Albligen
Country Switzerland Canton Berne District Schwarzenburg 46°51′N 7°19′E / 46.85°N 7.317°E / 46.85; 7.317Coordinates: 46°51′N 7°19′E / 46.85°N 7.317°E / 46.85; 7.317
Population	465 (December 2007[update])
- Density	108 /km2 (280 /sq mi)
Area	4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
Elevation	699 m (2,293 ft)
Postal code	3183
SFOS number	0851
Mayor	Regula Reinhardt-Trachsel
Surrounded by (view map)	Ueberstorf, Wahlern, Heitenried
Website	www.albligen.ch SFSO statistics
Albligen [zoom]

Albligen (former French name: Albenon) is a municipality in the district of Schwarzenburg in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Albligen is first mentioned in 1346 as Alblingen.^[1]

[edit] Geography

Albligen has an area of 4.3 square kilometers (1.7 sq mi). Of this area, 57.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 33.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).^[2]

Albligen lies in the midland of a small bank in the Höchi hills (818 m (2,684 ft) above sea level). On the eastern edge of the municipality flows the Sense River.

The neighboring municipalities are Ueberstorf, Wahlern, and Heitenried.

[edit] Demographics

Albligen has a population (as of 2007^[update]) of 465, of which 3.2% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.7%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (97.5%), with French being second most common ( 1.4%) and Romanian being third ( 0.4%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 50% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (19.3%), the Green Party (9.6%) and the local small left-wing parties (7.8%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 26.5% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Albligen about 74.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).

Albligen has an unemployment rate of 0.75%. As of 2005^[update], there were 59 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 20 businesses involved in this sector. 16 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 7 businesses in this sector. 27 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 10 businesses in this sector.^[2] The historical population is given in the following table:^[1]

year	population
1850	694
1960	421
1990	442

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dubler, A-M: Albligen in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Version of 2005-06-14.

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