavayer-le-Lac. These five centers have also a large number of established small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are in the service sector. Forests are important in the La Gruyère (Greyerz) district.
Power plants in the district of Sarine export electricity. The mountain areas attract tourists all year round. The lake regions are frequented by tourists in summer and autumn.
Transport.
The canton of Fribourg is well connected to other areas of Switzerland with motorways A1, A12 and fast rail links. The main railway between Geneva and Lausanne in the south west to Bern and Zürich connects Fribourg with other centres of the country.


Evros (regional unit)

Evros () is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the river Evros, which appears to have been a Thracian hydronym. Evros is the northernmost regional unit. It borders Turkey to the east, across the river Evros, and it borders Bulgaria to the north and the northwest. Its capital is Alexandroupoli. Together with the regional units Rhodope and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace. The population density was 34.77 per km2 (2011).
Geography.
Evros is one of the largest regional units of Greece. It forms the eastern part of the geographical region Western Thrace, and includes the island Samothrace in the northern Aegean Sea. Its length is about 150 km from north to south (excluding Samothrace). Its width ranges from 70 to 100 km from east to west. The most important rivers are the Evros and its tributary Arda.
The Rhodope Mountains lie in the west and the southwest. The Aegean Sea lies to the south. The Evros valley is flat. Samothrace is mountainous.
The coastal area has a predominantly Mediterranean climate, whereas the northern part and the mountains have a colder continental climate.
Administration.
The Evros regional unit is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
Prefecture.
Evros was established as a prefecture in 1930 (), when the former Thrace Prefecture was divided into the Rhodope and Evros prefectures. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the East Macedonia and Thrace region, with no change in its boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
Provinces.
"Note:" Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.
History.
As a part of Western Thrace, the territory of the Evros regional unit followed the fate of that region. At 1821, several parts of Evros region, such as Lavara and Samothraki rebelled, participated in the Greek War of Independence. It became part of Greece in 1920, when it was ceded by Bulgaria as a result of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Initially it was part of the Thrace Prefecture, which was subdivided in 1930. During the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), many Greek refugees settled in the Evros, and new towns were built, including Orestiada. The Evros river valley was flooded several times, notably in 1997, 2005, and 2006.
Transport.
The main roads in the Evros regional unit are:
A railway line connects Alexandroupoli with Thessaloniki via Komotini, Xanthi and Drama. Another line connects Alexandroupoli with Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria via Didymoteicho and Orestiada, with a branch line from Didymoteicho to Uzunköprü, Turkey.
The Alexandroupolis International Airport is served by mostly national flights.
Sights.
The most important sights of the prefecture are:


Province of Bergamo

The Province of Bergamo (; ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of 1,112,187 (2017), an area of , and contains 243 "comuni". Its capital is the city of Bergamo.
Geography.
The Province of Bergamo borders the province of Sondrio to the north, the province of Brescia to the east, the province of Cremona to the south and the Metropolitan City of Milan and the provinces of Monza and Brianza and Lecco to the west. The northern part spans the Orobian Alps with the highest point being Mount Coca at . Its rivers include the Serio, Dezzo, Cherio, Brembo, and Adda. Its valleys include the Seriana, Cavallina, and Brembana. Other, smaller but important valleys include the Valle Imagna, the Val di Scalve, the Val Serina, and the Val Taleggio. The southern part is mainly made up of flatlands.
In the east, Lake Iseo forms its boundary which the Oglio from the Camonica Valley flows through. Minerals are found in the area of Trescore Balneario and San Pellegrino (the source of the mineral water of the same name) and other places.
Economy.
Agriculture.
The low-lying areas are rich in pastures along with corn, wine, grain, rice and flax that are cultivated. Hunting is common.
Very common is also the breeding of poultry, pigs with modern techniques, and the traditional sheep herding.
Industry.
The provincial economy is based on SMEs, and varied products are made. The main heavy industries of the province of Bergamo are mineral processing, especially iron, concrete and marble. There is a large tractor plant, in Treviglio, a lot of global companies have a plant in Bergamo, like Tenaris and ABB in Dalmine. In Curno is placed the headquarter of Brembo which is also seated in Stezzano inside a famous technology area named Kilometro Rosso.
Another international brand present is Alfa Laval in Suisio.
Silks, metallurgical products and clothing are also common products. A Heineken Italia brewery makes "Moretti La Rossa" in Comun Nuovo. Bergamo masons and assemblers are very famous for their ability and dedication to work.
Demography.
As of the end of 2006, the province of Bergamo hosted 92,000 immigrants from counties outside the European Union (less than 10% of the total population).
About 15,000 of them came from Bolivia, especially the city of Cochabamba, due to the strong relations of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bergamo and the Archdiocese of Cochabamba. Most of Bolivians reside in the town of Bergamo.


Outer Schwyz

Outer Schwyz (, formally "", Canton of Schwyz Outer Territory) was a half-canton of Switzerland from 1831 to 1833.
In 1831 the three outer districts of Schwyz, centered on Pfäffikon, March and Einsiedeln, and the district of Küssnacht, wished to secede from Schwyz within the scope of the regeneration movement. They were mainly concerned by their political disadvantage in comparison to the more ancient part of the canton and the unwillingness of conservative elements to reform the canton's constitution.
The remaining half-canton was called "Inner" Schwyz; it comprised the older part of the canton as well as the community of Wollerau.
In January 1831 a provisional government of the half-canton was instituted at a people's assembly at Lachen. After further negotiations, the constitution was then agreed in April 1832. The half-canton was provisionally recognised by the Confederal government in April 1833, and was recognised as the official delegate to the federal parliament.
In July 1833, [Inner] Schwyz invaded and occupied the district of Küssnacht under Colonel . The Confederal government then intervened militarily and forced the parties to unite. In October 1833, following negotiations, a new constitution was introduced, which provided for equal political rights throughout the whole canton.
The capital of Outer Schwyz alternated between Lachen and Einsiedeln.


Canton of Lucerne

The canton of Lucerne ( ; ) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population. The cantonal capital is Lucerne.
History.
The canton of Lucerne comprises territories acquired by its capital Lucerne, either by treaty, armed occupation or purchase. The first town acquired was Weggis (in 1380), Rothenburg, Kriens, Horw, Sempach and Hochdorf (all in 1394), Wolhusen and Entlebuch (1405), the so-called "Habsburger region" to the northeast of the town of Lucerne (1406), Willisau (1407), Sursee and Beromünster (1415), Malters (1477) and Littau (1481), while in 1803, in exchange for Hitzkirch, Merenschwand (held since 1397) was given up.
Prehistory.
The oldest traces of humans in the Lucerne area are stone artifacts and cave bear bones found in the Steigelfadbalm cave on Mt. Rigi from the Middle Paleolithic or about 30,000 BC. Other animal bones including mammoth, reindeer and giant deer from the local glacial maximum have also been found in the canton. Around 17,000 BC the glaciers disappeared from the Swiss plateau and recolonization is likely at that time.
The first Paleolithic and Mesolithic settlement discovered in the canton is in the Wauwilermoos, which is now a Swiss heritage site of national significance. A number of other settlements have since been found, mainly on sandy, dry elevations in the immediate vicinity of water. The settlements of Egolzwil 3 in Wauwilermoos in Egolzwil, Seematte at Hitzkirch and Halbinsel in Sursee are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Wauwilermoos houses had wooden or bark floors and hearths of clay. The villages had ceramic vessels and wood, bone, antler, stone and flint tools as well as textiles. Copper ax blades and knives provide the first evidence of metal use in Switzerland. Imported mollusks show that there were trade connections to the Mediterranean. The bones at Egolzwil 3 are over two thirds from domestic animals with the remainder from wild animals. The main domesticated animals were sheep, goats and pigs with only a few domestic cattle. The animals hunted included deer, roe deer, wild boar and elk.
During the Bronze Age the canton was quite settled. There were a number of settlements on the shores of Lake Sempach and Lake Baldegg along with hilltop settlements, graves and scattered items throughout the area. At Hochdorf-Baldegg a fenced village from the early Bronze Age (2200–1500 BC) was uncovered. The single-story houses all had clay or stone hearths. During the Middle Bronze Age (1550–1350 BC) most of the villages were not located directly on the lake shores. The Late Bronze Age settlement at Sursee-Zellmoos on Lake Sempach featured houses arranged in rows with mortared stone. The walls were timber lined with clay. Another Late Bronze Age settlement near the village of Schötz was densely populated between 1350 and 800 BC.
While numerous individual Iron Age items have been found, almost no settlements have been discovered. From the Hallstatt period (800–480 BC) mainly graves have been discovered. Very little is known about the La Tène period (480–30 BC) in Lucerne. Some iron tools, gold coins, ceramic vessels and a glass bangle as well as a burial ground with at least four graves have been found.
During the Roman era, the canton was once again thickly settled. A number of farms were built in the north-south running valleys (Wigger, Suhre, Wyna and See valleys). During the 1st century AD, the farms provided food for the Legion camp in Vindonissa and for the larger settlements located in the Swiss plateau.
Towards the end of the 1st century there was a vicus at Sursee. The remains of houses show that there were a number of small shops and manufacturing buildings in the town. The west bank of the Suhre was fortified with a stone slip and may have served as a ship or raft berth. Imports from various regions of the Roman Empire (southern Spain, southern Italy, Lipari, southern and eastern Gaul and the Germanic areas) provide evidence of extensive trade relations. Sursee was likely a freight hub for trade with the entire Alpine region.
Early middle ages.
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the canton of Lucerne was settled by the Alamanni, who generally settled away from the Roman settlements. Some exceptions include a Roman manor at Büron and the Roman town of Sursee. An Alamannic grave field was found at Aesch with 61 graves with wooden coffins from before the 7th century before. In the women's graves there were necklaces with glass and amber beads, while swords were found in the men's graves. Belt buckles and small iron knives were found in the graves of both sexes. A few items from the southern Alpine region, southern Germany and Burgundy indicate that trade continued.
Two early medieval stone grave vaults, both of which were used for multiple burials, were found in the church of Altishofen. In the treasury of Beromünster Abbey there is a 7th-century ornate reliquary of gilded copper plates, which probably came from northern Italy.
Foundation of Lucerne city.
Lucerne grew up around a Benedictine monastery, founded about 750 on the right bank of the Reuss by Murbach Abbey in Alsace, of which it long remained a "cell". It is first mentioned in a charter of 840 under the name of "Luciaria", which is probably derived from the patron saint of the monastery, St Leodegar. The name "Lucerrun" is first mentioned in 1252. At some point, a small village grew up around the monastery. The first signs of a municipal constitution appear in 1252.
With the growing power of the Habsburgs in the area the ties that bound Lucerne to Murbach weakened. In 1291 the Habsburgs finally purchased Lucerne from Murbach. The purchase of Lucerne by the Habsburgs drove the three forest cantons (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden) to form an Eternal Alliance, an act that is considered to be the foundation of Switzerland. In 1332 Lucerne became the fourth member of the "Eidgenossen" or Swiss Confederation, and the first town to join the rural forest cantons.
The Battle of Sempach (1386) near Sempach (which while allied wouldn't become part of the canton for 8 more years) drove the Habsburgs out of the region and strengthened the Confederation. That victory led also to the gradual acquisition of territory ruled by and from the town.
Amstalden, a wealthy innkeeper Schüpfheim in the Entlebuch valley of the canton of Lucerne, was the leader of a planned rebellion of the valley against the city of Lucerne. In a plot to limit the power of the city, officials from the neighbouring canton of Obwalden had promised their support. The conspiracy was detected before they could stage the planned coup. On 24 August 1478, Amstalden was arrested, tortured and interrogated, and finally beheaded in November 1478.
The incident furthered the distrust amongst rural and urban cantons in the Old Swiss Confederacy and was one of the reasons for the conclusion of the Stanser Verkommnis (Treaty of Stans) in 1481, an important coalition treaty of the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy
During the Reformation Lucerne remained attached to Roman Catholicism, of which ever since it has been the great stronghold in Switzerland. The papal nuncio resided here from 1601 to 1873. In the 16th century, during the early modern age, the town government fell into the hands of an aristocratic oligarchy, whose power, though shaken by the Swiss peasant war of 1653 in the Entlebuch, lasted until 1798. Under the French-supported Helvetic republic (1798–1803) Lucerne was the seat of the central government. When the republic collapsed, under the Act of Mediation (1803) it was one of the six "Directorial" cantons and during the Restoration (from 1815 to 1848) it was one of the three ruling cantons.
The patrician government was swept away by the cantonal constitution of 1831. But in 1841 the Conservatives regained power. They quickly recalled the Jesuits, who had been expelled by earlier radical governments, to head the cantonal school system. The riots that followed brought about the Sonderbund War (1847) in which the Conservatives were defeated, the decisive battle taking place at Gisikon, not far from Lucerne.
Geography.
The canton of Lucerne is part of Central Switzerland. The lands of the canton lie on the northern foothills of the Swiss Alps (Urner Alps). The highest elevation of the canton of Lucerne is at the "Brienzer Rothorn" at .
It borders the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden to the south, Schwyz and Zug to the east, Aargau to the north, and Berne to the west.
Its territory corresponds to the subject territories acquired by the city of Lucerne during the 14th and 15th centuries, including:
Lucerne proper at the outflow of the Reuss river from Lake Lucerne;
the stretch of the Reuss river between Lucerne and Honau, along Rooterberg hill (connecting to Lake Zug with the territory of Meierskappel municipality);
the Kleine Emme basin (including its tributaries "Entle" and "Rümlig");
the tributaries of the Aare between Napf and Lindenberg, including (west to east) Wigger, Suhre (Lake Sempach), Wyna, Aabach (Lake Hallwil, Lake Baldegg);
two territories connected only by water, across Lake Lucerne: the northern slope of Bürgenstock (part of Lucerne municipality), and the municipalities of Greppen, Weggis and Vitznau on the western and south-western slopes of Mount Rigi.
The area of the canton is . , about 55% of the total land area, is used for agriculture. An additional (about 30%) of the canton is wooded. The remainder of the canton is either developed, (8.4%), or unproductive (lakes, rivers or mountains), (6.8%).
Political subdivisions.
The Canton is divided into six districts ("Wahlkreise"):
Entlebuch, Hochdorf, Luzern-Land,
Luzern-Stadt, Sursee, Willisau.
Before 2007, the districts were called "Ämter". There were five districts until 2013, when Luzern District was divided into "Luzern-Land" and "Luzern-Stadt", the latter corresponding to the city of Lucerne proper (including Littau, incorporated into Lucerne in 2010).
There are 83 municipalities in the canton ().
Politics.
Cantonal politics and government.
The Constitution of Lucerne of 2007 entered into force on 1 January 2008, replacing the 1875 constitution.
With the new constitution, the legislative body "Grosser Rat" (Grand Council) was renamed to "Kantonsrat" (Cantonal Council). It is composed of 120 members elected by proportional representation.
The executive body is the "Regierungsrat" (Government Council), composed of 5 members.
The Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) is traditionally the largest party, having won 38 seats in the Cantonal Council as of the 2015 elections, and having two out of five members in the Government Council .
Demographics.
Lucerne has a population () of . , 18.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals, of which 15.5% are from Europe, 1.4% from Asia, 0.7% from Africa, and 0.5% from America. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of −0.4%. Migration accounted for −1.2%, while births and deaths accounted for 1.3%.
Most of the population () speaks German (91%) as their first language, while Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Albanian and English are the second most common languages (3%), followed by Portuguese and French with 2% each, and Spanish with 1%.
Of the population in the canton, 115,233 or about 32.9% were born in Lucerne and lived there in 2000. There were 101,980 or 29.1% who were born in the same canton, while 66,486 or 19.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 55,314 or 15.8% were born outside of Switzerland. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.4%.
, there were 158,345 people who were single and never married in the canton. There were 159,152 married individuals, 18,853 widows or widowers and 14,154 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 13,430 private households in the canton, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 47,012 households that consist of only one person and 12,952 households with five or more people. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.7 new units per 1000 residents.
 the average price to rent an average apartment in Lucerne city was 1150.31 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$920, £520, €740 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 646.07 CHF (US$520, £290, €410), a two-room apartment was about 879.64 CHF (US$700, £400, €560), a three-room apartment was about 1033.60 CHF (US$830, £470, €660) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2032.38 CHF (US$1630, £910, €1300). The average apartment price in Lucerne was 103.1% of the national average of 1116 CHF. The vacancy rate for the canton, , was 0.77%.
The largest population centres are Lucerne, Emmen and Kriens.
Historic population.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Economy.
Much of the land in the canton is used for agriculture. Agriculture is the most significant source of income, but industry is also developed. The most important agricultural products are crops, fruit and cattle breeding. Industry concentrates on textiles, machinery, paper, wood, tobacco and metallurgical goods.
Tourism is of great importance. The canton of Lucerne is a gateway to holiday resorts in the nearby Alps, and much of the transit traffic between Germany and Italy crosses the region.
, Luzern had an unemployment rate of 1.4%. , there were 1,764 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 703 businesses involved in this sector. 5,388 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 324 businesses in this sector. 9,431 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 1,113 businesses in this sector.
 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 160,133. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 9,608, of which 9,462 were in agriculture, 119 were in forestry or lumber production and 27 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 48,191 of which 31,698 or (65.8%) were in manufacturing, 142 or (0.3%) were in mining and 14,990 (31.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 102,334. In the tertiary sector; 25,105 or 24.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 8,182 or 8.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 8,146 or 8.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3,835 or 3.7% were in the information industry, 7,000 or 6.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 10,979 or 10.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 8,111 or 7.9% were in education and 15,924 or 15.6% were in health care.
Of the working population, 12.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 48.5% used a private car.
Religion.
From the , 248,545 or 70.9% were Roman Catholic, while 39,426 or 11.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 7,801 members of an Orthodox church (or 2.23% of the population), there were 471 individuals (or 0.13% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 7,564 individuals (or 2.16% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 399 individuals (or 0.11% of the population) who were Jewish, and 13,227 (or 3.77% of the population) who were Islamic. There were 875 individuals who were Buddhist, 1,715 individuals who were Hindu and 293 individuals who belonged to another church. 20,681 (or 5.90% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 13,007 individuals (or 3.71% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education.
In Luzern about 127,331 or (36.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 42,391 or (12.1%) have completed additional higher education (either universities or a "Fachhochschule"). Of the 42,391 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.0% were Swiss men, 23.6% were Swiss women, 7.0% were non-Swiss men and 4.4% were non-Swiss women.
Institutions of higher education include the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences which also has campuses in Lucerne and Horw.


Elderships of Lithuania

A seniūnija (in English: eldership, elderate, ward, parish, or subdistrict) is the smallest administrative division of Lithuania. An eldership may comprise a very small region consisting of few villages, one single town, or a part of a big KARA DUXE and nature. A few elderships make up a municipality. Šilainiai (Kaunas) and Dainava (Kaunas) are the most populous elderates, with population counts over , exceeding the population of some entire municipalities.
Elderships manage small-scale local matters, such as repairing pavements and dirt roads, and keep records on all families living in the eldership. The premise of the concept is that - unlike in higher administrative divisions - an elder (the leader of the eldership) could have time to talk to every person in the eldership who wants to.
Modern Lithuania is divided into 10 counties, 60 municipalities, and 546 elderships. Elderships function as municipal districts. In cities, an elder is elected to each eldership district, along with a mayor for the city.
Note: historically the term referred to significantly larger administrative units, e.g. Eldership of Samogitia (also known for a longer period of history as the Duchy of Samogitia).


List of Finnish municipalities

This is a listing in alphabetical order of the 310 municipalities in Finland as of 2021. Note that there are 114 municipalities that have both a Finnish and a Swedish name. Those municipalities are listed by the name in the local majority language, with the name in the other national language provided in parenthesis. Finnish is the majority language in 99 of those 114 municipalities, while Swedish is the majority language in 15 of them. The four municipalities that are wholly or partly within the Sami native region have their names given also in the local Sami languages (Inari Sami, Skolt Sami and Northern Sami in the case of Inari; only Northern Sami in the other cases).


Cheshire

Cheshire ( ; Welsh: "Sir Gaer"), archaically the County Palatine of Chester, is a county in northwest England. It is bordered by Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and the Welsh settlements of Flintshire and Wrexham to the west. Cheshire's county town is Chester, while its largest town by population is Warrington. Other major towns include Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield, Northwich, Runcorn, Widnes, Wilmslow, and Winsford.
The county covers and has a population of around 1 million. It is mostly rural, with a number of small towns and villages supporting the agricultural and other industries which produce Cheshire cheese, salt, chemicals, and silk. It is split into the administrative districts of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton, and Warrington.
Toponymy.
Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded as "Legeceasterscir" in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", meaning "the shire of the city of legions". Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920. In the Domesday Book, Chester was recorded as having the name "Cestrescir" (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time. A series of changes that occurred as English itself changed, together with some simplifications and elision, resulted in the name Cheshire, as it occurs today.
Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became modern Wales, there is a history of interaction between Cheshire and North Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became the principal part of Flintshire. Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as Maelor Saesneg when it was transferred to North Wales. For this and other reasons, the Welsh language name for Cheshire ("Swydd Gaerlleon") is sometimes used.
History.
Earldom.
After the Norman conquest of 1066 by William I, dissent and resistance continued for many years after the invasion. In 1069 local resistance in Cheshire was finally put down using draconian measures as part of the Harrying of the North. The ferocity of the campaign against the English populace was enough to end all future resistance. Examples were made of major landowners such as Earl Edwin of Mercia, their properties confiscated and redistributed amongst Norman barons.
The earldom was sufficiently independent from the kingdom of England that the 13th-century Magna Carta did not apply to the shire of Chester, so the earl wrote up his own Chester Charter at the petition of his barons.
County Palatine.
William I made Cheshire a county palatine and gave Gerbod the Fleming the new title of Earl of Chester. When Gerbod returned to Normandy in about 1070, the king used his absence to declare the earldom forfeit and gave the title to Hugh d'Avranches (nicknamed Hugh Lupus, or "wolf"). Because of Cheshire's strategic location on the Welsh Marches, the Earl had complete autonomous powers to rule on behalf of the king in the county palatine.
Hundreds.
Cheshire in the Domesday Book (1086) is recorded as a much larger county than it is today. It included two hundreds, Atiscross and Exestan, that later became part of North Wales. At the time of the Domesday Book, it also included as part of Duddestan Hundred the area of land later known as English Maelor (which used to be a detached part of Flintshire) in Wales. The area between the Mersey and Ribble (referred to in the Domesday Book as "Inter Ripam et Mersam") formed part of the returns for Cheshire. Although this has been interpreted to mean that at that time south Lancashire was part of Cheshire, more exhaustive research indicates that the boundary between Cheshire and what was to become Lancashire remained the River Mersey. With minor variations in spelling across sources, the complete list of hundreds of Cheshire at this time are: Atiscross, Bochelau, Chester, Dudestan, Exestan, Hamestan, Middlewich, Riseton, Roelau, Tunendune, Warmundestrou and Wilaveston.
Feudal baronies.
There were 8 feudal baronies in Chester, the barons of Kinderton, Halton, Malbank, Mold, Shipbrook, Dunham-Massey, and the honour of Chester itself. Feudal baronies or baronies by tenure were granted by the Earl as forms of feudal land tenure within the palatinate in a similar way to which the king granted English feudal baronies within England proper. An example is the barony of Halton. One of Hugh d'Avranche's barons has been identified as Robert Nicholls, Baron of Halton and Montebourg.
North Mersey to Lancashire.
In 1182, the land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire, resolving any uncertainty about the county in which the land "Inter Ripam et Mersam" was. Over the years, the ten hundreds consolidated and changed names to leave just seven—Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral.
Principality: Merging of Palatine and Earldom.
In 1397 the county had lands in the march of Wales added to its territory, and was promoted to the rank of principality. This was because of the support the men of the county had given to King Richard II, in particular by his standing armed force of about 500 men called the "Cheshire Guard". As a result, the King's title was changed to "King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Chester". No other English county has been honoured in this way, although it lost the distinction on Richard's fall in 1399.
Lieutenancy: North split-off.
District.
Through the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, some areas in the north became part of the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Stockport (previously a county borough), Altrincham, Hyde, Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the north-east became part of Greater Manchester. Much of the Wirral Peninsula in the north-west, including the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey, joined Merseyside as the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the same time the Tintwistle Rural District was transferred to Derbyshire. The area of south Lancashire not included within either the Merseyside or Greater Manchester counties, including Widnes and the county borough of Warrington, was added to the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire.
District and Unitary.
Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 1998, but remain part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes and also for fire and policing.
A referendum for a further local government reform connected with an elected regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned.
Unitary.
As part of the local government restructuring in April 2009, Cheshire County Council and the Cheshire districts were abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. The existing unitary authorities of Halton and Warrington were not affected by the change.
Governance.
Current.
Cheshire has no county-wide elected local council, but it does have a Lord Lieutenant under the Lieutenancies Act 1997 and a High Sheriff under the Sheriffs Act 1887.
Local government functions apart from the Police and Fire/Rescue services are carried out by four smaller unitary authorities: Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and Warrington. All four unitary authority areas have borough status.
Policing and fire and rescue services are still provided across the county as a whole. The Cheshire Fire Authority consist of members of the four councils, while governance of Cheshire Constabulary is performed by the elected Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Winsford is a major administrative hub for Cheshire with the Police and Fire & Rescue Headquarters based in the town as well as a majority of Cheshire West and Chester Council. It was also home to the former Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council.
Transition into a lieutenantcy.
From 1 April 1974 the area under the control of the county council was divided into eight local government districts; Chester, Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Halton, Macclesfield, Vale Royal and Warrington. Halton (which includes the towns of Runcorn and Widnes) and Warrington became unitary authorities in 1998. The remaining districts and the county were abolished as part of local government restructuring on 1 April 2009. The Halton and Warrington boroughs were not affected by the 2009 restructuring.
On 25 July 2007, the Secretary of State Hazel Blears announced she was 'minded' to split Cheshire into two new unitary authorities, Cheshire West and Chester, and Cheshire East. She confirmed she had not changed her mind on 19 December 2007 and therefore the proposal to split two-tier Cheshire into two would proceed. Cheshire County Council leader Paul Findlow, who attempted High Court legal action against the proposal, claimed that splitting Cheshire would only disrupt excellent services while increasing living costs for all. A widespread sentiment that this decision was taken by the European Union long ago has often been portrayed via angered letters from Cheshire residents to local papers. On 31 January 2008 "The Standard", Cheshire and district's newspaper, announced that the legal action had been dropped. Members against the proposal were advised that they may be unable to persuade the court that the decision of Hazel Blears was "manifestly absurd".
The Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority covers the area formerly occupied by the City of Chester and the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal; Cheshire East now covers the area formerly occupied by the boroughs of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, and Macclesfield. The changes were implemented on 1 April 2009.
Congleton Borough Council pursued an appeal against the judicial review it lost in October 2007. The appeal was dismissed on 4 March 2008.
Geography.
Physical.
Cheshire covers a boulder clay plain separating the hills of North Wales and the Peak District (the area is also known as the Cheshire Gap). This was formed following the retreat of ice age glaciers which left the area dotted with kettle holes, locally referred to as meres. The bedrock of this region is almost entirely Triassic sandstone, outcrops of which have long been quarried, notably at Runcorn, providing the distinctive red stone for Liverpool Cathedral and Chester Cathedral.
The eastern half of the county is Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits which were mined for hundreds of years around Winsford. Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to the west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge. A footpath, the Sandstone Trail, follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch passing Delamere Forest, Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts.
The highest point (county top) of the historic county of Cheshire is Black Hill () near Crowden in the Cheshire Panhandle, a long eastern projection of the county along the northern side of Longdendale, and on the border with the West Riding of Yorkshire (Black Hill is now the highest point in the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire).
Within the current ceremonial county and the unitary authority of Cheshire East the highest point is Shining Tor on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border between Macclesfield and Buxton, at above sea level. After Shining Tor, the next highest point in Cheshire is Shutlingsloe, at above sea level. Shutlingshoe lies just to the south of Macclesfield Forest and is sometimes humorously referred to as the "Matterhorn of Cheshire" thanks to its distinctive steep profile.
Human.
Green belt.
Cheshire contains portions of two green belt areas surrounding the large conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester (North Cheshire Green Belt, part of the North West Green Belt) and Stoke-on-Trent (South Cheshire Green Belt, part of the Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt), these were first drawn up from the 1950s. Contained primarily within Cheshire East and Chester West & Chester, with small portions along the borders of the Halton and Warrington districts, towns and cities such as Chester, Macclesfield, Alsager, Congleton, Northwich, Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Warrington, Poynton, Disley, Neston, Wilmslow, Runcorn, and Widnes are either surrounded wholly, partially enveloped by, or on the fringes of the belts. The North Cheshire Green Belt is contiguous with the Peak District Park boundary inside Cheshire.
Borders.
The ceremonial county borders Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire in England along with Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales, arranged by compass directions as shown in the table. below. Cheshire also forms part of the North West England region.
Demography.
Population.
Based on the Census of 2001, the overall population of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester is 673,781, of which 51.3% of the population were male and 48.7% were female. Of those aged between 0–14 years, 51.5% were male and 48.4% were female; and of those aged over 75 years, 62.9% were female and 37.1% were male. This increased to 699,735 at the 2011 Census. The population for 2021 is forecast to be 708,000.
In 2001, the population density of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester was 32 people per km2, lower than the North West average of 42 people/km2 and the England and Wales average of 38 people/km2. Ellesmere Port and Neston had a greater urban density than the rest of the county with 92 people/km2.
Ethnicity.
In 2001, ethnic white groups accounted for 98% (662,794) of the population, and 10,994 (2%) in ethnic groups other than white.
Of the 2% in non-white ethnic groups:
Religion.
In the 2001 Census, 81% of the population (542,413) identified themselves as Christian; 124,677 (19%) did not identify with any religion or did not answer the question; 5,665 (1%) identified themselves as belonging to other major world religions; and 1,033 belonged to other religions.
The boundary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester follows most closely the pre-1974 county boundary of Cheshire, so it includes all of Wirral, Stockport, and the Cheshire panhandle that included Tintwistle Rural District council area. In terms of Roman Catholic church administration, most of Cheshire falls into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.
Economy.
Cheshire has a diverse economy with significant sectors including agriculture, automotive, bio-technology, chemical, financial services, food and drink, ICT, and tourism. The county is famous for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt and silk. The county has seen a number of inventions and firsts in its history.
A mainly rural county, Cheshire has a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based on the dairy trade, and cattle are the predominant livestock. Land use given to agriculture has fluctuated somewhat, and in 2005 totalled 1558 km2 over 4,609 holdings. Based on holdings by EC farm type in 2005, 8.51 km2 was allocated to dairy farming, with another 11.78 km2 allocated to cattle and sheep.
The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded in Roman times, with the mining of salt in Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area by British Salt. The salt mining has led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, with Brunner Mond based in the town. Other chemical companies, including Ineos (formerly ICI), have plants at Runcorn. The Essar Refinery (formerly Shell Stanlow Refinery) is at Ellesmere Port. The oil refinery has operated since 1924 and has a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year.
Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry, and remains a major railway junction. The Crewe railway works, built in 1840, employed 20,000 people at its peak, although the workforce is now less than 1,000. Crewe is also the home of Bentley cars. Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants for Jaguar and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port. The county also has an aircraft industry, with the BAE Systems facility at Woodford Aerodrome, part of BAE System's Military Air Solutions division. The facility designed and constructed Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan bombers and the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod. On the Cheshire border with Flintshire is the Broughton aircraft factory, more recently associated with Airbus.
Tourism in Cheshire from within the UK and overseas continues to perform strongly. Over 8 million nights of accommodation (both UK and overseas) and over 2.8 million visits to Cheshire were recorded during 2003.
At the start of 2003, there were 22,020 VAT-registered enterprises in Cheshire, an increase of 7% since 1998, many in the business services (31.9%) and wholesale/retail (21.7%) sectors. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of businesses grew in four sectors: public administration and other services (6.0%), hotels and restaurants (5.1%), construction (1.7%), and business services (1.0%). The county saw the largest proportional reduction between 2001 and 2002 in employment in the energy and water sector and there was also a significant reduction in the manufacturing sector. The largest growth during this period was in the other services and distribution, hotels and retail sectors.
Cheshire is considered to be an affluent county. However, towns such as Crewe and Winsford have significant deprivation. The county's proximity to the cities of Manchester and Liverpool means counter urbanisation is common. Cheshire West has a fairly large proportion of residents who work in Liverpool and Manchester, while the town of Northwich and area of Cheshire East falls more within Manchester's sphere of influence.
Education.
All four local education authorities in Cheshire operate only comprehensive state school systems. When Altrincham, Sale and Bebington were moved from Cheshire to Trafford and Merseyside in 1974, they took some former Cheshire selective schools. There are two universities based in the county, the University of Chester and the Chester campus of The University of Law. The Crewe campus of Manchester Metropolitan University was scheduled to close in 2019.
Culture.
Arts and entertainment.
Cheshire has produced notable musicians such as Rick Astley, Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Harry Styles of One Direction, the members of The 1975, Gary Barlow of Take That, Ian Astbury of The Cult, Van McCann of Catfish and the Bottlemen, concert pianist Stephen Hough, John Mayall of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, and Tim Burgess of The Charlatans. Oxford-born singer Thea Gilmore resides in the county with her producer husband Nigel Stonier, who is a Cheshire native.
Actors from Cheshire include Daniel Craig, Tim Curry, Pete Postlethwaite, Wendy Hiller, and Lewis McGibbon. The county has also been the origin of several acclaimed writers, including Hall Caine, Alan Garner, Elizabeth Gaskell, and most famously Lewis Carroll, who wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and named its Cheshire Cat character after the county. Artists from Cheshire include ceramic artist Emma Bossons and sculptor/photographer Andy Goldsworthy.
Local radio stations in the county include Dee 106.3, Capital, Smooth Radio, Silk FM, Signal 1, Wire FM, and Wish FM. It is one of only four counties in the country (along with County Durham, Dorset, and Rutland) that does not have its own designated BBC radio station; the south and parts of the east are covered by BBC Radio Stoke, while BBC Radio Merseyside tends to cover the west, and BBC Radio Manchester covers the north and parts of the east. The BBC directs readers to Stoke and Staffordshire when Cheshire is selected on their website. There were plans to launch BBC Radio Cheshire, but those were shelved in 2007 after the BBC license fee settlement was lower than expected.
The Royal Cheshire Show, an annual agricultural show, has taken place since the 1800s.
Sports.
Cheshire has been home to numerous athletes. Many Premier League footballers have relocated there over the years upon joining teams such as Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Everton FC, and Liverpool FC, which are all located nearby. These include Dean Ashton, Seth Johnson, Michael Owen, Jesse Lingard, and Wayne Rooney. The "Golden Triangle" is the collective name for a group of adjacent Cheshire villages where the amount of footballers, actors, and entrepreneurs moving in over the years led to the average house prices becoming some of the most expensive in the UK. Other local athletes include rock climber Shauna Coxsey (currently the most successful competitive climber in the UK), cricketer Ian Botham, marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, oarsman Matt Langridge, hurdler Shirley Strong, sailor Ben Ainslie, cyclist Sarah Storey, and mountaineer George Mallory. Cheshire has also produced a military hero in Norman Cyril Jones, a World War I flying ace who won the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Cheshire has one Football League team, Crewe Alexandra FC, which plays in League One. Chester FC, a phoenix club formed in 2010 after ex-Football League club Chester City FC was dissolved, competes in the National League North. Northwich Victoria FC, another ex-League team which was a founding member of the Football League Division Two in 1892/1893, now represents Cheshire in the Northern Premier League along with Nantwich Town FC, Warrington Town FC, and Witton Albion FC. Macclesfield Town FC formerly played in the National League, but went into liquidation in 2020.
The Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings are the premier rugby league teams in Cheshire; the former plays in the Super League, while the latter plays in the Championship. There are also numerous junior clubs in the county, including Chester Gladiators. Cheshire County Cricket Club is one of the clubs that make up the minor counties of English and Welsh cricket. Cheshire also is represented in the highest level basketball league in the UK, the BBL, by Cheshire Phoenix (formerly Cheshire Jets). Europe's largest motorcycle event, the Thundersprint, is held in Northwich every May.
Modern county emblem.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the cuckooflower as the county flower. Previously, a sheaf of golden wheat was the county emblem, a reference to the Earl of Chester's arms in use from the 12th century.
Landmarks.
Prehistoric burial grounds have been discovered at The Bridestones near Congleton (Neolithic) and Robin Hood's Tump near Alpraham (Bronze Age). The remains of Iron Age hill forts are found on sandstone ridges at several locations in Cheshire. Examples include Maiden Castle on Bickerton Hill, Helsby Hillfort and Woodhouse Hillfort at Frodsham. The Roman fortress and walls of Chester, perhaps the earliest building works in Cheshire remaining above ground, are constructed from purple-grey sandstone.
The distinctive local red sandstone has been used for many monumental and ecclesiastical buildings throughout the county: for example, the medieval Beeston Castle, Chester Cathedral and numerous parish churches. Occasional residential and industrial buildings, such as Helsby railway station (1849), are also in this sandstone.
Many surviving buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries are timbered, particularly in the southern part of the county. Notable examples include the moated manor house Little Moreton Hall, dating from around 1450, and many commercial and residential buildings in Chester, Nantwich and surrounding villages.
Early brick buildings include Peover Hall near Macclesfield (1585), Tattenhall Hall (pre-1622), and the Pied Bull Hotel in Chester (17th-century). From the 18th century, orange, red or brown brick became the predominant building material used in Cheshire, although earlier buildings are often faced or dressed with stone. Examples from the Victorian period onwards often employ distinctive brick detailing, such as brick patterning and ornate chimney stacks and gables. Notable examples include Arley Hall near Northwich, Willington Hall near Chester (both by Nantwich architect George Latham) and Overleigh Lodge, Chester. From the Victorian era, brick buildings often incorporate timberwork in a mock Tudor style, and this hybrid style has been used in some modern residential developments in the county. Industrial buildings, such as the Macclesfield silk mills (for example, Waters Green New Mill), are also usually in brick.
Settlements.
The county is home to some of the most affluent areas of northern England, including Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Prestbury, Tarporley and Knutsford, named in 2006 as the most expensive place to buy a house in the north of England. The former Cheshire town of Altrincham was in second place. The area is sometimes referred to as The Golden Triangle on account of the area in and around the aforementioned towns and villages.
Parts of Cheshire away from the affluent areas, such as those around Blacon, Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Winsford, are among the top 5% most deprived areas in Northern England; the price of an average four-bedroom detached house in Knutsford is around £470,000 compared to £220,000 in Winsford and Ellesmere Port.
The cities and towns in Cheshire are:
Some settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the counties of Derbyshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester:
Transport.
Buses.
Bus transport in Cheshire is provided by various operators. The major bus operator in the Cheshire area is Arriva North West. Other operators in Cheshire include Stagecoach Chester & Wirral, Halton Transport and Network Warrington.
There are also several operators based outside of Cheshire, who either run services wholly within the area or services which start from outside the area. Companies include Arriva Buses Wales, BakerBus, High Peak, First Greater Manchester, D&G bus and Stagecoach Manchester.
Some services are run under contract to Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Borough of Halton and Warrington Councils.
Railway.
The main railway line through the county is the West Coast Main Line. Trains on the main London to Scotland line call at Crewe (in the south of the county) and Warrington Bank Quay (in the north of the county). Trains stop at Crewe and Runcorn on the Liverpool branch of the WCML; Crewe and Macclesfield are each hourly stops on the two Manchester branches.
The major interchanges are:
In the east of Cheshire, Macclesfield station is served by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Northern, on the Manchester–London line. Services from Manchester to the south coast frequently stop at Macclesfield.
Road.
Cheshire has of roads, including of the M6, M62, M53 and M56 motorways; there are 23 interchanges and four service areas. The M6 motorway at the Thelwall Viaduct carries 140,000 vehicles every 24 hours.
Waterways.
The Cheshire canal system includes several canals originally used to transport the county's industrial products (mostly chemicals). Nowadays they are mainly used for tourist traffic. The Cheshire Ring is formed from the Rochdale, Ashton, Peak Forest, Macclesfield, Trent and Mersey and Bridgewater canals.
The Manchester Ship Canal is a wide, stretch of water opened in 1894. It consists of the rivers Irwell and Mersey made navigable to Manchester for seagoing ships leaving the Mersey estuary. The canal passes through the north of the county via Runcorn and Warrington.


Etymology of Wales

This article describes the etymology of the name Wales, a country that is today a part of the United Kingdom.
Origins.
The English words "Wales" and "Welsh" derive from the same Old English root (singular , plural ), a descendant of Proto-Germanic "*Walhaz", which was itself derived from the name of the Gaulish people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer indiscriminately to inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term to refer to the Britons in particular; the plural form evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Wallonia, Wallachia, , Vlachs, the German , and , the Polish name for Italy) have a similar etymology.
Historically in Britain, the words were not restricted to modern Wales or to the Welsh but were used to refer to anything that the Anglo-Saxons associated with the Britons, including other non-Germanic territories in Britain (e.g. Cornwall) and places in Anglo-Saxon territory associated with Britons (e.g. Walworth in County Durham and Walton in West Yorkshire).
The modern Welsh name for themselves is , and is the Welsh name for Wales. These words (both of which are pronounced ) are descended from the Brythonic word "combrogi", meaning "fellow-countrymen". The use of the word as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era (after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons) of the Welsh (Brythonic-speaking) people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland () (). It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the were one people, different from other peoples. In particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century.
It is attested in a praise poem to (, by ) . In Welsh literature, the word was used throughout the Middle Ages to describe the Welsh, though the older, more generic term continued to be used to describe any of the Britonnic peoples (including the Welsh) and was the more common literary term until . Thereafter prevailed as a reference to the Welsh. Until the word was spelt or , regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland.
The Latinised forms of these names, "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cambria", survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh and the Welsh people. Examples include the Cambrian Mountains (which cover much of Wales and gave their name to the Cambrian geological period), the newspaper "Cambrian News", and the organisations Cambrian Airways, Cambrian Railways, Cambrian Archaeological Association and the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art. Outside Wales, a related form survives as the name Cumbria in North West England, which was once a part of . The Cumbric language, which is thought to have been closely related to Welsh, was spoken in this area until becoming extinct around the 12th century.


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