Affoltern im Emmental
Encyclopedia
Affoltern im Emmental is a municipality
in the district
of Trachselwald
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
. The hamlets
of Weier, Rinderbach, Eggerdingen, Heiligenland and Hirsegg belong to Affoltern im Emmental.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 56.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(9.8%), the SPS
(9.4%) and the CSP
(8.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.5%. In Affoltern about 76.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Affoltern has an unemployment rate of 0.67%. , there were 190 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 66 businesses involved in this sector. 193 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 25 businesses in this sector. 184 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 35 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 0.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 4.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.4%.. 18.7% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 42.2% is used for growing crops and 28.7% is pastures, while 1.4% is used for orchards or vine crops.
As indicated by the name Affoltern i.E. is situated in the Emmental
. It is bordered by Walterswil, Dürrenroth
, Sumiswald
, Rüegsau
, Heimiswil
and Wynigen
. The well-known mountain Lueg is located in Affoltern.
in the one direction and Lützelflüh
in the other.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district
Districts of Switzerland
In contrast to centrally organised states, in the federally constituted Switzerland each canton iscompletely free to decide its own internal organisation. Therefore there exists a variety of structures and terminology for the subnational entities between canton and municipality, loosely termed...
of Trachselwald
Trachselwald (district)
Trachselwald District was a district in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Its governor's seat was in Trachselwald Castle in Trachselwald. It consisted of 10 municipalities within an area of 191 km².- External links :- References :...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Weier, Rinderbach, Eggerdingen, Heiligenland and Hirsegg belong to Affoltern im Emmental.
Demographics
Affoltern has a population (as of ) of . , 3.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -3.5%. Most of the population speaks German (98.1%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 0.7%) and French being third ( 0.3%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 56.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(9.8%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(9.4%) and the CSP
Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
(8.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.5%. In Affoltern about 76.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Affoltern has an unemployment rate of 0.67%. , there were 190 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 66 businesses involved in this sector. 193 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 25 businesses in this sector. 184 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 35 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 758 |
| 1850 | 1,140 |
| 1900 | 1,142 |
| 2000 | 1,212 |
Geography
Affoltern im Emmental has an area, , of 11.51 km² (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 8.32 km² (3.2 sq mi) or 72.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while2.27 km² (0.876451900005054 sq mi) or 19.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.87 km² (0.335908877975505 sq mi) or 7.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 0.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 4.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.4%.. 18.7% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 42.2% is used for growing crops and 28.7% is pastures, while 1.4% is used for orchards or vine crops.
As indicated by the name Affoltern i.E. is situated in the Emmental
Emmental
For the cheese made in the region, see Emmental .The Emmental is a region in west central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the Emme and Ilfis rivers. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming...
. It is bordered by Walterswil, Dürrenroth
Dürrenroth
Dürrenroth is a municipality in the district of Trachselwald in the Swiss canton of Bern.-History:Dürrenroth is first mentioned in 1275 as Rota. In 1326 it was mentioned as Durren Rot.-Geography:...
, Sumiswald
Sumiswald
Sumiswald is a municipality in the district of the Emmental administrative district in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.-Geography:Sumiswald has an area, , of . Of this area, or 47.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 46.3% is forested...
, Rüegsau
Rüegsau
Rüegsau is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern.-History:Rüegsau was first mentioned in 1139. The name comes from ruggere aue, in modern German ruhe Aue, meaning calm floodplain.-Geography:...
, Heimiswil
Heimiswil
Heimiswil is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Heimiswil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 52.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 32.1% is forested...
and Wynigen
Wynigen
Wynigen is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Wynigen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 56.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 37.4% is forested...
. The well-known mountain Lueg is located in Affoltern.
Transportation
A train station is located in Weier, which connects it to HuttwilHuttwil
Huttwil is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern.-History:Huttwil is first mentioned in the 9th Century as Huttiwilare.During the Swiss peasant war of 1653, Huttwil was a center of the rebellion...
in the one direction and Lützelflüh
Lützelflüh
Lützelflüh is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern.-Geography:Lützelflüh has an area, , of . Of this area, or 65.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 24.7% is forested...
in the other.