Editing Ticino

{{Short description|Canton of Switzerland}}
{{Other uses|Ticino (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Ticino
| official_name      = Republic and Canton of Ticino<br/>{{native name|it|Repubblica e Cantone Ticino}}
| settlement_type    = [[Cantons of Switzerland|Canton]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Canton of Ticino.svg
| image_shield       = Wappen Tessin matt.svg
| shield_size        = 80x80px
| shield_link        = 
| image_map          = {{maplink|frame=y|plain=yes|frame-align=center|zoom=6|type=shape|stroke-color=|stroke-width=2|frame-lat=46.7|frame-long=8.25|frame-width=275|frame-height=175}}
| map_alt            = Map of Switzerland, location of Ticino highlighted
| map_caption        = Location in Switzerland
{{hidden |ta1 = left| border = 1px solid grey | header = Map of Ticino | content = <br/>[[File:Karte Kanton Tessin 2010.png|250px]] }}
| coordinates        = {{Coord|46|19|N|8|49|E|region:CH-TI_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Switzerland]]
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Bellinzona]]
| seat1_type         = Largest city
| seat1              = [[Lugano]]
| parts_type         = Subdivisions
| parts_style        = para
| p1                 = [[Municipalities of the canton of Ticino|115 municipalities]]
| p2                 = [[Districts of Switzerland#Ticino|8 districts]]
| leader_title       = [[List of cantonal executives of Switzerland|Executive]]
| leader_name        = [[Council of State of Ticino|Council of State]] (5)
| leader_title1      = [[List of cantonal legislatures of Switzerland|Legislative]]
| leader_name1       = [[Grand Council of Ticino|Grand Council]] (90)
| area_footnotes     = {{Swiss area data||QUELLE-KT}}
| area_total_km2     = {{Swiss area|TI|km=yes }}
| population_footnotes = {{Swiss populations ref|CH-TI }}
| population_total   = {{Swiss populations NC|CH-TI|CH-TI}}
| population_as_of   = {{Swiss populations data CH-TI|YM}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistik |first=Bundesamt für |date=2023-10-27 |title=Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) nach Grossregion und Kanton - 2008-2021 {{!}} Tabelle |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/volkswirtschaft/volkswirtschaftliche-gesamtrechnung/bruttoinlandprodukt-kanton.assetdetail.28405424.html |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Bundesamt für Statistik |language=de}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = [[Swiss franc|CHF]] 33.181 billion (2021)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = CHF 94,377 (2021)
| iso_code           = CH-TI
| blank_name_sec1    = [[List of cantons of Switzerland by elevation|Highest point]]
| blank_info_sec1    = {{convert|3402|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}: [[Adula (Rheinwaldhorn)]]
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[List of cantons of Switzerland by elevation|Lowest point]]
| blank1_info_sec1   = {{convert|195|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}: [[Lake Maggiore]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[History of Switzerland#Order of accession of the cantons|Joined]]
| blank_info_sec2    = 1803
| blank1_name_sec2   = Languages
| blank1_info_sec2   = [[Italian language|Italian]]
| blank2_name_sec2   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]]
| blank2_info_sec2   = 0.961 (2021)<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2024-02-17}}</ref><br/>{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of regions of Switzerland by Human Development Index|3rd of 7]]
| website            = {{URL|http://www.TI.ch}}
| image_blank_emblem = Canton Ticino - Colored logo (Switzerland).svg
| blank_emblem_type  = [[Brandmark]]
| blank_emblem_size  = 120px
}}

'''Ticino''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ᵻ|ˈ|tʃ|iː|n|oʊ}} {{respell|tih|CHEE|noh}}), sometimes '''Tessin''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ɛ|ˈ|s|iː|n|,_|t|ɛ|ˈ|s|æ̃}}), officially<ref>[https://www4.ti.ch/fileadmin/DI/DI_DI/Documentazione/integrazione/ticinoBreve/Integrazione_GB_WEB.pdf Il Ticino in breve], ti.ch (official website of the canton). Retrieved 2021-01-25. ("''Ticino is officially called the Republic and Canton of Ticino, its official language is Italian and its capital is Bellinzona''")</ref> the '''Republic and Canton of Ticino''' or less formally the '''Canton of Ticino''',{{efn|{{langx|it|Repubblica e Cantone Ticino}}, informally ''Canton Ticino'' {{IPA|it|kanˈton tiˈtʃiːno|}}; {{langx|lmo|Cantón Teṡín}} {{IPA|lmo|kanˈtoŋ teˈziŋ|}}; {{langx|de|Kanton Tessin}} {{IPA|de|ˈkantɔn tɛˈsiːn||De-Tessin.ogg}}; {{langx|fr|Canton du Tessin}} {{IPA|fr|kɑ̃tɔ̃ dy tɛsɛ̃||LL-Q150 (fra)-Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick-Tessin.wav}}; {{langx|rm|Chantun dal Tessin}} {{IPA|rm|tɕɐnˈtun dɐl teˈsin||Roh-Tessin.ogg}}.}} is one of the [[Canton of Switzerland|26 cantons]] forming the [[Switzerland|Swiss Confederation]]. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is [[Bellinzona]]. It is also traditionally divided into the [[Sopraceneri]] and the [[Sottoceneri]], respectively north and south of [[Monte Ceneri]].

Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. It is one of the three large southern [[Alps|Alpine]] cantons, along with [[Valais]] and the [[Grisons]]. However, unlike all other cantons, it lies almost entirely south of the Alps and has no natural access to the [[Swiss Plateau]]. Through the main crest of the [[Saint-Gotthard Massif|Gotthard]] and adjacent mountain ranges, it borders the canton of Valais to the northwest, the canton of [[Canton of Uri|Uri]] to the north and the canton of [[Grisons]] to the northeast; the latter canton being also the only one to share some borders with Ticino at the level of the plains. The canton shares international borders with [[Italy]] as well, including a [[Campione d'Italia|small Italian enclave]].

Named after the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]], its longest river, it is the only canton where [[Italian language|Italian]] is the sole official language and represents the bulk of the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland along with the [[Italian Grisons|southern parts of the Grisons]]. In {{Swiss populations Y|CH-TI}}, Ticino had a population of {{Swiss populations|CH-TI|CH-TI}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-TI}} The largest city is [[Lugano]], and the two other notable centres are Bellinzona and [[Locarno]]. While the geography of the Sopraceneri region is marked by the High Alps and [[Lake Maggiore]], that of the Sottoceneri is marked by the Alpine foothills and [[Lake Lugano]]. The canton, which has become one of the major tourist destinations of Switzerland, distinguishes itself from the rest of the country by its warm climate, and its culture and gastronomy.

The land now occupied by the canton was annexed from [[Italian city-states|Italian cities]] in the 15th century by various Swiss forces in the last [[transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy]]. In the [[Helvetic Republic]], established in 1798, it was divided between the two new cantons of [[Canton of Bellinzona|Bellinzona]] and [[Canton of Lugano|Lugano]]. The [[Act of Mediation]] in 1803 saw these two cantons combine to form the modern canton of Ticino. Because of its unusual position, the canton relies on important infrastructure for connection with the rest of the country. The first major north–south railway link across the Alps, the [[Gotthard Railway]], opened in 1882. In 2016, the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]] was inaugurated, which finally provided a fully flat route through the Alps.

The GDP per capita of Ticino was 83,450 Swiss francs in 2020. Despite being below the Swiss average of 86,135 Swiss francs, it was still one of the wealthiest areas in Europe. Ticino also had the second highest [[life expectancy]] (85.2 years) in Europe in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=swissinfo.ch |first=S. W. I. |date=2020-09-30 |title=Ticino has second-highest life expectancy in Europe |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/ticino-has-second-highest-life-expectancy-in-europe/46066910 |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |language=en-GB}}</ref> The [[Human Development Index]] of 0.961 in 2021 was one of the [[List of subnational entities with the highest and lowest Human Development Index|highest found anywhere in the world]].

==Etymology==
The name ''Ticino'' was chosen for the newly established canton in 1803, after the river [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] which flows through it from the [[Nufenen Pass|Novena Pass]] to [[Lake Maggiore]].<ref name=aet>{{cite web|title=Lo scorrere del fiume, l'opera dell'uomo|url=http://www.aet.ch/comunicati_det.html?idnews=7195|publisher=Azienda elettrica ticinese|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028232235/http://www.aet.ch/comunicati_det.html?idnews=7195|archive-date=28 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Known as ''Ticinus'' in Roman times, the river appears on the {{Lang|la|[[Tabula Peutingeriana]]}} as ''Ticenum''. [[Johann Kaspar Zeuss]] attributed Celtic origins to the name, tracing it to the Celtic ''tek'', itself from an Indo-European root ''tak'', meaning "melting, flowing".<ref name=rria>{{cite web|author1=Roberto Rampoldi|title=Intorno all'origine e al significato del nome Ticino|url=https://archive.org/stream/periodicovolume01comogoog#page/n83/mode/1up/|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=28 October 2014|date=1901}}</ref>

The official name of the canton is ''Republic and Canton of Ticino'' ({{langx|it|Repubblica e Cantone Ticino}}), and the two-letter code is TI. It is one of the four cantons of Switzerland officially referred to as "republics", along with [[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]], [[Canton of Neuchâtel|Neuchâtel]] and [[Canton of Jura|Jura]].

==History==
{{Further|Transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy}}
[[File:Castelgrande Bellinzona.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The [[Castles of Bellinzona]], guarding the access to the [[Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]] and other Alpine passes since the Roman Era]]

During the [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] and [[Iron Age]]s, the area of what is today Ticino was settled by the [[Lepontii]], a [[Celt]]ic tribe. Later, probably around the rule of [[Augustus]], it became part of the [[Roman Empire]]. After the fall of the Western Empire, it was ruled by the [[Ostrogoths]], the [[Lombards]] and the [[Franks]]. Around 1100 it was the centre of a struggle between the free communes of [[Milan]] and [[Como]]: in the 14th century, it was acquired by the [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti]], Dukes of [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]]. In the fifteenth century, the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] Confederates conquered the valleys south of the Alps in three separate conquests.

Between 1403 and 1422 some of these lands were already annexed by forces from the [[canton of Uri]], but subsequently lost. Uri conquered the [[Valle Leventina|Leventina Valley]] in 1440.{{sfn|Coolidge|1911|p=934}} In a second conquest Uri, [[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]] and [[Canton of Nidwalden|Nidwalden]] gained the town of [[Bellinzona]] and the Riviera in 1500.{{sfn|Coolidge|1911|p=934}} Some of the land and Bellinzona itself were previously annexed by [[Canton of Uri|Uri]] in 1419 but lost again in 1422. The third conquest was fought by troops from the entire Confederation (at that time constituted by 12 cantons). In 1512 [[Locarno]], the [[Maggia Valley]], [[Lugano]] and [[Mendrisio]] were annexed. Subsequently, the upper valley of the river [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]], from the [[Saint-Gotthard Massif|St. Gotthard]] to the town of Biasca ([[Valle Leventina|Leventina Valley]]) was part of Uri. The remaining territory (''Baliaggi Ultramontani'', ''Ennetbergische Vogteien'', the Bailiwicks Beyond the Mountains) was administered by the Twelve Cantons. These districts were governed by bailiffs holding office for two years and purchasing it from the members of the League.{{sfn|Coolidge|1911|p=934}}

[[File:Ticino franco 1813 Cng641602.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Ticino franco|Ticinese franco]], currency of Ticino until the introduction of the [[Swiss franc]] in 1850.]]

The lands of the canton of Ticino are the last lands to be conquered by the [[Old Swiss Confederation|Swiss Confederation]]. The Confederation gave up any further conquests after their defeat at the [[battle of Marignano]] in 1515 by [[Francis I of France]]. The Valle Leventina revolted unsuccessfully against [[Canton of Uri|Uri]] in 1755.{{sfn|Coolidge|1911|p=934}} In February 1798 an attempt of annexation by the [[Cisalpine Republic]] was repelled by a volunteer militia in Lugano. Between 1798 and 1803, during the [[Helvetic Republic]], two cantons were created ([[Canton of Bellinzona|Bellinzona]] and [[Canton of Lugano|Lugano]]) but in 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino that joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year under the [[Act of Mediation]].{{sfn|Coolidge|1911|p=933}} During the [[Napoleonic War]]s, many Ticinesi (as was the case for other [[Swiss people|Swiss]]) served in Swiss military units allied with the [[France|French]]. The canton minted its own [[currency]], the [[Ticinese franco]], between 1813 and 1850, when it began the use of the [[Swiss franc]].

As a particularly poor region, Ticino was a land of emigration. Notable examples include the chocolatiers (''cioccolatieri'') of the [[Val Blenio]], who migrated throughout Europe (see [[Swiss chocolate#History]]).<ref>{{cite book | title=Il cioccolato. Industria, mercato e società in Italia e Svizzera (XVIII-XX sec.) | publisher=[[FrancoAngeli]] | author=Luigi, Lorenzetti | year=2007 | chapter=Emigrazione, imprenditorialità e rischi : i cioccolatieri bleniesi (XVIII-XIX secc. | pages=39–52)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_MTAQAAIAAJ | title=Le fabbriche da cioccolata: nascita e sviluppo di un'industria lungo i canali di Torino | publisher=Umberto Allemandi | author=Ainardi, Mauro Silvio | year=2008 | pages=51 | isbn=9788842215639 | quote=Dall'elenco dei nominativi emerge come la produzione artigianale della cioccolata a Torino, nei primi decenni del XIX secolo, sia appannaggio di alcune famiglie originarie del Canton Ticino | trans-quote=From the list of names it emerges how the artisanal production of chocolate in Turin, in the first decades of the 19th century, was the prerogative of some families originating from the Canton of Ticino}}</ref>

Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton. In 1878, however, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital. The 1870–1891 period saw a surge of political turbulence in Ticino, and the authorities needed the assistance of the federal government to restore order in several instances, in 1870, 1876, 1889 and 1890–1891.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/constit_gol_2001_00_3358|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/constit_gol_2001_00_3358/page/132 132]|title=Constituting Federal Sovereignty: The European Union in Comparative Context|first=Leslie Friedman|last=Goldstein|date=21 August 2001|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=9780801866630|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

The current cantonal constitution dates from 1997. The previous constitution, heavily modified, was codified in 1830, nearly 20 years before the constitution of the [[Swiss Confederation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ti.ch/CAN/argomenti/legislaz/rleggi/rl/dati_rl/f/f01_06.htm |title=The Constitution of Ticino |publisher=Ti.ch |access-date=28 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519040032/http://www.ti.ch/CAN/argomenti/legislaz/rleggi/rl/dati_rl/f/f01_06.htm |archive-date=19 May 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{See also|Geography of Switzerland}}
[[File:Ponte dei Salti DSC 0328 (4622162182).jpg|thumb|The [[Verzasca Valley]] (here near [[Lavertezzo]]) is the most central valley of Ticino<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ticino.ch/it/explore/excursions/itinerary/itineraries/details/Mergoscia---Corippo/138341.html | title=Mergoscia - Corippo | work=Agenzia turistica ticinese | accessdate=24 October 2023 | quote=Da [[Mergoscia]], centro geografico del Ticino, seguendo il sentiero sopra il lago di Vogorno fino a Corippo.}}</ref>]]

Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. With a few exceptions in the extreme north and south of the canton, it lies entirely in the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] basin, a tributary of the [[Po (river)|Po]]. Along with [[Valais]]<!--Gondo--> and the [[Grisons]]<!--Italian Grisons-->, it is one of the three cantons whose territory extends into the Po basin (lands to the south of the [[Alps]]). However, unlike the other Po basin cantons (and all other cantons), all settlements of Ticino are on the south side of the Alps, therefore separated from the [[Swiss Plateau]] (and most of the country) by the great Alpine barrier. The canton also comprehends some small areas in the [[Rhine]] basin in the north, at the [[Gotthard Pass]] and around [[Lai da Sontga Maria|lake of Santa Maria]]. The extreme south of the canton is drained by the Po as well, but through the [[Breggia (river)|Breggia]] and [[Adda (river)|Adda]],<ref name=Swisstopo>{{cite web | url=https://s.geo.admin.ch/96b443ac7f | title=Ticino on the Swiss National Map | publisher=[[Federal Office of Topography]] | accessdate=14 March 2022}}</ref> and Gaggiolo, [[Olona]], [[Lambro]].

The canton is traditionally (but not administratively) split into two regions. The northern region, the [[Sopraceneri]], is formed by the valleys around [[Lake Maggiore]] and includes the highest mountains of the canton and the main [[Main chain of the Alps|Alpine watershed]]. The southern region, the [[Sottoceneri]], is the region around [[Lake Lugano]], and marks the beginning of the southern Alpine foothills. Between the two regions is [[Monte Ceneri]], a moderately elevated mountain pass and important north–south axis.<ref name=Swisstopo/> The Sopraceneri is constituted by the districts of [[Bellinzona (district)|Bellinzona]], [[Blenio (district)|Blenio]], [[Leventina]], [[Locarno (district)|Locarno]], [[Riviera (district)|Riviera]] and [[Vallemaggia (district)|Vallemaggia]], and makes up about 85% of the territory and 43% of the population.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/it/articles/008550/2017-03-14/ | title=Sopraceneri | publisher=[[Historical Dictionary of Switzerland]] | accessdate=14 March 2022 |quote=Il S. comprende i distr. di Bellinzona, Riviera, Blenio, Leventina, Locarno e Vallemaggia, che si estendono su ca. 2379 km2, pari all'85% ca. del territorio cant., e contano 142'627 ab. (2008), ossia il 43% della pop. ticinese.}}</ref> The Sottoceneri is constituted by the districts of [[Lugano (district)|Lugano]] and [[Mendrisio (district)|Mendrisio]], and makes up about 15% of the territory and 57% of the population.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/it/articles/008549/2017-05-04/ | title=Sottoceneri | publisher=[[Historical Dictionary of Switzerland]] | accessdate=14 March 2022 |quote=Costituito dagli attuali distr. di Lugano e Mendrisio, il S., di ca. 432 km2 di estensione e con 189'123 ab. (2008), comprende ca. il 15% del territorio cant., ma il 57% della pop. ed è quindi caratterizzato da una densità demografica già nel passato piuttosto elevata (oltre 100 ab. per km2 nel 1808).}}</ref> While [[Lugano]], the largest city, is in the densely populated Sottoceneri, the two other main cities, [[Bellinzona]] and [[Locarno]], are in the Sopraceneri.

The Ticino, which gives its name to the canton, is the largest river of Ticino. It flows from the northwest through the [[Bedretto Valley]] and the [[Leventina Valley]] to enter Lake Maggiore near [[Locarno]]. Its main tributaries are the [[Brenno (river)|Brenno]] in the [[Blenio Valley]] and the [[Moesa (river)|Moesa]] in the [[Mesolcina Valley]] in the [[Grisons]]. The lands of most of the canton are shaped by the river, which in its mid portion forms a wide valley, commonly known as the ''Riviera''. The western lands of the canton, however, are drained by the [[Maggia (river)|Maggia]]. The [[Verzasca Valley]] is between the Leventina Valley and the Maggia Valley. There is also a smaller area that drains directly into the [[Lake Lugano]]. Most of the land is considered within the Alps, but a small area is part of the plain of the Po which drains the north of [[Italy]].

[[File:Pizzo Campo Tencia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|High Alpine landscape on [[Pizzo Campo Tencia]]]]

Although it includes the lowest point of Switzerland (Lake Maggiore) as well as its lowest town ([[Ascona]]), the topography of Ticino is extremely rugged, as it is the canton with the [[List of Swiss cantons by elevation|fourth largest elevation difference]]. It lies essentially within the Alps, in particular the [[Lepontine Alps]], the [[Saint-Gotthard Massif]] and the [[Lugano Prealps]]. The longest and deepest valleys are those of the Ticino, Verzasca and Maggia. The two highest mountains are the [[Rheinwaldhorn]] and the [[Basòdino]]. Other notable mountains are [[Pizzo Rotondo]] (highest of the Gotthard Massif), [[Pizzo Campo Tencia]] (highest fully within the canton), [[Monte Generoso]] (highest south of Lake Lugano) and [[Monte Tamaro]] (most prominent of the canton). For an exhaustive list, see [[list of mountains of Ticino]].

The area of the canton is {{convert|2812|km2|sqmi}}, of which about three-quarters are considered productive to trees or crops.<ref name="BFS Tessin">{{cite web | last = Federal Department of Statistics | title = Regional Statistics for Ticino | year = 2008 | url = http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/regionen/regionalportraets/tessin/blank/kennzahlen.html | access-date = 23 November 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625193115/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/regionen/regionalportraets/tessin/blank/kennzahlen.html | archive-date = 25 June 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Forests cover about a third of the area, but also the lakes [[Lake Maggiore|Maggiore]] (or ''Verbano'') and [[Lake Lugano|Lugano]] (or ''Ceresio'') make up a considerable minority. The canton shares borders with three other cantons across the main ridge of the Alps: [[Valais]] to the northwest, to which it is connected by the [[Nufenen Pass]], [[Canton of Uri|Uri]] to the north, to which it is connected by the [[Gotthard Pass]] and the [[Grisons]] to the northeast, to which it is connected by the [[Lukmanier Pass]] and the [[Mesolcina]] Valley; the latter valley, a few kilometres north of Bellinzona, being the only (natural)<!--Natural, see Gotthard Base Tunnel--> low elevation access to another canton. Ticino shares international borders with [[Italy]] as well. To the southwest is the region of [[Piedmont]] and to the southeast is the region of [[Lombardy]]. The main border crossing between Italy and Switzerland is that of [[Chiasso]], in the extreme south of the canton.<ref name=Swisstopo/>

===Climate===
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 360
 | image1 = Olivenkultur am Luganersee bei Gandria.jpg
 | alt1 = Gandria
 | image2 = Auf der Isole di Brissago.jpg
 | alt2 = Brissago Islands
 | footer = Olive trees at [[Gandria]] (Lake Lugano) and palm trees on the [[Brissago Islands]] (Lake Maggiore)
}}

The climate of Ticino is mostly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps protecting it from north European weather.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lucy J. Sheppard |date=2013 |title=Forest Growth Responses to the Pollution Climate of the 21st Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yPvPBgAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |page=<!--No page number, see quote--> |isbn=9789401715782|quote=The Ticino region situated to the south of the Swiss Alps generally experiences a [[Mediterranean climate]], with hot but relatively moist summer seasons. The Alps form an arc around the plain of the Po valley, acting as a barrier against central European weather}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=P. Lionello |date=2006 |title=Mediterranean Climate Variability |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JD8CqjuA4SAC |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |page=346 |isbn=9780080460796|quote=The heaviest rain events take place when the cyclone path is in such a position that it produces the local convergence of moist Mediterranean air. In the Western Mediterranean, this feeding flow is southerly for northern Italy and Ticino}}</ref> As a consequence, the plains experience warm and moist summers, and mild winters. This climate is noticeably warmer and wetter than [[Climate of Switzerland|the rest of Switzerland]]'s. In German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino is nicknamed ''Sonnenstube'' (sun porch), owing to the more than 2,300 [[sunshine hours]] the canton receives every year, compared to 1,700 for Zurich.<ref name="SteinerKarnusian2014">{{cite book|author1=Jürg Steiner|author2=Manuschak Karnusian|author3=Omar Gisler|title=MARCO POLO Reiseführer Tessin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rn00AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|date=28 March 2014|publisher=Mair Dumont Marco Polo|isbn=978-3-8297-7172-6|page=23}}</ref> The canton can experience particularly heavy storms and rainfalls in summer. It is the region of Switzerland with the highest level of lightning discharge.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 August 2009 |title=Luganese fulminato, bersaglio prediletto di Zeus |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/scienza-tecnica/luganese-fulminato--bersaglio-prediletto-di-zeus/410516 |work=[[Swissinfo]] |access-date=2 March 2022 |quote=I dati raccolti da MeteoSvizzera sono impressionanti: nel 2008 in un raggio di trenta chilometri attorno a Lugano, sono stati registrati più di 13 mila fulmini, mentre in località analoghe come quota a nord delle Alpi, ne sono stati registrati fra 3 mila e 6 mila.|trans-quote=The data collected by MeteoSwiss are impressive: in 2008 in a radius of thirty kilometres around Lugano, more than 13,000 lightning strikes were recorded, while in locations north of the Alps with a similar elevation, between 3,000 and 6,000 were recorded.}}</ref> Conversely, the canton can experience severe droughts in both summer and winter, making it the region most affected by forest fires in the country.<ref>{{cite book |author=M. Masellis |date=2012 |title=The Management of Burns and Fire Disasters: Perspectives 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzPwCAAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |page=520 |isbn=9789400903616|quote=The Ticino is the canton most affected by forest fires in all Switzerland. Its geographical position at the southern foot of the Alps determines a climate that is extremely favourable to the development and spread of forest fires.}}</ref>

The climate of Ticino is highly diverse as elevations range from Lake Maggiore, affected by [[subtropical climate]], to the high Alps, affected by [[Alpine climate|subarctic and tundra climate]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ticino.ch/en/itineraries/details/Isole-di-Brissago-Bosco-Gurin/138317.html | title=Isole di Brissago - Bosco Gurin | publisher=Agenzia turistica ticinese SA | accessdate=14 March 2022 |quote=The Trekking dei fiori, a new 5-day experience within the local nature and culture, spans the entire region of the Locarnese National Park Project, going from a subtropical climate to the alpine climate.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlvwDwAAQBAJ | title=Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland | publisher=Springer Nature | author=Reynard, Emmanuel | year=2020 | pages=325 | isbn=9783030432034 |quote=For its geographical location and its particular morphological configurations, the Upper Ticino is located between the harsh Alpine climate and the more temperate Mediterranean climate.}}</ref> Therefore, similarly to the rest of Switzerland, many different types of ecosystems are found in the region. In the lower areas, deciduous forests are omnipresent, while at high elevations they tend to be replaced by coniferous forests, except in the Sottoceneri ([[Lugano Prealps]]), where they are almost absent. The treeline is located at around 2,000 metres in the Sopraceneri and 1,600 metres in the Sottoceneri.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |author=Christiane M. A. De Micheli Schulthess |date=2001 |title=Aspects of Roman Pottery in Canton Ticino (Switzerland) |publisher=[[University of Nottingham]] |url=http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/14275/1/364441_Vol1.pdf |quote=In the alpine region (Sopraceneri) the upper limit of the forests reaches 1900-2000m asl. This limit reaches 1600m asl in the subalpine region (Sottoceneri), characterized by the almost exclusive presence of hardwood forests.}}</ref> The [[Basòdino]], Ticino's second-highest mountain, is covered by the [[Basòdino Glacier|largest glacier of the canton]]. In winter, skiing is popular in the highest locations, notably in [[Airolo]] and [[Bosco/Gurin]]. In the lower regions, especially around Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, vineyards, olive trees<ref>{{cite news |last=Irene |first=Solari |date=16 October 2021 |title=Alla scoperta dell'olio ticinese: "Un patrimonio di cui dovremmo essere fieri" |url=https://www.cdt.ch/ticino/alla-scoperta-dell-olio-ticinese-un-patrimonio-di-cui-dovremmo-essere-fieri-EA4750215 |work=[[Corriere del Ticino]] |access-date=20 February 2022 |quote=Il mese scorso l’olio d’oliva ticinese è stato inserito nel patrimonio culinario svizzero, annoverato tra i prodotti d’eccellenza del nostro Paese. |trans-quote=Last month, Ticino olive oil was included in the Swiss culinary heritage, counted among the products of excellence of our country. |archive-date=15 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415103751/https://www.cdt.ch/ticino/alla-scoperta-dell-olio-ticinese-un-patrimonio-di-cui-dovremmo-essere-fieri-EA4750215 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and other fruits common to southern Europe are grown.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Redfern |date=1971 |title=A Lexical Study of Raeto-Romance and Contiguous Italian Dialect Areas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5RsDwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Mouton Publishers]] |page=38 |isbn= 9783110824841|quote=The canton of the Ticino marks the geographic descent from high Alps to plain and is, therefore, a land of climatic as well as linguistic transition, where heat and abundant moisture favour almonds, figs, and all the fruits common to southern Europe, except the olive.}}</ref> Several types of cold hardy [[palm trees]] and other subtropical species may be grown here, and although none are native, their presence in the ecosystem is increasing.<ref>[https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/palm-trees-go-wild-in-ticino/1887788 Palm trees go wild in Ticino], [[Swissinfo]], February 15, 2001 ("Palm trees and other exotic species have become so common in the forests of Switzerland's southern canton of Ticino they must now be considered as "native".")</ref> Numerous gardens, especially near the lakes, such as the [[Brissago Islands]] and the [[Scherrer Park]], are renowned for their exotic plants.

===Diocese===
The [[Diocese of Lugano]] is co-extensive to the canton.

===Wine region===
{{Main|Ticino (wine region)}}

Ticino is one of the wine regions for [[Swiss wine]]. The defined region encompasses all of the canton plus the neighbouring Italian-speaking [[Moesa (district)|district of Moesa]] ([[Misox]] and [[Calanca]] valleys) in the [[canton of the Grisons]].

==Government==
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 360
 | image1 = Palazzo delle Orsoline (crop).jpg
 | alt1 = 
 | image2 = Obelisco Piazza Indipendenza.jpg
 | alt2 = 
 | footer = Palazzo delle Orsoline and nearby Piazza Indipendenza with commemorative obelisk in [[Bellinzona]]
}}

The current Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino, originating from a draft approved on 18 August 1801 during the Helvetic Republic,<ref>{{cite web |title=Il Canton Ticino si appresta a festeggiare i suoi 200 anni |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/archive.html?siteSect=883&sid=793622&ty=st |date=20 August 2001 |language=it |publisher=[[swissinfo]] |access-date=9 July 2009}}</ref> was approved on 14 December 1997.<ref name="const"/> In its [[preamble]], it states that it was created by the Ticinese people ([[wikt:popolo|popolo]]) ''"in order to guaranty peaceful life together with respect for the dignity of man, fundamental liberties and social justice (...) faithful to its historic task to interpret Italian culture within the Helvetic Confederation"''.<ref name="const"/>

The [[Grand Council of Ticino|Grand Council]] (''Gran Consiglio'') is the legislative authority of the canton, exercising sovereignty over any matter not explicitly delegated by the constitution to another authority.<ref name="const">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino |url=http://www.admin.ch/ch/i/rs/131_229/index.html |date=14 December 1997 |language=it |publisher= Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation |access-date=9 July 2009}}</ref> The Gran Consiglio has 90 members called ''deputati'' (deputies), elected in a single [[constituency]] using the [[proportional representation]] system.<ref name="const"/> Deputies serve four-year terms, and annually nominate a President and two vice-presidents.

The five-member [[Council of State of Ticino|Council of State]] ({{langx|it|Consiglio di Stato}}), not to be confused with the federal [[Council of States (Switzerland)|Council of States]], is the executive authority of the canton, and it directs cantonal affairs according to law and the constitution. It is elected in a single [[constituency]] using the [[proportional representation]] system. Currently, the five members of the Government are Claudio Zali, Raffaele De Rosa, Manuele Bertoli, Norman Gobbi and Christian Vitta.

Each year, the Council of State nominates its president.<ref name="const"/> The current president of the Council of State is Norman Gobbi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www4.ti.ch/poteri/cds/governo/consiglio-di-stato/ |title=Consiglio di Stato - CDS - Cantone Ticino |access-date=8 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829080743/http://www4.ti.ch/poteri/cds/governo/consiglio-di-stato/ |archive-date=29 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The most recent elections were held in April 2019; the next elections will be on 2 April 2023.<ref name="elections">{{Cite web|date=2021-10-01|title=Ecco le date delle elezioni cantonali 2023 e delle comunali 2024|url=https://www.cdt.ch/ticino/politica/ecco-le-date-delle-elezioni-cantonali-2023-e-delle-comunali-2024-AK4693367|access-date=2021-12-12|website=www.cdt.ch|language=it-CH}}</ref>

The cantonal capital is [[Bellinzona]]. The Palazzo delle Orsoline on Piazza Governo is the meeting place for both the Grand Council and the Council of State.<ref name="const"/> Nearby Piazza Governo is Piazza Indipendenza, which commemorates the independence of the canton.

==Politics==
===Federal election results===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style ="text-align: center"
|-
! colspan="16" | Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the [[National Council (Switzerland)|National Council]] Elections 1971–2019<ref>{{cite report |title=Nationalratswahlen: Stärke der Parteien nach Kantonen (Schweiz = 100%) |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |date=2015 |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/dos/09.html |access-date=8 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802014002/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/dos/09.html |archive-date=2 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Wahlen 2019 - Kanton Tessin: laufend aktualisierte Ergebnisse|url=https://www.elections.admin.ch/de/ti/|access-date=2021-10-30|website=www.elections.admin.ch}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" | Party !! class="unsortable" | Ideology !! 1971 !! 1975 !! 1979 !! 1983 !! 1987 !! 1991 !! 1995 !! 1999 !! 2003 !! 2007 !! 2011 !! 2015
!2019
|-
! [[FDP.The Liberals]]{{ref|a|a}}
| bgcolor="{{party color|FDP.The Liberals}}"| || [[Classical liberalism]] || 38.4 || 39.1 || 36.3 || 37.9 || 34.8 || 29.4 || 30.5 || 27.7 || 29.8 || 28.1 || 24.8 || 23.7
|20.5
|-
! [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland}}"| || [[Christian democracy]] || 34.8 || 35.7 || 34.1 || 34.0 || 38.2 || 26.9 || 28.4 || 25.9 || 24.6 || 24.1 || 20.0 || 20.1
|18.2
|-
! [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|SP/PS]] 
| bgcolor="{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Switzerland}}"| || [[Social democracy]] || 13.1 || 13.9 || 15.2 || 13.8 || 9.3 || 6.7 || 17.1 || 18.8 || 25.8 || 18.1 || 16.6 || 15.9
|14.1
|-
! [[Swiss People's Party|SVP/UDC]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Swiss People's Party}}"| ||[[Conservatism]]|| 2.4 || * {{ref|b|b}} || 2.3 || 2.1 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 5.3 || 7.6 || 8.7 || 9.7 || 11.3
|11.7
|-
! [[Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland|EVP/PEV]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland}}"| || [[Christian democracy]] || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || 0.2 || * || * || * || *
|*
|-
! [[Green Liberal Party of Switzerland|GLP/PVL]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Green Liberal Party of Switzerland}}"| || [[Green liberalism]] || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || 0.8
|1.0
|-
! [[Swiss Party of Labour|PdA/PST-POP/PC/PSL]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Swiss Party of Labour}}"| || [[Socialism]] || 2.8 || 3.6 || 2.7 || * || 1.2 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 1.3 || * || 1.3 || 1.2 || 0.5
|0.8
|-
! [[Autonomous Socialist Party (Ticino)|PSA]]
| || [[Socialism]] || 6.7 || 7.6 || 9.4 || 10.6 || 11.0 || 10.0 || {{ref|c|c}} || * || * || * || * || *
|*
|-
! [[Green Party of Switzerland|GPS/PES]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Green Party of Switzerland}}"| || [[Green politics]] || * || * || * || * || 1.9 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 1.4 || 3.0 || 4.8 || 6.7 || 3.5
|12.1
|-
! FGA
| || [[Feminist political theory|Feminist]] || * || * || * || * || 0.9 || * || * || * || * || * || * || *
|*
|-
! [[Swiss Democrats|SD/DS]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Swiss Democrats}}"| || [[National conservatism]] || 1.8 || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || * || *
|*
|-
! [[Ticino League]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Ticino League}}"| || [[Right-wing populism]] || * || * || * || * || * || 23.5 || 18.6 || 18.5 || 8.0 || 14.0 || 17.5 || 21.7
|16.9
|-
! colspan="3" | Other
| * || 0.2 || * || 1.8 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 1.0 || 0.9 || 1.3 || 0.8 || 3.4 || 2.4
|4.7
|-
! colspan="3" | Voter participation % || 60.6 || 64.7 || 59.6 || 61.6 || 60.2 || 67.5 || 52.8 || 49.7 || 48.6 || 47.4 || 54.3 || 54.4
!49.8
|}
:{{note|a|a}} FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
:{{note|b|b}} "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
:{{note|c|c}} Part of the SP/PS

===Referendum decisions===
Since a referendum in September 2013, Ticino is the only Swiss canton where wearing full-face veils is illegal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Squires |first=Nick |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/10327534/Burkas-and-niqabs-banned-from-Swiss-canton.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/10327534/Burkas-and-niqabs-banned-from-Swiss-canton.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Burkas and niqabs banned from Swiss canton |newspaper=Telegraph |access-date=29 October 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Supporters of the ban cited the case of a 20-year-old Pakistani woman from [[Bellinzona]], who was killed by her husband for refusing to wear a headscarf.<ref name=dt>{{cite web|title=Swiss charge Pakistani over 'honour killing' of wife|url=http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/national/24-Aug-2006/swiss-charge-pakistani-over-honour-killing-of-wife|work=Daily Times|access-date=6 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106214349/http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/national/24-Aug-2006/swiss-charge-pakistani-over-honour-killing-of-wife|archive-date=6 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Giorgio Ghiringhelli|title=Divieto di indossare negli spazi pubblici e nei luoghi privati aperti al pubblico indumenti che nascondano totalmente o parzialmente il volto (ad esempio il burqa e il niqab)|url=http://www.cdt.ch/files/docs/85ff375fe6899e3d02573451579f3034.pdf|publisher=Corriere del Ticino|access-date=6 November 2014|archive-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107053855/http://www.cdt.ch/files/docs/85ff375fe6899e3d02573451579f3034.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Burqa ban was later approved by the [[Grand Council of Ticino|Grand Council]] in November 2015.<ref>{{cite web | title=MPs in Swiss canton of Ticino Back Burqa Ban | url=http://www.thelocal.ch/20151124/mps-back-hefty-fine-for-wearing-burka-in-ticino | date=24 November 2015 | website=[[The Local]] | access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref>

In September 2016, Ticino voters approved a [[Swiss People's Party]]-sponsored referendum that gives precedence to Swiss workers, as opposed to foreign workers, defying [[Freedom of movement for workers in the European Union|freedom of movement]] agreements [[Switzerland–European Union relations|between Switzerland and the EU]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Ticino Votes to Favour Local Workers Over Foreigners | url=http://www.thelocal.ch/20160926/ticino-votes-to-favour-local-workers-over-foreigners | date=26 September 2016 | website=[[The Local]] | access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Atkins | first1=Ralph | title=Swiss Canton Votes for Tougher Controls on Foreign Workers | url=https://www.ft.com/content/abb3de84-832c-11e6-8897-2359a58ac7a5 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/abb3de84-832c-11e6-8897-2359a58ac7a5 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription | date=25 September 2016 | newspaper=[[Financial Times]] | access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref>

==Administrative subdivisions==
{{main|Subdivisions of the canton of Ticino}}

===Districts===
[[File:Karte Kanton Tessin Bezirke.png|thumb|Districts of Ticino canton]]

The canton is divided into eight [[Districts of Switzerland|districts]]:<ref name=constitution>{{cite web|url=https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/classified-compilation/20012210/index.html |title=RS 131.229 Costituzione della Repubblica e Cantone Ticino, del 14 dicembre 1997 |publisher=Admin.ch |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

* [[Bellinzona (district)|Bellinzona]] with capital [[Bellinzona]]
* [[Blenio (district)|Blenio]] with capital [[Acquarossa, Switzerland|Acquarossa]]
* [[Leventina (district)|Leventina]] with capital [[Faido]]
* [[Locarno (district)|Locarno]] with capital [[Locarno]]
* [[Lugano (district)|Lugano]] with capital [[Lugano]]
* [[Mendrisio (district)|Mendrisio]] with capital [[Mendrisio]]
* [[Riviera (district)|Riviera]] with capital [[Osogna]]
* [[Vallemaggia (district)|Vallemaggia]] with capital [[Cevio]]

===History of the districts===
Leventina was a [[Vogt (Switzerland)|subject]] of the [[canton of Uri]] until 1798, the year the [[Helvetic Republic]] was founded, when it became part of the new [[canton of Bellinzona]] along with the [[Vogt (Switzerland)|Swiss condominiums]] of Bellinzona, Riviera and Blenio. The condominiums of Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio and Vallemaggia became part of the new [[canton of Lugano]] in 1798. These two cantons formed into one canton, Ticino, in 1803 when it joined the (restored) Swiss Confederation as a member canton. The former condominiums and Leventina became the eight districts of the canton of Ticino, which exist to the present day and are provided for by the cantonal constitution.

===Municipalities and circles===
{{Main|Municipalities of the canton of Ticino}}
There are 108 [[Municipalities of Switzerland|municipalities]] in the canton ({{As of|2021|alt=as of June 2021}}). These municipalities (''comuni'') are grouped in 38 ''circoli'' (circles or sub-districts) which are in turn grouped into the eight districts (''distretti'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www3.ti.ch/CAN/RLeggi/public/index.php/raccolta-leggi/legge/vid/2|title=CAN – Raccolta delle leggi del Cantone Ticino|website=www3.ti.ch}}</ref>

The mayor (''sindaco'') is the president of the municipal government (''municipio'') which comprises at least three members; a council also exists. The members of the council and the ''municipio'' are elected every four years by the [[Swiss citizen|citizens]] resident in the ''comune'' – the next elections are scheduled for April 2024.<ref name=elections/>

Since the late 1990s, there has been an ongoing [[Municipalities of the canton of Ticino#Changes|project to aggregate some municipalities]], with the constitution of the canton allowing for the Grand Council of Ticino to promote and lead in deciding on mergers.<ref name=constitution/> This has resulted in changes to some of the circles, with many circles now consisting of just one or two municipalities. The most populous municipality – Lugano (having merged with numerous other municipalities) – is subdivided into ''[[quartieri]]'' (quarters){{citation needed|date=September 2019}} which are grouped into three (cantonal) circles. In the modern day, the circle serves only as a territorial unit with limited public functions, most notably the local judiciary.

==Demographics==
[[File:LocarnoSasso.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The canton is predominantly Catholic (here the [[Madonna del Sasso, Switzerland|Madonna del Sasso]] sanctuary in Orselina)]]
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in canton of Ticino (age 15+, 2012)<ref name="Annuario Statistico Ticinese 2015"/>
|label1 = [[Catholic Church in Switzerland|Catholic]]
|value1 = 70
|color1 = #2243B6
|label2 = [[Swiss Reformed Church]]
|value2 = 4
|color2 = DodgerBlue
|label3 = Other Christian Churches
|value3 = 5
|color3 = #49A7FF
|label4 = [[Islam]]
|value4 = 2
|color4 = LightGreen
|label5 = Other religion
|value5 = 1
|color5 = Orange
|label6 = Unaffiliated
|value6 = 16
|color6 = Lightgrey
|label7 = Undetermined
|value7 = 2
|color7 = Black
}}
Ticino has a population (as of {{Swiss populations date|CH-TI}}) of {{Swiss populations|CH-TI|CH-TI}}.{{Swiss populations ref|CH-TI}} {{as of|2013}}, the population included 94,366 foreigners, or about 27.2% of the total population. The largest groups of foreign population were Italians (46.2%), followed by Croats (6.5%) and Portuguese (5.9%).<ref name="Annuario Statistico Ticinese 2015"/> The population density (in 2005) is 114.6 persons per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="BFS Tessin"/> As of 2000, 83.1% of the population spoke Italian, 8.3% spoke German and 1.7% spoke [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]].<ref name="BFS Tessin"/>

As of 2019, 70.0% of the total population was [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dluga.html|language=en|title=Diocese of Lugano – Statistics|access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref>
According to a 2012 survey, the population aged 15 years and older was mostly Catholic (70%); further Christian denominations accounted for 10% of the population (including [[Swiss Reformed Church|Swiss Reformed]] 4%), 2% were [[Muslim]] and 1% of the population adhered to another religion (including [[Jews]] 0.1%).<ref name="Annuario Statistico Ticinese 2015">{{cite web|url=https://m3.ti.ch/DFE/DR/USTAT/index.php?fuseaction=pubblicazioni.dettaglioVolume&t=1&idCollana=23&idVolume=1441|language=it|title=Annuario Statistico Ticinese 2015|publisher=Ufficio di Statistica del Cantone Ticino|access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref>

The official language, and the one used for most written communication, is [[Swiss Italian]]. Despite being very similar to [[Italian language|standard Italian]], Swiss Italian presents some differences to the Italian spoken in [[Italy]] due to the influence of [[French language|French]] and German from which it assimilates words. Dialects of the [[Lombard language]] such as [[Ticinese dialect|Ticinese]] are still spoken, especially in the valleys, but they are not used for official purposes.

Despite the dominance of Italian speakers, fluency in [[Standard German|Standard]] or [[Swiss German]] is sometimes taken to be an important prerequisite for employment, regardless of sector or sphere of work.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JXK-wa0oruAC&pg=PA426|title=Sociolinguistic Studies in Language Contact: Methods and Cases|first1=William|last1=Mackey|first2=Jacob|last2=Ornstein|date=22 July 2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=9783110810752|via=Google Books}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2020}}

In 2016, Ticino was the European region with the second highest life expectancy at 85.0 years, and the highest male life expectancy at 82.7 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00101 |title=Eurostat-Life expectancy at birth by sex and NUTS 2 region |website=Ec.europa.eu |access-date=18 December 2018}}</ref>

=== Historical population ===
The historical population is given in the following table:
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
! colspan="5" | Historic Population Data<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tessin (Kanton)|url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/007394/2017-05-30/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz|language=de}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Total Population
! Swiss
! Non-Swiss
!Population share <br />of total country
|-
! scope="row" | 1850
| rowspan="1" align="center" |117 759
| rowspan="1" align="center" |109,952	
| rowspan="1" align="center" |7,807	
| align="center" |4.9%
|-
!1880
| rowspan="1" align="center"|130,394
| rowspan="1" align="center" |110,306
| rowspan="1" align="center"|20,088
| align="center"align="center"|4.6%
|-
! scope="row" | 1900
| rowspan="1" align="center" |138,638
| rowspan="1" align="center" |108,181
| align="center" |30,457
| align="center" |4.2%
|-
! scope="row" | 1950
| rowspan="1" align="center" |175,055
| rowspan="1" align="center" |144,909
| rowspan="1" align="center" |30,146
| align="center" |3.7%
|-
! scope="row" | 1970
| align="center" |245,458
| align="center" |177,954
| rowspan="1" align="center" |67,504
| align="center" |3.9%
|-
!2000
| align="center"|306,846
| align="center"|228,057
| align="center"|78,789
| align="center"|4.2%
|-
! scope="row" | 2020
| align="center" | 350,986 || align="center" | || align="center" |
| align="center" |4.1%
|-
|}

== Economy ==
[[File:Lago di Lugano at Sunset.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The bay of [[Lugano]], the largest Italian-speaking city of Switzerland]]
[[Tertiary sector]] workers make up 76.5% of the Ticinese workforce, compared to the Swiss average of 67.1%. Commerce (23.1%), tourism (10.1%) and financial activities (3.9%) are all important for the local economy, while the contribution from agriculture and fishing is marginal, employing 6.5% of the workforce on a Swiss average of 15.4%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aziende per settore e sezione di attività economica |url=http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/11_Aziende.pdf |date=15 January 2008 |language=it |publisher=Ufficio di statistica |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607024227/http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/11_Aziende.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The median gross private sector monthly salary in 2012 was 5,091 francs (US$5,580), below the national average of 6,118 francs (US$6,703).
<ref>{{cite web|title=Monatlicher Bruttolohn nach Grossregionen – Privater Sektor – Schweiz|url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/03/04/blank/data/01/06_02.html|publisher=Bundesamt für Statistik|access-date=14 November 2014}} (exchange rate of 0.9126 on 31 December 2012)</ref> However, due to lesser cost of living and lower taxation compared to most other cantons, the overall disposable mean income is high.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/disposable-income_survey-pinpoints-least-expensive-places-to-live/42758832|title=Survey pinpoints least expensive places to live|website=Swissinfo.ch|date=13 December 2016 |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> The GDP per capita at 82,438 francs in 2014, was seventh highest in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/catalogues-databases/tables.assetdetail.1180569.html|title=Cantonal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita – 2008–2014 &#124; Table|date=28 October 2016|website=Federal Statistical Office|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> Ticino is counted among the most prosperous regions of Switzerland and of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lenews.ch/2017/05/12/6-swiss-regions-in-europes-10-most-prosperous/|title=6 Swiss regions in Europe's 10 most prosperous|date=12 May 2017|website=Le News|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

Lugano is Switzerland's third largest financial centre after Zurich and Geneva.<ref>{{cite news|title=Far Right Party's Ad Campaign Draws Criticism in Switzerland|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/world/europe/13swiss.html |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times| date=13 October 2010 |access-date=13 November 2014| last1=Povoledo | first1=Elisabetta }}</ref> The banking industry alone has 8,400 employees and generates 17% of the gross cantonal product.<ref name="DoC">{{cite web|title=Ticino |publisher=[[United States Commercial Service]] |date=14 March 2007 |url=http://www.buyusa.gov/switzerland/en/ticino.html |access-date=6 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012200015/https://www.buyusa.gov/switzerland/en/ticino.html |archive-date=12 October 2008 }}</ref> Because of Ticino's shared language and culture, its financial industry has very close ties to Italy.<ref name="DoC"/> In 2017, Ticino had an unemployment rate of 4%, higher than the Switzerland average which was estimated at 3.7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lenews.ch/2017/02/15/swiss-unemployment-rises-french-speaking-cantons-the-worst-affected/|title=Swiss unemployment rises. French-speaking cantons worst affected.|date=15 February 2017|website=Le News|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

''Frontalieri'', [[commuter worker]]s living in Italy (mostly in the provinces of [[Varese]] and [[Como]]) but working regularly in Ticino, form a large part (over 20%) of the workforce, far larger than in the rest of Switzerland, where the rate is below 5%. Foreigners in general hold 44.3% of all the jobs, again a much higher rate than elsewhere in the Confederation (27%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Occupati stranieri e frontalieri |url=http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/4_Occupati_stranieri_e_frontalieri.pdf |date=1 July 2009 |language=it |publisher=Ufficio di statistica |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607024337/http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/4_Occupati_stranieri_e_frontalieri.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Frontalieri are usually paid less than Swiss workers for their jobs, and tend to serve as low-cost labour.<ref>{{HDS|7843|Frontalieri|rm=}}</ref>

[[File:Mountain Hiking.jpg|thumb|left|Hikers above Lake Maggiore. Ticino is a popular tourist destination for its climate and scenery]]
Italy is by far Ticino's most important foreign trading partner, but there's a huge [[trade deficit]] between imports (5 billion [[Swiss franc|CHF]]) and exports (1.9 billion).<ref>{{cite web |title=Commercio estero |url=http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/14_Commercio_estero.pdf |date=1 July 2009 |publisher=Ufficio di statistica |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607024354/http://www.ti.ch/dfe/ustat/DATI_SINTESI/documenti/14_Commercio_estero.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2013, Germany had become the canton's main export market, receiving 23.1% of the total, compared to 15.8% for Italy and 9.9% for the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Esportazioni secondo il paese di destinazione, dal Ticino, dal 2006|url=http://www3.ti.ch/DFE/DR/USTAT/allegati/tabella/T_060501_06C.xls|publisher=USTAT|access-date=6 December 2014|archive-date=11 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211073732/http://www3.ti.ch/DFE/DR/USTAT/allegati/tabella/T_060501_06C.xls|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many Italian companies relocate to Ticino, either temporarily or permanently, seeking lower taxes and an efficient [[bureaucracy]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Seicento ditte italiane in fuga verso il Ticino |url=http://epaper2.caffe.ch/ee/ilca/_main_/2009/07/05/005/article12.jpg |date=5 July 2009 |language=it |publisher=Il caffè |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212075803/http://epaper2.caffe.ch/ee/ilca/_main_/2009/07/05/005/article12.jpg |archive-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> just as many Ticinese entrepreneurs doing business in Italy complain of [[red tape]] and widespread [[protectionism]].<ref>{{cite web |title=In Italia c'è ancora troppa burocrazia |url=http://epaper2.caffe.ch/ee/ilca/_main_/2009/07/05/005/article8.jpg |date=5 July 2009 |language=it |publisher=Il Caffè |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212075750/http://epaper2.caffe.ch/ee/ilca/_main_/2009/07/05/005/article8.jpg |archive-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The region has been attracting multinational companies particularly from the [[fashion industry]] due to its closeness to [[Milan]]. [[Hugo Boss]], [[Gucci]], [[VF Corporation]] and other popular brands are located there. Because the international fashion business has become a significant employer for Swiss and Italians alike, the region has also been termed the "Fashion Valley".<ref>N. Rütti & A. Ramp (May 2017). [https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/das-tessin-sieht-rot-ld.1296339 "Zwischen dem Tessin und Italien – Nirgendwo in Mitteleuropa zeigt sich deutlicher, was der Wegfall von Grenzen bedeutet"] (in German). ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' (Wirtschaft). Retrieved 30 May 2017.</ref>

Three of the world's largest gold refineries are based in Ticino,<ref>{{cite news|title=Gold refineries – another Swiss money-spinner|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20813983|work=BBC News|access-date=13 November 2014}}</ref> including the Pamp refinery in [[Castel San Pietro]], the leading manufacturer of minted gold bars.<ref>{{cite web|title=La Pamp SA si espande in India|url=http://www.cdt.ch/ticino/cronaca/114172/la-pamp-sa-si-espande-in-india.html|publisher=CdT.ch|access-date=13 November 2014|archive-date=13 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113060010/http://www.cdt.ch/ticino/cronaca/114172/la-pamp-sa-si-espande-in-india.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Large companies based in the canton include: [[Bally Shoe|Bally]], [[Hupac]].

The opening of the [[Gotthard Railway]] in 1882 led to the establishment of a sizeable tourist industry mostly catering to German speakers,<ref>{{cite news|title=Die Sonnenstube der Schweiz: "Das Paradies ist hier!"|newspaper=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] |date=28 March 2014 |url=http://www.nzz.ch/lebensart/tessin/das-paradies-ist-hier-1.18271978 |publisher=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung|NZZ]] |access-date=27 November 2014 |last1=Wirz |first1=Claudia }}</ref> although since the early 2000s the industry has suffered from the competition of more distant destinations. In 2011, 1,728,888 overnight stays were recorded.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tessiner Tourismuszahlen: Im Allzeittief |newspaper=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] |date=2 July 2013 |url=http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/tessin/im-allzeittief-1.18108845|publisher=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung|NZZ]]|access-date=27 November 2014 |last1=Jankovsky |first1=Peter }}</ref> The mild climate throughout the year makes the canton a popular destination for hikers.<ref name=yroun>{{cite news|title=Ticino's warmer climate attracts hikers year-round|url=https://www.theguardian.com/visit-switzerland/ticino-centovalli-railway-switzerland|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref> The high Alps of Ticino include numerous tourist facilities such as the [[Monte Generoso Railway]], the [[Ritom funicular|Ritom Funicular]] and the [[Cardada]] Cableway. Among other tourist attractions are the [[Verzasca Dam]], popular with bungee jumpers,<ref name=yroun/> and Swissminiatur in [[Melide, Switzerland|Melide]], a [[miniature park]] featuring scale models of over 120 Swiss monuments.<ref name="WilliamsSimonis2009">{{cite book |author1=Nicola Williams|author2=Damien Simonis|author3=Kerry Walker|title=Switzerland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YKsnCK39IpAC&pg=PA334 |year=2009 |publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74220-381-2|page=334}}</ref> The [[Brissago Islands]] on [[Lake Maggiore]] are the only Swiss islands south of the Alps, and house botanical gardens with 1,600 different plant species from five continents.<ref>{{cite web|title=Floral paradise blossoms on Brissago islands |date=10 June 2003 |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/floral-paradise-blossoms-on-brissago-islands/1022808|publisher=swissinfo.ch|access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:GBT and the Weather 3 (south).jpg|thumb|[[Leventina Valley]]. Leading to Central Switzerland, the Gotthard axis consists of several railways and highways, here the [[A2 motorway (Switzerland)|A2 motorway]] and south portal of the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]].]]

The [[Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]] is a strategic mountain pass of Central Switzerland and Ticino since the 13th century. Several tunnels underneath the Gotthard connect the canton to northern Switzerland: the first to open was the {{convert|15|km|mi}} long [[Gotthard Rail Tunnel]] in 1882, replacing the pass road, connecting [[Airolo]] with [[Göschenen]] in the [[canton of Uri]].<ref>{{HDS|42006|Gotthardbahn|author=Hans-Peter Bärtschi|date=29 July 2004}}</ref> A {{convert|17|km|mi|abbr=on}} motorway tunnel, the [[Gotthard Road Tunnel]], opened in 1980.<ref>{{HDS|7466|Gotthard Pass – The traffics from the late 19th century to the present}}</ref> A second rail tunnel through the pass, the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]], was opened on 1 June 2016. The new tunnel is [[List of longest tunnels|the longest tunnel in the world]],<ref name="alpt">{{cite web |title=Alp Transit 2016: verso nuovi equilibri territoriali |url=http://www.ti.ch/dt/discorsi/2006/10202006_Convegno_AlpTransit_2016.pdf |date=20 October 2006 |language=it |publisher=Portal of canton of Ticino |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607023754/http://www.ti.ch/dt/discorsi/2006/10202006_Convegno_AlpTransit_2016.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> reducing travel time between [[Zürich]] and [[Lugano]] to 1 hour 40 minutes.<ref name="alpt"/> It is the first flat route through the Alps and provides for the first time a low-level route to the cities of the [[Swiss Plateau]].

The [[Ceneri Base Tunnel]], inaugurated in 2020, constitutes another revolution in the canton, by providing fast links to both Locarno and Bellinzona from Lugano, and making the latter city an important railway node. The base tunnel bypasses the old [[Monte Ceneri]] axis.

[[File:Treno Gottardo bei Bellinzona.jpg|thumb|left|Treno Gottardo at Bellinzona]]
[[Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia]] (TiLo), a [[joint venture]] between the Italian [[Ferrovie dello Stato]] and the [[Swiss Federal Railways]] launched in 2004, manages the traffic between the regional railways of [[Lombardy]] and the Ticino railway network via a [[S-Bahn]] system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tilo: un primo bilancio positivo |url=http://www.ti.ch/DT/dstm/sm/Temi/Tilo/doc/TILO_bilancio_2007.pdf |publisher=Portal of canton of Ticino |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010010650/http://www.ti.ch/DT/DSTM/SM/Temi/Tilo/doc/TILO_bilancio_2007.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The canton is also served by the Treno Gottardo from northern Switzerland, operated by the [[Südostbahn]] (SOB).

The [[Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino]] provides the urban and suburban bus network of Locarno, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with an Italian company, the [[Domodossola–Locarno railway line|Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway]] which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno with the [[Simplon Pass|Simplon]] trans-Alpine route at [[Domodossola]], with further connections with [[Brig, Switzerland|Brig]] in [[Valais]].

The canton has a higher than average incidence of traffic accidents, recording 16 deaths or serious injuries per 100 million km in the 2004–2006 period, compared to a Swiss average of 6.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regional differences in traffic accidents – bfu-report no. 62 – bfu_2.041.08_bfu-report no. 62 – Regional differences in traffic accidents|url=http://www.bfu.ch/sites/assets/Shop/bfu_2.041.08_bfu-report%20no.%2062%20%E2%80%93%20Regional%20differences%20in%20traffic%20accidents.pdf|publisher=Bureau de prévention des accidents|access-date=3 December 2014|page=71|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024752/http://www.bfu.ch/sites/assets/Shop/bfu_2.041.08_bfu-report%20no.%2062%20%E2%80%93%20Regional%20differences%20in%20traffic%20accidents.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Lugano Airport]] is the busiest airport in southeast Switzerland, serving some 200,000 passengers a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airport traffic statistics |url=http://www.airports.org/aci/ACI%20LAC/File/Downloads/Worldwide%20Airport%20Traffic%20Report_Sep.2005.pdf |date=6 December 2005 |publisher=[[Airports Council International]] |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120042631/http://www.airports.org/aci/ACI%20LAC/File/Downloads/Worldwide%20Airport%20Traffic%20Report_Sep.2005.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Education and science==
There are two major centres of education and research located in the canton of Ticino. [[Università della Svizzera italiana|University of Italian Switzerland]] (USI, Università della Svizzera Italiana) in Lugano is the only Swiss university teaching primarily in Italian. The [[SUPSI|University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland]] (SUPSI, Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana), in [[Manno]], is a professional training college focused on a practical method of teaching in the areas of applied art, economy, social work, technology and production science.<ref name="DoC"/>

There is also a small American and Swiss accredited private college, [[Franklin University Switzerland]], located above [[Lugano]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fc.edu/content/about-franklin/ |title=About Franklin - the International Imperative - Franklin College |access-date=15 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420154544/http://www.fc.edu/content/about-franklin/ |archive-date=20 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as well as [[The American School in Switzerland]] in [[Collina d'Oro]], a K-13 international school accepting day and boarding students.

Following [[Google Scholar]], several scientists working in Ticino have received more than 100,000 scientific [[citation]]s and have an [[h-index]] greater than 100, for example, [[Michele Parrinello]] in [[chemistry]] ([https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lnkt9rgAAAAJ&hl=en Profile]), [[Jürgen Schmidhuber]] in [[artificial intelligence]] ([https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gLnCTgIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Profile]), and [[Antonio Lanzavecchia]] in [[immunology]] ([https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lcq610IAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Profile]).

==Culture==
{{see also|List of cultural property of national significance in Switzerland: Ticino|List of museums in Ticino}}
[[File:Festival-del-film-locarno-03.jpg|thumb|People gathering on Piazza Grande during the [[Locarno Festival]]]]
===Cultural identity===
As the only predominantly Italian-speaking canton, Ticino notably distinguishes itself from the rest of the country by its meridional, or Mediterranean, culture.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDz9ShJdf2cC | title=Constitutional Origins, Structure, and Change in Federal Countries | publisher=[[McGill-Queen's Press]] | author1=Kincaid, John | author2= Alan Tarr, George | year=2005 | pages=349 | isbn=9780773528499 |quote=On the south side of the Alps, the Canton of Ticino and parts of the Engadine Valley enjoy certain characteristics of Mediterranean culture.}}</ref> Cultural identity of Ticino is complex and is marked by its long history as a bailiwick of the Swiss Confederacy, until its independence of 1803.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-R0dAQAAMAAJ | title=Cenobio: rivista trimestrale di cultura della Svizzera italiana | journal=[[Cenobio]] | year=2002 | pages=103 |quote=I diversi ingredienti dell'appartenenza nazionale e del sentimento patrio dei ticinesi rivelano un'apparente ambivalenza, incomprensibile se non si considera la natura duplice e complessa dell'identità ticinese. Durante i tre secoli di dominazione elvetica nei baliaggi meridionali, anche se perdura l'identità dei ticinesi con la stirpe italica (grazie soprattutto ai tradizionali scambi commerciali e umani con la Lombardia), il loro carattere di "italianità" si amalgama progressivamente –  risultato delle strette consuetudini statuali, politiche e amministrative – con quello insorgente di "svizzerità" (elvetismo). |trans-quote=The different ingredients of national belonging and the homeland sentiment of the Ticinese reveal an apparent ambivalence, incomprehensible if one does not consider the dual and complex nature of the Ticinese identity. During the three centuries of Swiss domination in the southern bailiwicks, even if the identity of the Ticinese with the Italic lineage persists (thanks above all to the traditional commercial and human exchanges with Lombardy), their "Italian" character gradually amalgamates - the result of strict state, political and administrative customs - with the rising one of "Swissness".}}</ref> Ticinese identity was gradually forged in the 19th century, partly thanks to the efforts of major intellectual figures such as [[Stefano Franscini]] and [[Carlo Cattaneo]].<ref>{{cite conference | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYsvAQAAMAAJ | title=Atti di Convegno internazionale di studi: L'umanesimo latino in Svizzera | publisher=Fondazione Cassamarca | accessdate=11 April 2022 | year=2002 | page=64 |quote=importante ricordare che all'inizio del Novecento il Ticino aveva appena un secolo di esistenza autonoma, che l'identità ticinese si era formata a poco a poco nell'Ottocento grazie agli sforzi di personalità come Carlo Cattaneo e Stefano Franscini |trans-quote=it is important to remember that at the beginning of the twentieth century Ticino had barely a century of autonomous existence, that the Ticinese identity was gradually formed in the nineteenth century thanks to the efforts of personalities such as Carlo Cattaneo and Stefano Franscini}}</ref> Cantonal patriotism is particularly strong in Ticino; this is reflected by the use of the term ''repubblica'' in official documents.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6oxGAQAAIAAJ | title=Il teatro nella Svizzera italiana: la generazione dei "fondatori" (1932-1987) | publisher=Casagrande | author=Lepori, Pierre | year=2008 | pages=24 | isbn=9788877135155 |quote=Francesco Chiesa (che pure aveva attribuito al Ticino l’epiteto di ”Repubblica dell’iperbole”) su ”La Voce” (18 dicembre 1912) afferma: ”I Ticinesi hanno generalmente un concetto altissimo del loro paese, delle loro istituzioni, dei loro uomini. Un critico rigido potrebbe in alcuni casi trovare esagerate le lodi, e un tantino eroicomico il tono (...). Ma è bello e quasi commovente che in un paese di tenaci odi politici e di così voluttuosi pettegolezzi, tutti: rossi e neri, campagnuoli e cittadini, siano tanto concordi in questo sentimento di esaltata stima”.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/fr/articles/009925/2011-12-23/ |title=République |language=fr |publisher=[[Historical Dictionary of Switzerland]] |quote=Les nouveaux cantons de la Suisse latine choisirent le titre de république, qui soulignait leur indépendance, alors que "canton" met l'accent sur l'appartenance à la Confédération; Genève, Neuchâtel et le Tessin l'ont conservé jusqu'à nos jours. |trans-quote=The new cantons of Latin Switzerland chose the title of republic, which underlined their independence, while "canton" emphasizes membership of the Confederation; Geneva, Neuchâtel and Ticino have kept it to this day.|access-date=1 February 2021}}</ref>

===Architecture===
Ticino is particularly known for its rich architectural heritage, ranging from the anonymous rock architecture of [[grotto]]s and splüi, over [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] and [[Baroque architecture|baroque]] to contemporary styles. The birthplace of [[Francesco Borromini]], the canton is home to internationally recognized architects, such as [[Mario Botta]], [[Aurelio Galfetti]], [[Luigi Snozzi]], and [[Livio Vacchini]].<ref name=snws>{{cite web |title=Canton Ticino: a taste |url=http://www.swissnews.ch/fileadmin/daten_Swissnews/PDF_Archiv/2010/05/100823_sn05__044_46_.pdf |publisher=Swissnews.ch |access-date=5 December 2014 |archive-date=7 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207161909/http://www.swissnews.ch/fileadmin/daten_Swissnews/PDF_Archiv/2010/05/100823_sn05__044_46_.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> As early as the 18th century, aristocrats from Russia and Italy employed numerous architects from Ticino.<ref name=btuc>{{cite web|title=The Architecture of Ticino "Tendenza" – a case of the past?|url=https://www-docs.tu-cottbus.de/lsk-architecture/public/lehrstuhl/professor/texte/en/loc_9805_engl2.pdf|publisher=BTU Cottbus|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-date=10 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210135309/https://www-docs.tu-cottbus.de/lsk-architecture/public/lehrstuhl/professor/texte/en/loc_9805_engl2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> More recently, the region became a centre of the [[Neo-Rationalist]] ''Tendenza'' movement.<ref name="Hays2000">{{cite book|author=K. Michael Hays|title=Architecture Theory Since 1968|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4JQKFqe9m-wC&pg=PA246|year=2000|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-58188-2|page=246}}</ref>

[[File:Foroglio, Val Bavona (crop).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Rustic stone houses in Foroglio (Val Bavona - Maggia Valley)]]

Ticino hosts two [[World Heritage Sites]]: the [[Three Castles of Bellinzona]] and [[Monte San Giorgio]].<ref name=snws/> 

===Film===
During the second week of August, Locarno is host to the [[Locarno International Film Festival]], Switzerland's most prestigious.<ref name="Oettli2011">{{cite book|author=Max Oettli|title=CultureShock! Switzerland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RaJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|year=2011|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-981-4435-93-2|page=189}}</ref> 

===Music===
[[Estival Jazz]], a free open-air jazz festival, is held in Lugano and [[Mendrisio]] in late June and July.<ref name="WilliamsSimonis2009b">{{cite book|author1=Nicola Williams|author2=Damien Simonis|author3=Kerry Walker|title=Switzerland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YKsnCK39IpAC&pg=PA330|year=2009|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74220-381-2|page=330}}</ref><ref name="Lane2007">{{cite book|author=Joanne Lane|title=Adventure Guide to Sicily|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Frqqo7Cip1EC&pg=PA165 |date=1 July 2007|publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc|isbn=978-1-58843-627-6|page=165}}</ref> Another jazz festival is [[Ascona Jazz Festival|held in Ascona]]. [[Rabadan]] is the major carnival festival of the canton. It has been ongoing now for more than 150 years.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.rsi.ch/news/ticino-e-grigioni-e-insubria/cronaca/150-anni-di-Rabadan-vuoi-rivederlo-23684.html | title=150 anni di Rabadan, vuoi rivederlo? | work=[[Radiotelevisione svizzera]] | date=9 February 2018 | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref>

Traditional folk music of Ticino also distinguishes itself from that of northern Switzerland.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwlXAAAAYAAJ | title=La vita quotidiana in Svizzera dal 1300 | publisher=Armando Dadò Editore | author=Gentile, Gianni | year=1991 | pages=275 | isbn=9788885115293 |quote=Sono fioriti però anche differenti generi di musica popolare: nella Svizzera tedesca i ''Ländler'' e le sonorità del corno delle Alpi e degli ''Jodler''. L'arte del coro è stata coltivata nella Svizzera romanda e nel Grigioni romancio grazie a una preesistente ricca tradizione. Nel Ticino e in Italia invece fu soprattutto l'opera di stile veristico a diventare patrimonio popolare. I garzoni panettieri e macellai, mentre pedalavano sulle loro biciclette per fare le consegne, zufolavano le arie più famose di Verdi, Puccini e Mascagni. |trans-quote=However, different genres of popular music also flourished: in German-speaking Switzerland the ''Ländler'' and the sounds of the Alphorn and the ''Jodlers''. Choir art was cultivated in French-speaking Switzerland and Romansh Grisons thanks to a pre-existing rich tradition. In Ticino and Italy, on the other hand, it was above all the veristic style work that became popular heritage. The bakers and butchers, while pedaling on their bicycles to make deliveries, whistled the most famous arias of Verdi, Puccini and Mascagni.}}</ref> Among traditional instruments are the accordion, the guitar and, since the 19th century, the mandolin. Duos and trios with mandolin and guitar typically accompany regional folk songs.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcmKTEeot-UC | title=Northern Italian & Ticino Region Folk Songs for Mandolin | publisher=Mel Bay Publications | author=Aonzo, Carlo | year=2015 | pages=5 | isbn=9781610659406 |quote=il mandolino è arrivato in Ticino, e qui ha messo delle importanti radici, essendo tra i principali rappresentanti del patrimonio culturale locale | trans-quote=the mandolin arrived in Ticino, and here it has taken roots, being among the main representatives of the local cultural heritage}}</ref> However, like most of Switzerland, Ticino has a long brass-band tradition. A regional, reduced version, is the ''bandella'', an ensemble consisting of brass instruments and clarinets.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh03DwAAQBAJ | title=The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Europe | publisher=[[Routledge]] | author=Rice, Timothy | chapter=Switzerland: The Italian-speaking part | year=2017| isbn=9781351544269 }}</ref>

==Media==
Newspapers and magazines published in Ticino include [[Corriere del Ticino]], [[LaRegione Ticino]], [[Giornale del Popolo]], [[Il Mattino della Domenica]], {{ill|Il Caffè (newspaper)|it|Il Caffè (Svizzera)}}, [[L'Informatore]], and the German-language [[Tessiner Zeitung]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Presse: les titres participants|url=http://www.remp.ch/pdf/fr/etudes_d_usage/mach_basic/MACH_Basic_2014-1_F/Listedesmedias_2014-1_F.pdf|publisher=REMP|access-date=3 December 2014|archive-date=7 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207114010/http://www.remp.ch/pdf/fr/etudes_d_usage/mach_basic/MACH_Basic_2014-1_F/Listedesmedias_2014-1_F.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=REMP bulletin des tirages 2014|url=http://www.remp.ch/pdf/fr/tirages/2014/Bulletin_20141101_i.pdf|publisher=REMP|access-date=3 December 2014|archive-date=7 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207114352/http://www.remp.ch/pdf/fr/tirages/2014/Bulletin_20141101_i.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Lugano is based [[Radiotelevisione svizzera|Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI)]], a radio and television broadcasting branch of the national [[Swiss Broadcasting Corporation]].

==Sport==
[[Bocce]] is a folk game that was once a popular pastime locally, but by the early 21st century it was seldom played by younger people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Boccia – vom Zeitvertreib zum Leistungssport: Kommen die Kugelschieber zu olympischen Ehren?|newspaper=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] |date=11 October 2004 |url=http://www.nzz.ch/startseite/article9WS8Z-1.318882|publisher=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung|NZZ]]|access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref> 

Professional sports teams include [[HC Lugano]], [[HC Ambrì-Piotta]] (ice hockey), [[AC Bellinzona]], [[FC Lugano]] (men's association football) and [[Lugano Tigers]] (basketball). Other teams include [[FF Lugano 1976]] (women's association football), [[GDT Bellinzona Snakes]], (ice hockey) [[FC Chiasso]], [[FC Mendrisio]], [[FC Paradiso]] and [[FC Locarno]] (men's association football). The canton also has a [[Canton Ticino football team]] which is a member of [[CONIFA]].

Lugano has hosted the [[Italy national football team|Italy]]-[[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] match at the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]] at the [[Cornaredo Stadium]], the [[1953 UCI Road World Championships|1953]] and [[1996 UCI Road World Championships|1996]] [[UCI Road World Championships]], the [[18th Chess Olympiad]] and the [[2018 Ladies Open Lugano|2018]] and [[2019 Ladies Open Lugano|2019]] editions of the [[Ladies Open Lugano]] women's tennis tournament.

Lugano's routine events include the annual [[BSI Challenger Lugano]] tennis tournament, the [[Gran Premio Città di Lugano Memorial Albisetti]] 20&nbsp;km [[racewalking|racewalk]], and the [[Scenic Trail]] [[skyrunning]] competition. Bellinzona hosts the [[Bellinzona Ladies Open]] women's tennis tournament.

==Cuisine==
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 250
| image1            = Pane e Salame.jpg
| image2            = Terreni alla Maggia (Polenta).jpg
| image3            = Terreni alla Maggia (Riso).jpg
| image4            = Ticino Olive Oil (4x6).jpg
| footer            = Specialities from Ticino: salami, polenta, rice and olive oil
}}
[[File:Polenta_e_bruscitti_(2).jpg|thumb|''[[Bruscitti]]'' served with polenta porridge]]
[[Polenta]], along with [[chestnut]]s and potatoes, was for centuries one of the staple foods in Ticino, and it remains a mainstay of local cuisine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tessiner Polenta|url=http://www.ticinotopten.ch/de/spezialitaeten/polenta-tessin?hotel|publisher=TicinoTopTen|access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref> Nowadays, the most typical dishes are polenta, often served with meat (such as rabbit) and gravy sauce, and risotto, often with saffron.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RaJAAAAQBAJ | title=CultureShock! Switzerland | publisher=Marshall Cavendish | author=Oettli, Max | year=2011 | pages=158| isbn=9789814435932 }}</ref> Local products of Ticino, called ''Nostrani'', include a large variety of cheeses, meat specialities such as [[Salame ticinese|salami]] and [[prosciutto]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ticinotopten.ch/it/prodotti/salumi | title=Salumi: Prodotti tipici | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref> and wines, especially red merlot. [[Olive production in Switzerland|Olive oil is produced]] in small quantities but olive cultivation is growing in the canton.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Prodotti#471 | title=Olio d'oliva ticinese | publisher=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | accessdate=9 March 2022 |quote= Nel 1494, 1600 e 1709, gli oliveti vennero quasi completamente distrutti dal gelo. Anni dopo, furono accantonati in favore dei gelsi, così da promuovere l’allevamento dei bachi da seta. Verso la fine degli anni ’80 del secolo scorso, la coltivazione dell’olivo è stata ripresa |trans-quote=In 1494, 1600 and 1709, frost destroyed almost all the olive trees. Later, they were replaced by mulberry trees to promote the breeding of silkworms. Olive cultivation in Ticino was revived at the end of the 1980s}}</ref> 

Sweet products of Ticino notably include the ''torta di pane'', a cake made with stale bread softened in milk and containing dried and candied fruits,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Produit/Torta-di-Pane/63 | title=Torta di Pane | publisher=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref> and Panettone, a yeast-leavened bread containing candied fruits.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Prodotto/Panettone/60 | title=Panettone | publisher=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.rsi.ch/news/ticino-e-grigioni-e-insubria/Panettone-al-cioccolato-un-ticinese-batte-tutti-14848203.html | title=Panettone al cioccolato, un ticinese batte tutti | trans-title=Chocolate panettone, a Ticinese beats everyone | work=[[Radiotelevisione svizzera]] | date=21 December 2021 | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref> ''Gazzosa ticinese'', a [[soft drink]] available in lemon and a number of other flavours, is one of the most popular beverages from Ticino, and is also common in other regions of Switzerland. It usually comes in [[flip-top]] bottles.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gazosa – die Kultlimonade aus dem Tessin|url=http://www.srf.ch/news/regional/sommerserie/gazosa-die-kultlimonade-aus-dem-tessin|access-date=26 November 2014|publisher=Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen}}</ref> The estimate for the production of ''gazzosa'' in Ticino is 7–8 million bottles a year.<ref>{{cite web|title=La gazzosa ticinese sfonda il Gottardo|url=http://caffe.ch/media/STATICHE/ilcaffe/epaper/2013-05-12/023.pdf|publisher=Il Caffè|access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> Food and wine were historically conserved in grottos, which were ubiquitous stone structures built in shadowy and fresh areas. They have become rustic, family-run open-air restaurants in the latter part of the 20th century. They serve traditional food and local wine (usually [[Merlot]] or similar), often in a little ceramic jug known as ''boccalino'', which is also a popular souvenir for tourists.<ref name=bocgr>{{cite web|title=What is a Boccalino?|url=http://www.boccalinogrotto.com/our-story/what-is-a-boccalino/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205152616/http://www.boccalinogrotto.com/our-story/what-is-a-boccalino/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 December 2014|publisher=Boccalino Grotto|access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref>

''[[Bruscitti]]'', originating from [[Alto Milanese]], are common in the whole [[Insubria]] area. This is a braised meat dish cut very thin and cooked in wine and [[Fennel|fennel seeds]], historically obtained by stripping leftover meat. It is particularly popular in the [[province of Varese]] (Lombardy),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leterredelgusto.it/prodotto.php?prod=307|title=Bruscitt|access-date=17 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> in the Alto Milanese area (Lombardy; particularly in the area of the city of [[Busto Arsizio]], where it originates), in the [[province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola]] (Piedmont)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.caffeinamagazine.it/televisione/antonella-clerici-si-commuove-bruscitti-e-sempre-mezzogiorno/|title=Antonella Clerici si commuove in diretta. Ciò che succede in studio non la lascia indifferente: il ricordo che emoziona anche il pubblico|date=30 November 2020 |access-date=17 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> and in lower Ticino.<ref name="rsi">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsi.ch/food/serie/filo-diretto/Bruscitt-con-polenta-di-mais-corvino-e-carciofi-croccanti--720672.html|title=Bruscitt con polenta di mais corvino e carciofi croccanti |access-date=19 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{Category see also|People from Ticino}}
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* The [[Bernasconi family]] of stuccoists, architects and sculptors
* [[Francesco Borromini]] (1599 in Bissone – 1667), architect
* [[Mario Botta]] (born 1943 in Mendrisio), a Swiss architect.
* [[Ignazio Cassis]] (born 1961 in Sessa) a Swiss physician and politician, [[President of the Swiss Confederation]] for 2022.
* [[Flavio Cotti]] (1939 in Muralto – 2020) a Swiss politician, on the [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council]], 1986 to 1999.
* [[Carla Del Ponte]] (born 1947 in Bignasco), international jurist
* [[Carlo Fontana]] (ca.1634–1714) & [[Domenico Fontana]] (1543–1607), architects
* [[Ersilia Fossati]] (1921-1999), Swiss politician and suffrage campaigner
* [[Aurelio Galfetti]] (1936 in Biasca – 2021), a Swiss architect. 
* [[Lara Gut-Behrami]] (born 1991 in Sorengo), ski racer, gold medallist at the [[2022 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Michelle Hunziker]] (born in 1977 in Sorengo) a Swiss-Italian television presenter and former model.
* [[Carlo Maderno]] (1556 in Capolago – 1629), architect
* [[Giovanni Pietro Magni]] (1655 in Bruzella – ca.1722), stuccoist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://frankenland.franconica.uni-wuerzburg.de/login/data/1999_34.pdf|title=Pietro Magno und die italienischen Stukkateurtrupps|last=Nicht|first=Christoph|website=Frankenland.franconica.uni-wuerzburg.de|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>
* [[Noè Ponti]] (born 2001 in Locarno) a Swiss swimmer, won bronze in 100m butterfly in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
* [[Clay Regazzoni]] (1939 in Mendrisio – 2006) a Swiss [[Formula One]] racing driver.
* [[Flora Ruchat-Roncati]] (1937–2012), architect
* [[Elly Schlein]] (born 1985 in Lugano), Italian politician and leader of the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]].
* [[Luigi Snozzi]] (1932 in Mendrisio – 2020), architect 
* [[Livio Vacchini]] (1933 in Locarno – 2007), architect

<gallery widths="170px" heights="200px">
File:Ignazio Cassis (2022).jpg|[[Ignazio Cassis]], 2022
File:Anefo 924-6609 Clay Reggazoni, Catherine Blaton, Jacky Ickx Zandvoort 18 06 1971 - Cropped.jpg|[[Clay Regazzoni]], 1971
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Ticino (canton)|display=Ticino|volume=26|pages=933–934|first=William Augustus Brevoort|last=Coolidge|author-link=W. A. B. Coolidge}}
* Marcello Sorce Keller, "Canton Ticino: una identità musicale?", Cenobio, LII (2003), April–June, pp.&nbsp;171–184; also later published in Bulletin – Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Musikethnologie und Gesellschaft für die Volksmusik in der Schweiz, October 2005, pp.&nbsp;30–37.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170209184557/http://www4.ti.ch/ Cantone Ticino official site] {{in lang|it}}
* [http://www.ticino.ch Ticino Tourism], official website of tourism office
* [http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/kantone/ti/key.html Official statistics]
* {{Cite web |url=https://m4.ti.ch/fileadmin/DI/DI_DI/Documentazione/integrazione/ticinoBreve/Integrazione_GB_WEB.pdf |title=Ticino in a nutshell |date=2012 |website=Repubblica e Cantone Ticino, Dipartimento delle istituzioni Residenza governativa  |access-date=9 December 2019}}

{{Canton Ticino}}
{{Cantons of Switzerland}}
{{Regions of Switzerland}}
{{Switzerland topics}}
{{Portal bar|Switzerland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ticino| ]]
[[Category:1803 establishments in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Cantons of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Cantons of the Helvetic Republic]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1803]]