Ligerz
Encyclopedia
Ligerz is a municipality
in the Biel/Bienne administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 8.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.3%. 50.0% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 2.2% is pastures, while 29.4% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 1.1% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.1% is unproductive vegetation.
It lies in the Bernese Seeland
at the north end of Lake Biel
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 33% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(21.9%), the SPS
(18.3%) and the Green Party
(17.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.2%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ligerz about 90.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Ligerz has an unemployment rate of 0.59%. , there were 107 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 24 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 61 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
to Prêles
.
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 Biel/Bienne administrative district
Biel/Bienne (administrative district)
Biel/Bienne District is an administrative district in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is located along both shores of the northeastern half of Lake Biel and is part of the Seeland administrative region, and its capital is Biel/Bienne. It contains 19 municipalities with an area of and a...
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....
.
Geography
Ligerz has an area, , of 1.8 km² (0.694983885466563 sq mi). Of this area, 0.57 km² (0.220078230397745 sq mi) or 31.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.91 km² (0.351352964319207 sq mi) or 50.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.23 km² (0.0888034964762831 sq mi) or 12.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.04 km² (9.9 acre) or 2.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 1.7% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 8.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.3%. 50.0% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 2.2% is pastures, while 29.4% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 1.1% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 1.1% is unproductive vegetation.
It lies in the Bernese Seeland
Seeland (Switzerland)
Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains containing the 3 lakes of Morat , Neuchâtel and Bienne . In previous aeras, it was the floodplain of the Aare and is thus swampy. After the huge hydrological works Jura water correction, the area...
at the north end of Lake Biel
Lake Biel
Lake Biel or Lake Bienne is a lake in the west of Switzerland. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, it is one of the three large lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. It lies approximately at , at the language boundary between German & French speaking areas.The lake is 15 km long and up...
.
Demographics
Ligerz has a population (as of ) of . , 5.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.3%. Most of the population speaks German (90.2%), with French being second most common ( 6.3%) and English being third ( 1.2%).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 33% 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....
(21.9%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(18.3%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(17.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.2%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ligerz about 90.1% 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...
).
Ligerz has an unemployment rate of 0.59%. , there were 107 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 24 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 61 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 306 |
| 1850 | 458 |
| 1900 | 419 |
| 1950 | 541 |
| 1980 | 433 |
| 2000 | 490 |
Transportation
The town has a train station. There is a harbor for the Bielersee Schiffahrt Gesellschaft AG (Lake Biel ship travel company). There is also a funicularFunicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
to Prêles
Prêles
Prêles is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .-History:...
.