Description

GEO2_CH identifies the household's regional planning unit within Switzerland in 2011. Regional planning units are the second level administrative units of the country, after cantons. A GIS map (in shapefile format), corresponding to GEO2_CH can be downloaded from the GIS Boundary files page in the IPUMS International web site.

The full set of geography variables for Switzerland can be found in the IPUMS International Geography variables list. For cross-national geographic analysis on the first and second major administrative level refer to GEOLEV1, and GEOLEV2. More information on IPUMS-International geography can be found here.

Comparability — General

GEO2_CH includes data from the 2011 sample only. Earlier sample years do not include sufficient data to be included in GEO2_CH.

Where officially-defined regional planning units have populations less than 20,000, they have been regionalized (combined) with neighboring regional planning units.

A few regional planning units in 2011 Switzerland are not entirely contained within their higher first level geographical unit, cantons. Below is a list of regional planning units that are in two separate cantons:

• Innerschwyz - part of Luzern and Schwyz
• Grenchen-Büren - part of Bern and Solothurn
• Regio Wil - part of St. Gallen and Thurgau
• Region Appenzell AR-St. Gallen-Bodensee - part of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen
• St. Galler Rheintal - part of Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen
• Wiggertal - part of Aargau and Luzern
• Centre Jura - part of Bern and Neuchâtel

Universe

Availability

• Switzerland: 2011