Basel

47°34′N 7°36′E

Basel
Basle
Municipality
View from the Rhine
View from the Rhine
Coat of arms of BaselBasle
Coat of arms
Location of Basel
Basle
BaselBasle is located in Switzerland
BaselBasle
Basel
Basle
BaselBasle is located in Canton of Basel-Stadt
BaselBasle
Basel
Basle
Coordinates: 47°33′17″N 07°35′26″E
CountrySwitzerland
CantonBasel-Stadt
Districtn.a
Government
 • ExecutiveRegierungsrat
with 7 members
 • MayorRegierungspräsident/in
Beat Jans SPS/PSS
(as of 2020)
 • ParliamentGrosser Rat
with 100 members
Area
[1]
 • Total23.85 km2 (9.21 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2018)[2][3]
 • Total177,595
 • Density7,400/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
DemonymsGerman: Basler(in), French: Bâlois(e), Italian: Basilese
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
4000
SFOS number2701
Surrounded byAllschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), Saint-Louis (FR-68), Weil am Rhein (DE-BW)
Twin townsShanghai, Miami Beach
Websitewww.bs.ch
SFSO statistics

Basel (French: Bâle) is a city in the north of Switzerland. It is sometimes called Basle in English.[4] Basel is the capital of the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt.

The city has a population of about 170,000 people and is the third largest city in Switzerland after Zürich and Geneva.

Basel borders Germany and France in the north and the canton of Basel-Land in the south. The Rhine river flows through the city.

History

Basel was a prince-bishopric from 999 until 1803. Most of the city was destroyed in the 1356 Basel earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Central Europe. Basel joined Switzerland in 1501.

Economy

Basel is well known for the many chemical and pharmaceutical companies that are located in the city, such as Novartis, Syngenta and Hoffmann-La Roche.

The only ports in Switzerland are located along the Rhine river in Basel, which makes the city important for imports and exports to and from Switzerland. Water transport using cargo ships on the Rhine river connects Basel with the seaport of Rotterdam. Basel ports are connected to the Swiss railway and road network.

Basel shares the international airport EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg with the French city Mulhouse.

Education

The University of Basel was founded in 1460 and is the oldest in Switzerland and one of the oldest in the world. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli, Leonhard Euler and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here.

  • Basel Minster
    Basel Minster
  • Town Hall
    Town Hall
  • Cable ferry across the Rhine
    Cable ferry across the Rhine
  • View over the city with the Roche Headquarters in the front
    View over the city with the Roche Headquarters in the front

References
  1. "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  2. "MONATLICH AKTUALISIERTE ZAHLEN - KANTONALE STATISTIK". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. Grihault, Nicki 2011. Basle, Switzerland: A cultural guide. T Travel, Telegraph Media Group, London.

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