Vaud

Vaud ( VOH; French: Vaud, pronounced [vo]; German: Waadt), more formally Canton of Vaud (French: Canton de Vaud, German: Kanton Waadt), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et Patrie" on a white-green bicolour. Vaud is the third-largest Swiss canton by population and fourth by size. It is located in Romandy, the French-speaking western part of the country, and borders the canton of Neuchâtel to the north, the cantons of Fribourg and Bern to the east, the canton of Valais to the south, the canton of Geneva to the south-west, and France to the west. The geography of the canton includes all three natural regions of Switzerland: the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Plateau, and the (Swiss) Alps. It also includes some of the largest lakes of the country: Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel. It is a major tourist destination, renowned for its landscapes and gastronomy. The largest city is Lausanne, followed by Yverdon-les-Bains and Montreux. As of 2020, the canton had a population of 814,762. It is one of the four cantons where French is the only official language. Formerly a Bernese bailiwick, Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent canton in 1803.