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| Canton of Zürich | |
|---|---|
| Flag of the canton | |
| Capital: | Zürich |
| Abbr.: | ZH |
| Joined: | 1351 |
| Population: | 1,228,600 |
| Area: | 1,729 km² |
| Language: | German |
The Swiss canton of Zürich (German: Kanton Zürich) has a population of about 1.2 million. It is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zürich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch. In English the name of the canton is often written without umlauts: Zurich.
The canton of Zürich is situated north of the Alps. Its neighbouring cantons are Schaffhausen to the north, Aargau to the west, the cantons of Zug and Schwyz to the south and the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen to the east. Most of the Lake Zürich is located within the canton.
The area of the canton of Zürich is 1,729 km². About 80% of the land is considered productive. Forests make up 505 km², whilst lakes cover 73 km². The main lakes are the Lake Zürich, the GreifenseeGreifensee is a small lake 20 km to the northeast of Lake Zurich and the city of Zurich. As the second largest lake in the Canton of Zurich ( Lake Zurich being the largest), it is about 6 km long and 1. 6 km at the widest point. The Aabach is the main sup and the Pfäffikersee .
Most of the canton consists of shallow river valleys which drain towards the RhineAt 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine River ( German Rhein French Rhin Dutch Rijn is one of the longest rivers in Europe. Its name is derived from the Celtic word renos (meaning "raging flow"). Together with the Danube it formed most of the northern frontier to the north of the canton. In the northwest and southeast of the canton there are more mountainous areas. The valley of the river LinthThe Linth (pronounced lint) is a Swiss river starting above Linthal the mountains of Glarus near the Klausen pass and flowing from there north through the Glarus valley passing Schwanden, where it is joined by its main tributary Sernft, Ennenda, the town leads into the Lake Zürich and continues as the LimmatThe Limmat is a river in Switzerland which rises in the city of Zurich at the north end of Lake Zurich and flows in northwestern direction until it flows after 35 km into the river Aare north of the small town of Brugg and shortly after the mouth of the R river. This valley is the most significant valley of the canton of Zürich. The valley of the Glatt river originates in the Greifensee and is separated from the Limmat by ridges. The valley of the river Töss is gorge- like. It is located in the east of the canton and is separated from the Toggenburg area in the Canton of St. Gallen by a mountainous area. The Hörnli (1133 m) is the highest elevation of this mountain ridge. The valley of the river Sihl is located in the west of the canton. In confluences with the river Limmat in the city of Zürich. The river Sihl is separated from the lake of Zürich by the Albis Range. The Albishorn (915 m) is the highest elevation of this range. The highest elevation in the canton is at the Höhrohnen in the southeast of the canton.
The Üetliberg is part of the Albis Range. This mountain is popular with the population of the city of Zürich for recreation. There is a railway up to the Üetliberg.