Which European country is divided into 26 cantons?

Which European country is divided into 26 cantons? Switzerland. The 26 cantons are the member states that make up the Swiss Confederation.

Swiss cantons are more than ordinary administrative districts: Switzerland is a federal state, and each canton has its own constitution, parliament, government, courts, and substantial responsibility for matters such as education and policing. Their powers coexist with those of the federal government and municipalities.

The number has changed over time. The Old Swiss Confederacy grew from its early three allies to eight and then thirteen cantons. The Act of Mediation raised the number to 19 in 1803, while the Federal Treaty of 1815 recognized 22. Jura became the 23rd canton in 1979 after separating from Bern.

Switzerland’s 1999 Federal Constitution officially treated the former six “half-cantons” as cantons, producing today’s total of 26. That terminology still matters historically, but each of the 26 is counted as a canton in modern constitutional usage.