The king of Burgundy donated much of the land that today makes up canton Jura to the bishop of Basel in 999.

The Jura was French-speaking and Roman Catholic, whereas the canton of Bern was mostly German-speaking and Protestant.

After World War II, a separatist movement campaigned for a secession of Jura from the canton of Bern.

After a long and partly militant struggle, which included some arson attacks by a youth organisation Les Béliers, a constitution was accepted in 1977.

Switzerland as a whole often presents the latter from a touristic standpoint with documentation easily available in French or German.

In each case, the title refers to the autonomy of the canton and its nominal sovereignty within the Swiss Confederation.

On 17 September 2017, the nearby municipalities of Belprahon and Sorvilier conversely voted to remain in the canton of Bern.

[6] On 28 March 2021, Moutier voted to secede from Bern and join Jura again in an officially sanctioned referendum.

The term "Jurassic" is derived from the Jura Alps, strata of which give the era its name.

The majority of the population is Roman Catholic (75% as of 2000[update]) with a small Protestant minority (13%).

[11] In 2001, the canton produced 0.9% of the entire Swiss national income while it had 0.9% of the total population.