Meikirch

Meikirch
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Aarberg 47°0′N 7°22′E / 47°N 7.367°E / 47; 7.367Coordinates: 47°0′N 7°22′E / 47°N 7.367°E / 47; 7.367
Population	2,345 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	228 /km2 (590 /sq mi)
Area	10.30 km2 (3.98 sq mi)
Elevation	654 m (2,146 ft)
Postal code	3045
SFOS number	0307
Surrounded by	Kirchlindach, Schüpfen, Seedorf, Wohlen bei Bern
Website	www.meikirch.ch SFSO statistics
Meikirch
View map of Meikirch

Meikirch is a municipality in the district of Aarberg in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

The municipality consists of the villages Meikirch, Ortschwaben, and Wahlendorf, as well as Grächwil, Aetzikofen, and Weissenstein.

Geography

Meikirch has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 10.23 square kilometers (3.95 sq mi). Of this area, 6.57 km² (2.54 sq mi) or 64.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.72 km² (1.05 sq mi) or 26.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.96 km² (0.37 sq mi) or 9.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.^[2]

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 5.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 51.9% is used for growing crops and 10.5% is pastures, while 1.9% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.^[2]

Demographics

Meikirch has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 2,345.^[1] As of 2007^[update], 5.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (95.4%), with French being second most common ( 1.0%) and Italian being third ( 0.8%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was SVP which received 32.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (18.3%), the SPS (18.2%) and the Green Party (15.8%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.4% and the seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. In Meikirch about 87% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Meikirch has an unemployment rate of 1.22%. As of 2005^[update], there were 98 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 33 businesses involved in this agricultural sector. 140 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 21 businesses in this manufacturing sector. 218 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 50 businesses in the services sector.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Datenwürfel für Thema 01.2 - Bevölkerungsstand und -bewegung (German) accessed 29 September
2. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data (German) accessed 25 March 2010
3. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 28-May-2009