Mathon, Switzerland

For the English village, see Mathon, Herefordshire.

Mathon
Country Switzerland Canton Graubünden District Hinterrhein 46°38.17′N 9°24.85′E / 46.63617°N 9.41417°E / 46.63617; 9.41417Coordinates: 46°38.17′N 9°24.85′E / 46.63617°N 9.41417°E / 46.63617; 9.41417
Population	51 (Dec 2009)[1]
- Density	3 /km2 (9 /sq mi)
Area	15.13 km2 (5.84 sq mi)
Elevation	865 m (2,838 ft)
Postal code	7433
SFOS number	3708
Surrounded by	Casti-Wergenstein, Donat, Lohn, Safien, Tschappina
Website	www.mathon.ch SFSO statistics
Mathon
View map of Mathon

Mathon (Romansh: Maton) is a municipality in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

History

Mathon is first mentioned about 840 as in Mentaune.^[2]

Geography

Mathon has an area, as of 2006^[update], of 15.1 km² (5.8 sq mi). Of this area, 66.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (22.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).^[3]

The municipality is located in the Schams sub-district, of the Hinterrhein district. The village is a haufendorf (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) at an elevation of 1,521 m (4,990 ft) in the center of the upper Schamserberg region.

Demographics

Mathon has a population (as of 31 December 2009) of 51.^[1]nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -14.1%.^[3]

As of 2000^[update], the gender distribution of the population was 56.4% male and 43.6% female.^[4] The age distribution, as of 2000^[update], in Mathon is; 12 people or 23.1% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 6 people or 11.5% are 10 to 14, and 1 person or 1.9% is 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 3 people or 5.8% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 8 people or 15.4% are 30 to 39, 6 people or 11.5% are 40 to 49, and 2 people or 3.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 6 people or 11.5% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 6 people or 11.5% are 70 to 79, there is 1 person or 1.9% who is 80 to 89, and 1 person who is 90 to 99.^[5]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 66.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (19.2%), the FDP (12.3%) and the CVP (1.5%).^[3]

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Mathon about 78.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[3]

Mathon has an unemployment rate of 0.83%. As of 2005^[update], there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. people are employed in the secondary sector and there are businesses in this sector. 8 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 3 businesses in this sector.^[3]

The historical population is given in the following table:^[2]

year	population
1780	123
1850	111
1900	74
1950	65
2000	52

Languages

Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks Romansh (53.8%), with the rest speaking German (46.2%).^[3] The municipality is about evenly divided between German-speaking and Romansh-speaking population. Although 87% of the population understands Romansch, German is now the sole official language.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010
2. ^ ^{a b} Mathon in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 7 October 2009
4. ^ Graubunden in Numbers (German) accessed 21 September 2009
5. ^ Graubunden Population Statistics (German) accessed 21 September 2009

External links

• Official Web site