Valais is the third largest canton of Switzerland by area. It is also one of its westernmost and southernmost cantons while being adjacent to central Switzerland. With a few exceptions, it lies almost entirely in the
Rhône basin, more precisely in the wide Alpine Rhône Valley, above
Lake Geneva. The main settlements are all along the Rhône or in its proximity, the largest city being
Sion, followed by
Martigny,
Monthey,
Sierre, and
Brig-Glis. The canton is traditionally divided into three regions: Lower Valais (French:
Bas-Valais), Central Valais (French:
Valais central), and Upper Valais (German:
Oberwallis), with the linguistic border of the canton being at Pfynwald, between the two latter regions. While the more populous Lower and Central Valais are
French-speaking, Upper Valais is
German-speaking. The Rhône Valley is a central Alpine valley, i.e. it lies well within the Alps and is shut off from both northern and southern plains. Valais is separated from the
Swiss Plateau to the north by the
Bernese Alps and from the Po plains to the south by the
Valais Alps, respectively north and south of the Rhône. Valais is also one of the three large southern cantons lying partially in the
Po basin, therefore south of the Alps, along with
Ticino and the
Grisons. However, contrary to those two cantons, very few settlements are on the south side of the Alps, and they are all well above the plains. The largest regions not drained by the Rhône are the
Simplon Valley (Po basin) and two uninhabited areas north of the
Sanetsch and the
Gemmi Pass (
Rhine basin). , largest in the Alps Valais is the
highest canton in terms of absolute, relative, and mean elevation. Therefore, its topography is extremely rugged, with the notable exception of the wide, glacial, Rhône valley. The latter valley dominates the geography of the canton. Many side valleys are branching off the main valley, often perpendicularly. These vary from narrow and remote to reasonably populous. On the south side of the Rhône, in the Valais Alps, some of the largest side valleys are (from east to west): the
Mattertal (including the Saastal), the
Val d'Anniviers, the
Val d'Hérens, the
Val de Bagnes and the
Val d'Entremont. On the north of the Rhône, in the Bernese Alps, the
Lötschental is the only large valley. East of Brig is the valley of
Goms, the highest section of the Rhône Valley. The Rhône itself flows in the main valley from east to west from the
Rhône Glacier down to Martigny, then at a right angle north to its mouth in Lake Geneva. After the town of
Saint-Maurice, the eastern banks of the river belong to the canton of
Vaud, although the western banks remain in Valais, down to
Le Bouveret, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The main valley is bounded by the Bernese Alps in the north and the Valais Alps in the south, both ranges including numerous over 4,000 metre-high mountains, which are the highest in the country. Notables mountains include
Monte Rosa (highest), reaching , and the
Finsteraarhorn (most prominent), reaching . Other iconic mountains are the
Matterhorn and the
Jungfrau, for a complete list, see
list of mountains of Valais. Located there are
numerous glaciers including several of the largest in the Alps, such as the
Aletsch Glacier and the
Gorner Glacier. Other ranges situated partially in Valais are the
Chablais Alps, the
Mont Blanc Massif, the
Uri Alps, the
Gotthard Massif, and the
Lepontine Alps. Lake Geneva is the only truly large lake in the canton, although only a small fraction of it (about ) is in Valais, the plain of the Rhône comprehending only small lakes. There are however numerous sizable lakes in the high Alps, mostly artificial. The largest is
Lac des Dix, closely followed by the
Lac d'Emosson. Other large high-elevation lakes are
Lac de Mauvoisin,
Mattmarksee,
lac de Salanfe,
Lac de Moiry and
Lac de Tseuzier (see
list of mountain lakes of Switzerland for a more complete list). All these lakes are used for hydroelectricity production, but they are also popular for their scenic views over the Alps. , one of the highest peaks of Valais Due to the high mountains surrounding the plains of the Rhône, the climate of central Valais is particularly dry, much drier than in
the rest of Switzerland. While locations at high elevations are highly exposed to rainfall and snowfall, average rainfall per year is only about 600 mm in Sion, corresponding to 50% of that of
Lucerne (north of the Alps) and 30% of that of
Locarno (south of the Alps). Officially, the driest location in Valais and Switzerland is
Stalden, with 545 mm of rainfall per year. Valais is often described as "semi-arid", although it is not in the climatic sense of the term. Therefore, in some areas, such as
Les Follatères, are found plants that are uncommon or absent in the rest of Switzerland, such as cactuses. On the lower south-facing slopes of the Bernese Alps, numerous vineyards are cultivated, between Fully and Leuk. Unlike in the rest of the country,
irrigated agriculture is common in Valais. The canton is renowned for its numerous towns and villages in the high Alps. In the Mattertal and adjoining Saastal are
Zermatt and
Saas Fee. Other popular resorts are
Verbier,
Les Marécottes,
Champéry,
Grimentz,
Zinal,
Anzère,
Crans-Montana,
Evolène,
Leukerbad and
Fiesch. All of them are tourist destination in both summer and winter seasons. The area of the canton is and only about half of the total area is considered productive. Valais shares borders with four other cantons: to the north are the cantons of
Vaud and
Bern and to the east are the cantons of
Uri and
Ticino. The canton shares international borders as well: to the south are the Italian regions of
Aosta Valley and
Piedmont and to the west is the French region of
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Political subdivisions Districts Valais is divided into 13 districts, with the district of Raron being further divided into two half-districts. The districts are listed here in geographical order:
Upper Valais: •
Goms with capital
Münster-Geschinen •
Östlich Raron (half-district) with capital
Mörel-Filet •
Brig with capital
Brig-Glis •
Visp with capital
Visp •
Westlich Raron (half-district) with capital
Raron •
Leuk with capital
Leuk Central Valais: •
Sierre with capital
Sierre •
Hérens with capital
Vex •
Sion with capital
Sion •
Conthey with capital
Conthey Lower Valais: •
Entremont with capital
Sembrancher •
Martigny with capital
Martigny •
Saint-Maurice with capital
Saint-Maurice •
Monthey with capital
Monthey Municipalities There are 122
municipalities in the canton (as of January 2021). ==Demographics==