SwisstopoSwisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (in German: Bundesamt für Landestopografie; French: Office fédéral de topographie; Italian: Ufficio federale di topografia; Romansh: Uffizi federal da topografia), Switzerland's national mapping agency. The current name was made official in 2002. It had been in use as the domain name for the institute's homepage, swisstopo.ch, since 1997. The main class of products produced by Swisstopo are topographical maps on seven different scales.
LeukLeuk (Loèche-Ville) is a municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013, the former municipality of Erschmatt merged into the municipality of Leuk. Since it controls access to the Gemmi Pass, it had some importance from the time of Roman Raetia. The Leukerbad thermal baths are just north of Leuk, towards the pass. It is the capital of the Leuk district of the Valais. Leuk is home to one of the known installations of Onyx, the Swiss interception system for signals intelligence gathering.
SierreSierre (sjɛʁ; Siders, zidɐs; Siérro, ˈʃiʁo) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (Cité du Soleil) for its average of 300 days of sunshine a year. It is the last official French-speaking city in Valais before the French–German language border of the canton located at the forêt de Finges, a few kilometres after the town. A German-speaking minority lives in Sierre, counting for around 8% of the population.
BürgergemeindeThe Bürgergemeinde (also Burgergemeinde, Ortsgemeinde, Ortsbürgergemeinde, Tagwen, bourgeoisie, commune bourgeoise, vischnanca burgaisa, Citizen's Community) is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland. It includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde, usually by having inherited the Bourgeoisie (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Membership of the Bürgergemeinde of a municipality is not to be confused with holding the municipality's citizenship, which, in certain cantons such as Valais, are two distinct legal concepts.
MartignyMartigny (maʁtiɲi; Martinach, ˈmaʁtiːnaːx; Octodurum) is the capital city of the district of Martigny, canton of Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants (Martignerains or "Octoduriens"). It is a junction of roads joining Italy, France and Switzerland. One road links it over the Great St. Bernard Pass to Aosta (Italy), and the other over the col de la Forclaz to Chamonix (France). In winter, Martigny is known for its numerous nearby Alp ski resorts such as Verbier.
ChandolinChandolin is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Grimentz, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers. Chandolin is first mentioned about 1250 as Eschandulyns. Chandolin was the permanent home of Swiss travel writer Ella Maillart until her death, and it now houses the Ella Maillart Museum in her memory.
GrimentzGrimentz is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Saint Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers. Grimentz is first mentioned in 1052 as Grimiens. The village was formerly known by its German name Grimensi, however, that name is no longer used. Lac de Moiry is a reservoir completed 1958. Lac des Autannes is located at an elevation of . Grimentz lies at altitude above sea level.
BürchenBürchen (Walliser German: Birchu) is a municipality in the district of Raron in the German-speaking part of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Bürchen is first mentioned in 1307 as ze Birke. In 1363 it was mentioned as Birkonberg, in 1441 as Birchen and in 1755 as Betula. Bürchen has an area, , of . Of this area, 25.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 5.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and 13.6% is unproductive land. The municipality is located in the Westlich Raron district.
Simplon PassThe Simplon Pass (Col du Simplon; Simplonpass; Passo del Sempione; Pass del Sempion; ) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such as Gondo, are in Switzerland. The Simplon Tunnel was built beneath the vicinity of the pass in the early 20th century to carry rail traffic between the two countries.
Goms DistrictGoms (District de Conches) is a district of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It covers a larger area than its geographical counterpart, the geographical region of Goms, namely the upper most part of the Rhône valley between its source and Brig. It has a population of (as of ). It comprises the following municipalities: The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Gules and Argent, two Crosses pattee counterchanged. Goms has a population () of . Most of the population () speaks German (4,401 or 92.
