Switzerland is one of the countries whose territory is divided into entities known as cantons.
In order to establish the meaning of the term canton , it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can indicate that it is a word that derives from Latin, specifically from “cantus” or “canthus”, which can be translated as “edge” or “metal rim of a wheel”.
Canton is a concept with multiple meanings. The Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) mentions in the first meaning of its dictionary that the term can refer to an edge, projection or corner .
The canton as an administrative division
The most frequent use of the notion, however, is associated with an administrative division . Cantons are territorial entities that subdivide a municipality , a province , a department or another type of district .
Ecuador is one of the countries that have cantons. The twenty-four Ecuadorian provinces are divided into more than two hundred cantons, which in turn are subdivided into parishes.
The Guayaquil canton , belonging to the province of Guayas , is the most populated Ecuadorian canton, with more than two million inhabitants. Other cantons are much smaller: the Pablo Sexto canton , in the province of Morona Santiago , does not reach two thousand inhabitants.
Costa Rica, France, Luxembourg y Swiss son otros países que tienen cantones. Incluso States que dejaron de existir, como la Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) contaban con cantones.
The Chinese city of Guangzhou is also referred to as Canton.
Some examples
Among the most important cantons we can highlight some such as the following:
-The Canton of Geneva, which is one of the most important in Switzerland. It is located in the western area, it became a canton in the 19th century and is subdivided into a total of 45 communes.
-The Canton of Bern is also located in the Swiss country and stands out for being one of the only three in it where two languages are officially spoken. Its capital is Bern and its origins date back to the 14th century.
At a historical level, it is relevant to know what was called the Canton of Cádiz. This was proclaimed in the second half of the 19th century, specifically on July 19, 1873, and came to support the Spanish cantonal movement that had begun in the Murcian city of Cartagena. In this way, the Cadiz population took its own course in the face of the disillusionment that existed at that time with the Spanish monarchy. However, that Canton of Cádiz would only be functioning until August 3 of the aforementioned 1873, until the troops of General Pavía, who was responsible for putting an end to the First Spanish Republic, entered the Andalusian city.
Other uses of the canton concept
A southern Chinese city , on the other hand, is known as Canton or Guangzhou . Based on its name, a cotton fabric that has characteristics similar to cashmere is called canton.
In the field of heraldry , the cantons are the four angles that form part of a shield. A very narrow street that interrupts two other more important streets can also be called a canton.
The idea of a canton, finally, can refer to a cantonment : a territory where there are cantoned soldiers (distributed and housed in the area).