The word constitution, as used in the passage, most nearly means ____.
Switzerland is a small yet diverse country. It consists of 26 member states, the cantons, each of them with its own constitution, legislature, government – and a unique history. One of these is the canton of Solothurn. Its roots are in the city of the same name which can trace back its history to Roman times, when it was known as Salodurum. Becoming a Free Imperial City (Freie Reichsstadt) in the Holy Roman Empire in 1218 and joining the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1481, the city state of Solothurn grew in size through buying up available scraps of territory as well as some acquisitions by force, finally reaching its current shape in the early 16th century.