In terms of surface, Grisons is the largest canton, yet at the same time it is the most sparsely populated with about 189,000 inhabitants. The capital, Chur, which is the oldest city in Switzerland, has a population of about 33,000.
Grisons is a typical mountain area: 615 lakes, more than 900 mountain tops and 150 valleys . The highest mountain is the Piz Bernina at 4049m, and the lowest point is the border with Ticino at 260m. One third of the entire canton’s surface is covered in forest. Grisons is Europe’s watershed. More than 2,000 meters above sea level lies Lake Toma, the source of the River Rhine. The water from these mountains flows into all of Europe’s seas. And it moves Switzerland - after all, 12% of Swiss power comes from Grisons.
Grisons is the only tri-lingual canton in Switzerland where 68 per cent of the population speak German, 15 per cent Romansh, 10 per cent Italian and 7 per cent other languages. Multilingualism is also present in schools and in the administration. The Romansh language area is divided into different regions and five dialects, Romansch Grischun is mainly used as the common written language. Grisons’s legislature is the Cantonal Parliament, whichis the only one in Switzerland where three languages are spoken. Members are free to speak in the language of their choice.

Economy - Forest-based Sector
The majority of the population in Grisons is employed in the services sector. Tourism is a pillar of the canton’s economy. The cultural diversity, the beautiful countryside and the effective infrastructure with hotels, mountain railways, baths, spas and sports facilities make Grisons a sought-after destination both in winter and in summer. Grisons lives on tourism; the revenues from tourism provide about half of the jobs and incomes of the population of Grisons.
8% of the employees work in agriculture and the forest sector. The mountain farmers are innovative. Over 50 per cent of the farms are operated organically. The farmers of Grisons cultivate the land stretching across the Alpine arc, from grapes and chestnuts in the South down to the Rhine valley in Chur, where field crops and grapes grow.
Grisons’s life insurance is its protection forest. It protects settlements and roads against avalanches. The forest is a valuable source of energy and serves as building material. After deforestation in the 19^th century, the “Amt für Wald” (wood department) was created. During the last 10 years, the “Holz Futuro Strategy” gave fresh impulses for the forest-based sector in Grisons and “Graubünden Holz” was established as a permanent central office. The very building off this office represents the best example for successful cooperation: together with the famous Rhaetian Railway the new station in Landquart was built up as a timber construction with wood from the nearest surroundings.
With the Mayr Mellnhof Swiss Timber AG more than 600.000 sq are cut per year, the timber construction rate is growing, but there are still gaps to fill in the wood value-added chain. Grisons  is actually an interesting place to invest in wood processing industries.