Flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland abandoned the use of the term "half-canton" as an official designation, so that the official number of cantons became 26 - the former half-cantons being now referred to as "cantons with half a cantonal vote" officially, even though they are still commonly referred to as" half-cantons". With the exception of Lucerne, Schwyz and Ticino, the cantonal flags are simply transposed versions of the cantonal coats of arms. In case of Lucerne and Ticino, whose flags consist of fields of different colours divided per fess (horizontally), the coats of arms are of the same colours divided per pale (vertically). The coat
Cantons of Switzerland The term "Stand" (, ) remains in synonymous usage and is reflected in the name of the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament, the Council of States (, , , ). In the modern era, since Neuchâtel ceased to be a principality in 1848, all Swiss cantons can be considered to have a republican form of government. Some cantons formally describe themselves as republics in their constitutions. This applies to the Romance-speaking cantons in particular: Geneva (formally "République et canton de Genève" "Republic and canton of Geneva"), Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud and Ticino. In the 16th century, the Old Swiss