The area of the canton of Bern consists of lands acquired by its capital,
mostly between the 14th and the 16th century, both by conquest and purchase.
Acquired districts include (with dates of acquisition:

* Laupen (1324)
* Hash and Meiringen (1334)
* Thun and Burgdorf (1384)
* Unterseen and the Upper Simme valley (1386)
* Frutigen, etc. (1400)
* Lower Simme valley (1439 - 1449)
* Interlaken, with Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and Brienz (1528, all the
suppression of the Austin Canons of Interlaken)
* Saanen or Gessenay (1555)
* Köniz (1729)
* the Bernese Jura with Biel/Bienne (1815, from the bishopric of Basel).

Some regions previously won left the canton in 1798: Aargau (1415), Aigle and
Grandson (1475), Vaud (1536), and the Pays d'En-Haut including Château-d'Œx
(1555). From 1798 to 1802 the Oberland formed a separate canton of the
Helvetic Republic called canton of Thun with Thun as its capital. Certain
French-speaking portions of the canton of Bern broke away from the canton
only in the late 20th century and since 1979 comprise the Canton of Jura.

Bern joined the Swiss Confederation in 1353 and was between 1803 and 1814 one
of the six direcorial cantons of the Swiss Confederation.

Tourism is the main source of income in the Bernese Oberland. Other important
sectors are agriculture (especially cattle breeding), cheese making, and
hydroelectric power generation. The Bernese cheese Emmental cheese is
known around the world.

In the Bernese Midlands the lands are more fertile. Agriculture is of great
importance, but this part of the canton is also the most industrialized.
Small and middle-sized businesses are important employers in this part
of the canton of Bern. There is a nuclear power plant at Mühleberg.

The area around the Lake Biel is renowned for its wine production.

The 3 French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura and the bilingual district
of Biel/Bienne are renowned for their worldwide well known watch industry
and its mechanical industry (high precision machine tools, automation
and machining).

The canton of Bern is the second largest of all Swiss cantons. It borders
the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west
lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud, to
the south lies the Valais. East of the canton of Bern lie the cantons
of Uri, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Lucerne and Aargau.

The canton of Bern is mainly drained by the River Aare and its tributaries.
The area of the canton is commonly divided into three areas. The Bernese
Oberland (Berner Oberland) lies in the south of the canton and is part
of the Alps. The highest elevation in the Bernese Oberland is the Finsteraarhorn
with 4274 m. The famous resorts around Interlaken and the Jungfrau (4158
m) are located within this area. Other resorts in the Bernese Oberland
are Thun, Meiringen and Aareschlucht, Grindelwald, Mürren and Kandersteg.
The whole area is very mountainous and renowned for its scenic beauty.
As a result of this tourism is one of the main sources of income in the
Bernese Oberland.

Mountains in Bern:

* Breithorn
* Dammastock
* Eiger (Canton of Bern)
* Faulhorn
* Mönch
* Jungfrau
* Schreckhorn
* Wetterhorn
* Wildstrubel

The Bernese Midlands (Berner Mittelland) is made up of the valley of the rivers
Aare, the river Emme, some of the foothills of the Bernese Alps, as well
as the plain around the capital Bern. In the north of the canton of Bern
lies the third region: the Lake Region (Seenland) concentrated around
Lake Biel.

The area of the canton is 5959 km²

 

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