Benken, St. Gallen
| Benken | ||
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 Benken
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Location of Benken
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| Coordinates: 47°12′N 9°1′E / 47.200°N 9.017°ECoordinates: 47°12′N 9°1′E / 47.200°N 9.017°E | ||
| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | St. Gallen | |
| District | See-Gaster | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Roland Tremp | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 16.45 km2 (6.35 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) | |
| Population (Dec 2015) | ||
| • Total | 2,915 | |
| • Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) | |
| Postal code | 8717 | |
| SFOS number | 3312 | |
| Surrounded by | Bilten (GL), Kaltbrunn, Reichenburg (SZ), Schänis, Schübelbach (SZ), Tuggen (SZ), Uznach | |
| Website |
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Benken is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Benken is first mentioned in 741 as Babinchova.
Benken has an area, as of 2006[update], of 16.4 km2 (6.3 sq mi). Of this area, 72.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (5.5%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).
The municipality is located in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis (constituency) along the Linth river. The topography of the land has changed drastically in the past centuries. During the Middle Ages the village was along the swampy, winding river. Following the Linth river control project in 1807-23 and the Melioration project of 1941-64, the village is now surrounded by rich farmland. It consists of the linear village of Benken along the Linth and the hamlets of Giessen, Sand, Rötli, Dorf, Räbli, Halden, Starrberg, Unterhalden, Schmittenäcker, Schmitten as well as scattered farmhouses in the valley and on the Büchel hill.
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Or a Lion rampant Gules holding in dexter a Key downwards to sinister Sable.
Benken has a population (as of 31 December 2015) of 2,915. As of 2007[update], about 11.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (as of 2000[update]), 15 are from Germany, 21 are from Italy, 103 are from ex-Yugoslavia, 7 are from Austria, 4 are from Turkey, and 82 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (93.2%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.9%) and Italian being third ( 0.9%). Of the Swiss national languages (as of 2000[update]), 2,077 speak German, 2 people speak French, 19 people speak Italian, and 5 people speak Romansh.
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