Jura

Canton in northwest Switzerland, at the northern fold of the Jura Mountains, extending north to the Jura Plateau, bordered by France to the northwest, Bern to the south, Solothurn to the east, and Basel-Landschaft to the north; area 836 sq km/323 sq mi; population (1999 est) 69,000. Its capital is Delémont, and it includes the districts of Franches-Montagnes (popular for cross-country skiing and cycling) and the Ajoie. It is drained by the River Birs. Agriculture and animal husbandry are primary to the region's economic health, and industries include watch making, tobacco, and textile production.

Up until the French Revolution, Jura was a bishopric and sovereign state of the Holy Roman Empire. The region became part of Bern canton in 1815, but separatist movements resulted in it being made an independent canton in 1979.