Graubunden is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland.
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Graubunden borders on
Liechtenstein to the north,
Austria to the north and the east,
Italy to the south and southeast, and the canton of
St. Gallen to the north west,
Canton of Glarus,
Uri to the west, and
Ticino to the south west. The capital city is
Chur. The world-famous resorts of
Davos and
St. Moritz are located in the canton.
The area of the canton is 7,105 km². Only about a third of this is commonly regarded as productive land. Forests cover about a fifth of the total area. The canton is almost entirely mountainous, comprising the highlands of the
Rhine and
Inn valleys.
There are many significant elevations in the
Grison Alps, including the
Todi with 3,614m and the highest peak
Bernina with 4,048m. Many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the
Adula, the
Albula, the
Silvretta or the
Ratikon range.
The mountain ranges in the central area are very deep, some of which are considered the deepest valleys in Europe. These valleys were originally settled by the Raeti people of probably Celtic origin.
Agriculture and tourism are the pillars of the canton's economy. Agriculture includes forests and mountain pasturage in summer, particularly of sheep and goats. Tourisms is concentrated in the mountains, particularly around the towns of
Davos/Arosa,
Laax and
St. Moritz/Pontresina.
There is wine production around the capital
Chur.
Chur is also an industrial centre. In the southern valleys of
Mesolcina/Misox and
Poschiavo there is corn (maize) and chestnut farming.
The
Graubunden are known for a lovely dried-beef delicacy called
Bundnerfleisch.
