Geneva

Canton: Geneva (GE)
Altitude 375 m. a. s. l.
Area: 15,89 km²
Population: 200’548 (31. December 2017)
Population Density: 12’621 people per km²
Website: ville-geneve.ch
Geneva ( jə-NEE-və; Arpitan: [dzəˈnɛva] ; French: Genève [ʒənɛv] ) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous in 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. The city of Geneva (Ville de Genève) had a population of 203,856 in January 2021 within its municipal territory of 16 km2 (6 sq mi). The Geneva metropolitan area as officially defined by Eurostat, including suburbs and exurbs in Vaud and the French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie, extends over 2,292 km2 (885 sq mi) and had a population of 1,053,436 in 2021. 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). The Grand Genève GLCT extends over 1,996 km2 (771 sq mi) and had a population of 1,046,168 in Jan. 2021 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.3% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.7% on French territory. 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 and the ICRC and IFRC of the Red Cross. 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. The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital". 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. In 2019, Geneva was ranked among the ten most liveable cities in the world by Mercer, alongside Zürich and Basel, as well as the thirteenth most expensive city in the world. In a UBS ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, second most expensive, and fourth in purchasing power.