Geneva Genève (French)
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Geneva Genève (French)
Geneva Genève (French) Show map of Switzerland Geneva Genève (French) Show map of Canton of Geneva
Coordinates: 46°12′06″N 06°08′49″E / 46.20167°N 6.14694°E / 46.20167; 6.14694
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Geneva
District	None
Government
• Executive	Conseil administratif with 5 members
• Mayor	La Mairie (list) Alfonso Gomez Green Party of Switzerland (as of June 2023)
• Parliament	Conseil municipal with 80 members
Area [1]
• Total	15.92 km2 (6.15 sq mi)
Elevation (Pont du Mont Blanc)	375 m (1,230 ft)
Highest elevation (Chemin du Pommier)	457 m (1,499 ft)
Lowest elevation (Le Rhône)	370 m (1,210 ft)
Population  (31 December 2018)[2][3]
• Total	201,741
• Density	13,000/km2 (33,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Genevan or Genevese French: Genevois(e)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)	1200, or 1201–09 Genève, 1213 Petit-Lancy, 1227 Les Acacias[4]
SFOS number	6621
ISO 3166 code	CH-GE
Surrounded by	Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
Twin towns	None
Website	www.geneve.ch SFSO statistics

Geneva (/dʒəˈniːvə/ jə-NEE-və,^[5] Arpitan: [dzəˈnɛva] ^ⓘ; French: Genève [ʒənɛv] ^ⓘ)^{[note 1]} is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous of the French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and a centre for international diplomacy. Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world.^[6]

The city of Geneva (ville de Genève) had a population of 203,951 in January 2020^[7] within its municipal territory of 16 km² (6 sq mi),^[8] but the larger Canton of Geneva had a population of 504,128^[7] over 246 km² (95 sq mi).^[8] The Geneva metropolitan area as officially defined by Eurostat,^[9] including suburbs and exurbs in Vaud and the French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie, extends over 2,292 km² (885 sq mi)^[10] and had a population of 1,044,766 at the time.^[11]

Since 2013, the Canton of Geneva, the Nyon District (in the canton of Vaud), and the Pôle métropolitain du Genevois français (lit. 'Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory', a federation of eight French intercommunal councils), have formed Grand Genève ("Greater Geneva"), a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation (GLCT in French, a public entity under Swiss law) in charge of organizing cooperation within the cross-border metropolitan area of Geneva (in particular metropolitan transports).^[12] The Grand Genève GLCT extends over 1,996 km² (771 sq mi)^[13] and had a population of 1,037,407 in Jan. 2020 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.4% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.6% on French territory.^[14]

Geneva is a global city, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous international organizations, including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations^[15] and the ICRC and IFRC of the Red Cross.^[16] In the aftermath of World War I, it hosted the League of Nations. It was where the Geneva Conventions on humanitarian treatment in war were signed. It shares a unique distinction with municipalities such as New York City (global headquarters of the UN), Basel (Bank for International Settlements), and Strasbourg (Council of Europe) as a city which serves as the headquarters of at least one critical international organization without being the capital of a country.^[17][18][19]

The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis^[20] and the "Peace Capital".^[21] In 2023, Geneva was ranked as the world's tenth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, second in Europe behind London.^[22] In 2019, Geneva was ranked among the ten most liveable cities in the world by Mercer, alongside Zürich and Basel,^[23] as well as the thirteenth most expensive city in the world.^[24] In a UBS ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, second most expensive, and fourth in purchasing power.^[25]

Name

The city was mentioned in Latin texts, by Caesar, with the spelling Genava,^[26] probably from the Celtic *genawa- from the stem *genu- ("mouth"), in the sense of an estuary, an etymology shared with the Italian port city of Genoa (in Italian Genova).^[27][28]

The medieval county of Geneva in Middle Latin was known as pagus major Genevensis or Comitatus Genevensis (also Gebennensis). After 1400 it became the Genevois province of Savoy (albeit not extending to the city proper, until the reformation of the seat of the Bishop of Geneva).^[29]

History

Geneva was an Allobrogian border town, fortified against the Helvetii tribe,^[30] when the Roman Republic took it in 121 BC. It became Christian under the Late Roman Empire, and acquired its first bishop in the 5th century, having been connected to the Bishopric of Vienne in the 4th.

In the Middle Ages, Geneva was ruled by a count under the Holy Roman Empire until the late 14th century, when it was granted a charter giving it a high degree of self-governance. Around this time, the House of Savoy came to at least nominally dominate the city. In the 15th century, an oligarchic republican government emerged with the creation of the Grand Council. In the first half of the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation reached the city, causing religious strife, during which Savoy rule was thrown off and Geneva allied itself with the Swiss Confederacy. In 1541, with Protestantism on the rise, John Calvin, the Protestant Reformer and proponent of Calvinism, became the spiritual leader of the city and established the Republic of Geneva. By the 18th century, Geneva had come under the influence of Catholic France, which cultivated the city as its own. France tended to be at odds with the ordinary townsfolk, which inspired the failed Geneva Revolution of 1782, an attempt to win representation in the government for men of modest means. In 1798, revolutionary France under the Directory annexed Geneva. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, on 1 June 1814, Geneva was admitted to the Swiss Confederation. In 1907, the separation of Church and State was adopted. Geneva flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the seat of many international organizations.^[31]

Geography

Topography

Geneva is located at 46°12' North, 6°09' East, at the south-western end of Lake Geneva, where the Rhône flows out. It is surrounded by three mountain chains, each belonging to the Jura: the Jura main range lies north-westward, the Vuache southward, and the Salève south-eastward.

The city covers an area of 15.93 km² (6.2 sq mi), while the area of the canton is 282 km² (108.9 sq mi), including the two small exclaves of Céligny in Vaud. The part of the lake that is attached to Geneva has an area of 38 km² (14.7 sq mi) and is sometimes referred to as petit lac (small lake). The canton has only a 4.5 km-long (2.8 mi) border with the rest of Switzerland. Of 107.5 km (66.8 mi) of the border, 103 are shared with France, the Département de l'Ain to the north and west and the Département de la Haute-Savoie to the south and east.

Of the land in the city, 0.24 km² (0.093 sq mi), or 1.5%, is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.5 km² (0.19 sq mi), or 3.1%, is forested. The rest of the land, 14.63 km² (5.65 sq mi), or 91.8%, is built up (buildings or roads), 0.49 km² (0.19 sq mi), or 3.1%, is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acres), or 0.1%, is wasteland.^[32]

Of the built-up area, industrial buildings made up 3.4%, housing and buildings made up 46.2% and transportation infrastructure 25.8%, while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 15.7%. Of the agricultural land, 0.3% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.2% is composed of lakes and 2.9% is rivers and streams.^[32]

The altitude of Geneva is 373.6 m (1,225.7 ft) and corresponds to the altitude of the largest of the Pierres du Niton, two large rocks emerging from the lake which date from the last ice age. This rock was chosen by General Guillaume Henri Dufour as the reference point for surveying in Switzerland.^[33] The second main river of Geneva is the Arve, which flows into the Rhône just west of the city centre. Mont Blanc can be seen from Geneva and is an hour's drive from the city.

Climate

The climate of Geneva is a temperate climate, more specifically an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb). Winters are cool, usually with light frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day. Summers are relatively warm. Precipitation is adequate and is relatively well-distributed throughout the year, although autumn is slightly wetter than other seasons. Ice storms near Lac Léman are normal in the winter: Geneva can be affected by the Bise, a north-easterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter.^[35]

In summer, many people swim in the lake and patronise public beaches such as Genève Plage and the Bains des Pâquis. The city, in certain years, receives snow during colder months. The nearby mountains are subject to substantial snowfall and are suitable for skiing. Many world-renowned ski resorts such as Verbier and Crans-Montana are less than three hours away by car. Mont Salève (1,379 m (4,524 ft)), just across the border in France, dominates the southerly view from the city centre, and Mont Blanc, the highest of the Alpine range, is visible from most of the city, towering high above Chamonix, which, along with Morzine, Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, and resorts of the Grand Massif such as Samoens, Morillon, and Flaine, are the closest French skiing destinations to Geneva.

During the years 2000–2009, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.^[36]

The highest temperature recorded in Genève–Cointrin was 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in July 2015, and the lowest temperature recorded was −20.0 °C (−4.0 °F) in February 1956.