Mathon, Switzerland

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

Mathon
Coat of arms
Location of Mathon
Mathon Show map of Switzerland Mathon Show map of Canton of Graubünden
Coordinates: 46°38.17′N 9°24.85′E
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Graubünden
District	Viamala
Area [1]
• Total	15.13 km^2 (5.84 sq mi)
Elevation	865 m (2,838 ft)
Population  (2018-12-31)[2]
• Total	51
• Density	3.4/km^2 (8.7/sq mi)
Postal code	7433
SFOS number	3708
Surrounded by	Casti-Wergenstein, Donat, Lohn, Safien, Tschappina
Website	www.mathon.ch SFSO statistics

History

Mathon is first mentioned about 840 as in Mentaune.[3]

Geography

Mathon has an area, as of 2006, 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).[4]

Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Schams sub-district, of the Hinterrhein district, after 2017 it was part of the Viamala Region.[5] 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 2018) of 51[6] nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of 14.1%.[4]

As of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 56.4% male and 43.6% female.[7] The age distribution, as of 2000, in Mathon is; 12 people or 23.1% of the population are between 0 and 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 and 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 and 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.[8]

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%).[4]

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).[4]

Mathon has an unemployment rate of 0.83%. As of 2005, 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.[4]

The historical population is given in the following table:[3]

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

Languages

Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks Romansh (53.8%), with the rest speaking German (46.2%).[4] 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. "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
2. "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
3. Mathon in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
4. Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived 2016-01-05 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 October 2009
5. Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz - Mutationsmeldungen 2016 accessed 16 February 2017
6. Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit (in German) accessed 23 September 2019
7. Graubunden in Numbers Archived 2009-09-24 at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 21 September 2009
8. Graubunden Population Statistics Archived 2009-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 21 September 2009

External links

• Official Web site