Subdivisions of Switzerland difficulties maintaining the civil services they need to perform the duties they are required to do. In an effort to reduce expenses, many municipalities are combining together (through mergers or the creation of special-purpose districts). This restructuring is generally encouraged by the cantonal governments and the rate of these unions is increasing. "Cities" ("villes" or "Städte") are the municipalities with more than 10'000 inhabitants or smaller places which had medieval town rights. There is no specific designation for smaller communities such as "village" or "town". Some subdivisions that exist are: Subdivisions of Switzerland The Swiss Confederation comprises the 26 cantons
Child labour in Switzerland Switzerland do need the help of their children on occasion of the harvests in late summer. That's the reason why in the more rural cantons there are still much more longer summer holidays, granted by the governmental public schools, then in the urbanized cantons where there are usually five weeks summer holidays in July and August. As in many other countries, child labour affected among the so-called "Kaminfegerkinder" ("chimney sweep children") also children working p.e. in spinning mills, factories and in agriculture in 19th-century Switzerland. In the Swiss pre-industrial society, as well in other European countries, the children often were