Appenzell

Appenzell (or Appenzellerland) is a region in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen. A former canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Appenzell has been divided since 1597 into Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

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The name Appenzell (Latin: abbatis cella) means "cell (i.e. estate) of the abbot". This refers to the Abbey of St. Gall, which exerted a great influence on the area. Appenzell became a full member of the confederation in 1513, and religious divisions resulting from the Protestant Reformation culminated in a split in 1597 between the Catholic Innerrhoden and Protestant Ausserrhoden.

Switzerland: The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica) is a landlocked federal republic in Europe, bordering Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, and is hom...

Canton of St. Gallen: St. Gallen (German: Sankt Gallen) is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. The area is 2,026 km? and population as of 2002 455,200. The capital is St. Gallen. There are alternative spellings for the canton: St. Gall, Saint Gall, Saint Gallen....

Old Swiss Confederacy: The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland. The Eidgenossenschaft of the Swiss, as the confederacy was called, began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure...