Canton of Jura, Canton in northwestern Switzerland.
The Canton of Jura is an administrative territory in northwestern Switzerland comprising the three districts of Delémont, Franches-Montagnes and Porrentruy with forested hills and broad limestone plateaus. These areas stretch between the French border and interior valleys and offer a mix of meadows, woods and small villages scattered across gentle rises.
The territory separated from the Canton of Bern in the 1970s through several public votes and became the 23rd Swiss canton in 1979. This reorganization ended a long phase of political discussion about language identity and regional self-governance.
Most place names carry French roots and recall medieval monasteries or geographic features of the land. On feast days locals gather in village churches and shared meals reveal connections to regional customs and neighborhood bonds.
Delémont serves as the administrative seat and lies on railway lines connecting the region to other parts of Switzerland. Walking trails lead through the plateaus and forests while in winter snow in the higher areas sometimes slows travel on country roads.
The Jurassica Museum in Porrentruy displays fossils and minerals from the surrounding quarries and documents the geological formation of the region. In the exhibition rooms visitors can view fossilized sea creatures that lived millions of years ago in a shallow ocean.
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