Swiss Passport

Question 57 of 350 · Federalism: Confederation, cantons, municipalities

How many cantons does the Swiss federal state have?

Wie viele Kantone hat der Schweizer Bundesstaat?

Correct answer: B

  1. A12 (10 cantons and 2 half-cantons)12 (10 Kantone und 2 Halbkantone)
  2. B26 (20 cantons and 6 half-cantons)26 (20 Kantone und 6 Halbkantone)
  3. C34 (28 cantons and 6 half-cantons)34 (28 Kantone und 6 Halbkantone)
  4. D16 (12 cantons and 4 half-cantons)16 (12 Kantone und 4 Halbkantone)

Why

Switzerland has 26 cantons. Six of them used to be half-cantons, for example Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft.

Common mistakes

D: 16 (12 cantons and 4 half-cantons)
16 is the number of federal states (Bundesländer) in Germany, not the number of cantons in Switzerland.
A: 12 (10 cantons and 2 half-cantons)
With 12 cantons there would be less than half as many as there really are.

Topic

Three levels of government and 26 cantons

Switzerland is a federal state. Federalism means: power is distributed across several levels. Switzerland has three levels of government. The highest level is the Confederation, that is the whole of Switzerland. The middle level is the cantons. The lowest level is the municipalities. Each level has its own tasks, its own authorities and levies its own taxes.

How the state works · Federalism: Confederation, cantons, municipalities

Sources

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.