Semione
Encyclopedia
Semione is a former municipality
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 of Blenio
Blenio (district)
The district of Blenio is a district of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It has a population of . The capital of the district is Acquarossa.-Geography:...

 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 Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...

 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....

. Since 15 March 2011, it is part of the municipality Serravalle.

Geography

Semione has an area, , of 10.42 square kilometres (4 sq mi). Of this area, 1.06 km² (0.409268288108087 sq mi) or 10.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 8.16 km² (3.2 sq mi) or 78.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.36 km² (0.138996777093313 sq mi) or 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes and 0.25 km² (0.0965255396481338 sq mi) or 2.4% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.0%. Out of the forested land, 75.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 6.7% is used for growing crops, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 2.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, and 1.4% is too rocky for vegetation.

The municipalities of Ludiano
Ludiano
Ludiano is a former municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Since 15 March 2011, it is part of the municipality Serravalle.-History:...

, Malvaglia
Malvaglia
Malvaglia is a former municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Since 15 March 2011, it is part of the municipality Serravalle. The reservoir Bacino di Val Malvaglia is located above the village of Malvaglia.-History:...

 and Semione merged on 15 March 2011 into the new municipality Serravalle.

Coat of arms

The blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

 of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is Bendy of six gules and argent overall on a fess or three fleurs-de- lis azure.

Demographics

Semione has a population of . , 3.1% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997-2007) the population has changed at a rate of 9.2%.

Most of the population speaks Italian (85.6%), with German  being second most common (10.6%) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 being third ( 2.2%). Of the Swiss national languages , 34 speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, 7 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, 274 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

. The remainder (5 people) speak another language.

, the gender distribution of the population was 53.2% male and 46.8% female. The population was made up of 183 Swiss men (51.5% of the population), and 6 (1.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 159 Swiss women (44.8%), and 7 (2.0%) non-Swiss women.

In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens and births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 2 Swiss men who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there . The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 2 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.1%.

The age distribution, , in Semione is; 33 children or 9.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 24 teenagers or 6.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 38 people or 10.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 40 people or 11.3% are between 30 and 39, 51 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 50 people or 14.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 59 people or 16.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 37 people or 10.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 23 people or 6.5% who are over 80.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.52 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 63.8% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...

 or a rent-to-own agreement).

, there were 151 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. there were 175 single family homes (or 77.1% of the total) out of a total of 227 inhabited buildings. There were 35 two family buildings (15.4%) and 14 multi-family buildings (6.2%). There were also 3 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).

The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 292 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 84. There were 21 single room apartments and 73 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 149 apartments (51.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 138 apartments (47.3%) were seasonally occupied and 5 apartments (1.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.8 new units per 1000 residents.

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1850 755
1860 622
1870 879
1880 595
1890 632
1900 472
1950 349
1970 268
1990 281
2000 320

Heritage sites of national significance

The Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

 of S. Maria Assunta with Ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...

, the Oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...

 of S. Maria Bambina a Navone and the Rovine del castello di Serravalle are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...

. The entire villages of Semione and Navone were listed on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...

.Category:Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Ticino

Politics

In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...

 the most popular party was the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 which received 27.49% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...

 (20.02%), the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....

 (19.81%) and the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

 (16.02%). In the federal election, a total of 122 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...

 was 41.9%.

In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 290 registered voters in Semione, of which 161 or 55.5% voted. 2 blank ballots were cast, leaving 159 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the SSI which received 40 or 25.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (with 36 or 22.6%), the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....

 (with 25 or 15.7%) and the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....

 (with 25 or 15.7%).

In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 159 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 43 or 27.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 39 or 24.5%), the SSI (with 31 or 19.5%) and the PLRT (with 23 or 14.5%).

Economy

, Semione had an unemployment rate of 1.96%. , there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 13 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 4 businesses in this sector. 6 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 3 businesses in this sector. There were 136 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 32.4% of the workforce.

, there were 13 workers who commuted into the municipality and 96 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 7.4 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 4.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 65.4% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 249 or 77.8% were Roman Catholic, while 26 or 8.1% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...

. There are 37 individuals (or about 11.56% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 8 individuals (or about 2.50% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Semione about 61.7% 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...

).

In Semione there was a total of 44 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...

 provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

and in Semione there were 7 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 14 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 11 students in the two year middle school and 0 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 6 students were in the four year advanced program.

The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 0 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 4 who attend part-time.

The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There was 1 student in the professional program.

, there were 30 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
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