Appenzell Innerrhoden (German; French: Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures; in English sometimes Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is a canton of Switzerland. It is the smallest canton in Switzerland.
Appenzell Innerrhoden is a canton in the north east of Switzerland. Its area is 173 km². The canton was split in 1597 for religious reasons from the former canton Appenzell, with Appenzell Ausserrhoden being the other half.
Appenzell is the capital of this canton. The constitution was established in 1872. Most of the canton is pastoral, this despite being mountainous. Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities.
Citizens from the canton assemble every last Sunday of April for the Landsgemeinde (general assembly) in a square in Appenzell and vote on laws and elect the Governing Council. Until a 1990 decision by the Federal Tribunal of Switzerland, women did not have the right to vote at the cantonal level in Appenzell Innerrhoden.
The conflict between Catholic and Protestant cantons persisted, erupting in further violence at the battles of Villmergen in 1656 and 1712.
Women were granted the right to vote in the first cantons in 1959, at the federal level in 1971, in the last canton, AppenzellInnerrhoden, only in 1990.
The 46 members of the Council of States (two from each canton and one from former half cantons) are directly elected in each canton, whereas the 200 members of the National Council are elected directly under a system of proportional representation.
The authenticity of the Federal Charter is disputed, with many historians agreeing that it is in fact a forgery of the 14th century.
In 1979, parts of the canton of Berne attained independence, forming the new canton of Jura.
The former ten-year moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants was the result of a citizens' initiative voted on in 1990 which had passed with 54.5% Yes vs. 45.5% No votes (see Nuclear power phase-out#Switzerland for details).
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