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The communes ((ドイツ語:Gemeinden) / (フランス語:communes) / (イタリア語:comuni) / (ロマンシュ語:vischnancas)), also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 (). While many have a population of a few hundred, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities. The area of the municipalities varies between 0.28 km² (Ponte Tresa, Ticino) and 430 km² (Glarus Süd, Glarus). Each canton defines the responsibilities of its constituent communes. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. Communes are generally governed by a council (sometimes called Municipality) headed by a mayor as executive and the town meeting as legislature. Most cantons leave the option for larger municipalities to opt for a parliament. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for a certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in the municipal politics. Swiss citizenship is based on the citizenship of a municipality. Every Swiss is a citizen of one or several municipalities (known as the place of origin, ''lieu d'origine'', or ''Heimatort''). As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Communes are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton. As among the cantons, there is a tax transfer among the communes to balance various levels of tax income. Many municipalities are having difficulties maintaining the civil services they need to perform their required duties. In an effort to reduce expenses, some municipalities are combining together (through mergers or the creation of special-purpose districts). This restructuring is generally encouraged by the cantonal governments and these mergers are happening at an increasing rate. "Cities" (''villes'' or ''Städte'') are 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". Communes are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see ''Community Identification Number#Switzerland''). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. ''See also:'' List of cities in Switzerland ==Lists of communes by canton== See cantons of Switzerland for the number of municipalities per canton. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Municipalities of Switzerland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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