Economy
Tourism is the main source of income in the Bernese Oberland. Other important sectors are agriculture (especially cattle breeding), cheese making, and hydroelectric power generation. The Bernese cheese Emmentaler is known around the world. In the Bernese Midlands the lands are more fertile. Agriculture is of great importance, but this part of the canton is also the most industrialized. Small and middle-sized businesses are important employers in this part of the canton of Bern. There is a nuclear power plant at Mühleberg.
The area around Lake Biel is renowned for its wine production. The 3 French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura and the bilingual district of Biel/Bienne are renowned for their watch industry and its mechanical industry (high precision machine tools, automation and machining).
As of 2010, Bern had an unemployment rate of 2.8%. As of 2008, there were 36,685 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12,638 businesses involved in this sector. 133,285 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 10,141 businesses in this sector. 372,259 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 34,818 businesses in this sector. Of the working population, 25.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 43.4% used a private car.
Read more about this topic: Canton Of Bern
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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