Romandy

Romandy is the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It is a special area in the western part of the country where most people speak French. In 2020, around 2 million people lived in Romandy, which is about 22.8% of all the people in Switzerland.

Most of the people in Romandy live near Lake Geneva, especially in an area called the Arc Lémanique. This area connects the cities of Geneva and the parts of Vaud and the Lower Valais.

French is the main language in four Swiss regions, or cantons: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura. In three other cantons, Fribourg/Freiburg, Valais/Wallis, and Berne/Bern, both French and German are official languages.

Name

The word romand is an old way of saying "Roman" in French. People started using it to describe the French-speaking parts of Switzerland around the 1400s. Today, we often call this area Suisse romande. Before that, people used the name Suisse française, meaning "French Switzerland."

In German-speaking parts of Switzerland, this area is called Welschland or Welschschweiz, using an old word for people who don’t speak German. Sometimes people just say Westschweiz, which means "western Switzerland."

Politics

"Romandy" is not an official part of Switzerland's government areas, and there aren't clear language borders. For example, parts of the canton of Fribourg and the western canton of Bern use both French and German, especially in Seeland near the lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel, and Bienne (Biel). French is the only official language in four Swiss cantons: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura. It is also one of the official languages, together with German, in the cantons of Valais, Bern, and Fribourg. French speakers are the majority in areas like Lower Valais, Bernese Jura, and French-speaking Fribourg.

Geography

Further information: Geography of Switzerland, Lake Geneva region, Lake Geneva, Jura Mountains, Seeland (Switzerland), Saane/Sarine, and Lower Valais

The line that separates French and German speakers in Switzerland is called the Röstigraben. This name is funny and means both a real ditch and a cultural difference between the French-speaking part of Switzerland, called Romandy, and the German-speaking part. This line goes from north to south across the country. It marks the edge of the canton of Jura and passes through places like Biel/Bienne, Neuchâtel, Morat, and Fribourg. It also separates parts of Vaud from other areas and goes through the High Alps near Les Diablerets.

In the past, this language line followed a river called the Aare and changed over time. The Valais area has its own language history, with people speaking different languages in different parts of the valley.

Language

Main article: Swiss French

The people of Romandy mainly speak a version of Standard French. Although there are small differences from the French spoken in Paris, these are mostly in vocabulary. Some rural areas still have stronger influences from older local dialects. Since the 1970s, there has been some interest in reviving these older dialects, now often called Arpitan.

Cultural identity

The cultural identity of Romandy is supported by Radio Télévision Suisse and universities in Geneva, Fribourg, Lausanne, and Neuchâtel.

Historically, many people in Romandy followed Protestant beliefs, especially in Geneva, which was an important center for these ideas. However, areas like Jura, Valais, and Fribourg mainly followed Roman Catholic traditions. Today, people of many different beliefs live throughout the region due to immigration.

The Tour de Romandie is a big annual cycling race that is part of the UCI World Tour and helps prepare cyclists for the Tour de France. The Röstigraben showed how the western part of Switzerland often looked to France for guidance on policies and decisions.

Library Network

The Library Network of Western Switzerland is located in the region of Romandy. It includes many libraries in this part of Switzerland that are all based in Romandy.