Delémont (German: Delsberg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 12,000 inhabitants as of 2004. Delémont lies 30 km southwest of Basel, about halfway between Basel and Bienne. It stretches along both sides of the Sorne River, shortly before it flows into the Birs on the northern edge of the Delémont valley, a wide depression in the Jura Mountains. The 22.0 km² are of the municipality is largely given to intensive cultivation. At the south end of the valley is the Montchaibeux, an isolated hill. On the north, the valley is bounded by the Les Rangiers range, with la Chaive (930 m) as the highest point in the municipality. The eastern boundary is the Birs River. In 1997, 18% of the land was residential, 43% was wooded, 38% was farmland, and 1% was unutilized. The following towns belong to the municipality: Les Rondez and Les Vorbourgs. The surrounding municipalities are Develier, Courtételle, Rossemaison, Courrendlin, Courroux, Soyhières, Mettembert, and Bourrignon.
