Cantons of Switzerland

The twenty-six cantons of Switzerland are the states of the federal state of Switzerland. Historically each canton in the historical confederation was a sovereign state, with its own borders, army and currency until the current federal structure was established in 1848. During the sixteenth century, the Swiss Confederation was composed of thirteen self-governed states. These states were called cantons, and there were two different kinds: six land (or forest) cantons and seven city (or urban) cantons. Though they were technically part of the Holy Roman Empire, they had become almost completely independent when the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximillian in 1499.
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