, neighboring_municipalities=

Carouge Carouge () is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Carouge is first mentioned in the Early Middle Ages as ''Quadruvium'' and ''Quatruvio''. In 1248 it was mentioned as ''Carrogium'' while in the 14th Century it was kn ...

Chêne-Bougeries Chêne-Bougeries is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Chêne-Bougeries is first mentioned in 1270 as ''Quercus''. In 1801 it was mentioned as ''Chêne-les-Bougeries''. Chêne-Bougeries was inhabited for most of its his ...

Cologny Cologny () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Cologny is first mentioned in 1208 as ''Colognier''. The oldest trace of a settlement in the area is a Neolithic lake side village which ...

Lancy Lancy is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Lancy is first mentioned in 1097 as ''Lanciaco'' meaning "fearless". Geography Lancy has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or ...

Grand-Saconnex Le Grand-Saconnex () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Several international organizations and permanent missions to the United Nations are located in Grand Saconnex. Consequently, the population of Grand Saconnex is quite ...

Pregny-Chambésy Pregny-Chambésy is a Municipalities of Switzerland, commune in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is located directly north of the city of Geneva, on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva. A number of foreign Diplomatic mission, permanent ...

, Vernier,

Veyrier Veyrier is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Geography Veyrier has an area, , of . Of this area, or 33.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 13.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 50.6% is settled (build ...

, website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(after

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

) and the most populous city of

Romandy Romandy (french: Romandie or )Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (french: Suisse française) waalso used german: Romandie or , it, Romandia, rm, Romanda) is the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 milli ...

, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situated in the south west of the country, where the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

exits

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

, it is the capital of the

Republic and Canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

. The city of Geneva () had a population 201,818 in 2019 (Jan. estimate) within its small municipal territory of , but the

Canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

(the city and its closest Swiss

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s and

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing density, and growth. It s ...

s) had a population of 499,480 (Jan. 2019 estimate) over , and together with the suburbs and exurbs located in the canton of

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

and in the French departments of

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

and

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is ...

the cross-border Geneva

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

as officially defined by

Eurostat Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statis ...

, which extends over ,As of 2020, the Eurostat-defined

Functional Urban Area The larger urban zone (LUZ), or functional urban area (FUA), is a measure of the population and expanse of metropolitan and surrounding areas which may or may not be exclusively urban. It consists of a city and its commuting zone outside it. Th ...

of Geneva was made up of 93 Swiss communes and 158 French communes
Federal Statistical Office spreadsheet listing the Swiss and French communes of the Geneva Functional Urban Area

Land area of the 93 Swiss communes: 555.1 km² (source

.
Land area of the 158 French communes: 1737.1 km² (source

. had a population of 1,032,750 in Jan. 2019 (Swiss estimates and French census).As of 2020, the Eurostat-defined

of Geneva was made up of 93 Swiss communes and 158 French communes
Federal Statistical Office spreadsheet listing the Swiss and French communes of the Geneva Functional Urban Area

Population of the 93 Swiss communes in January 2019: 599,556 (source

.
Population of the 158 French communes in January 2019: 433,194 (source

. Since 2013, the Canton of Geneva, the

Nyon District Nyon District is a district in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The seat of the district is the city of Nyon. Geography Nyon has an area, , of . Of this area, or 42.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.7% is forested. Of the res ...

(in the canton of Vaud), and the (literally 'Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory'), this last one a federation of eight French intercommunal councils, have formed ("Greater Geneva"), a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation ( 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 extends over Grand Genève is made up of: *Canton of Geneva (245.8 km�

*District of Nyon (307.4 km�

*Genevois français (1443.2 km²), itself made up of CA Thonon Agglomération (238.9 km�

CA Annemasse-les Voirons-Agglomération (78.2 km�

CC Arve et Salève (99.3 km�

CC du Pays Rochois (93.9 km�

CC Faucigny-Glières (150.7 km�

CC du Genevois (151.5 km�

CA du Pays de Gex (404.9 km�

and CC du Pays Bellegardien (225.8 km�

and had a population of 1,025,316 in Jan. 2019 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.5% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.5% on French territory.Grand Genève is made up of: *Canton of Geneva (499,480 inh. in Jan. 201

*District of Nyon (100,685 inh. in Jan. 201

*Genevois français (425,151 inh. in Jan. 2019), itself made up of CA Thonon Agglomération (90,531 inh

CA Annemasse-les Voirons-Agglomération (90,562 inh

CC Arve et Salève (20,074 inh

CC du Pays Rochois (28,369 inh

CC Faucigny-Glières (27,181 inh

CC du Genevois (48,312 inh

CA du Pays de Gex (98,257 inh

and CC du Pays Bellegardien (21,865 inh

Geneva is a global city, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous

international organization An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...

s, including the headquarters of many agencies of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world. It is also where the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...

were signed, which chiefly concern the treatment of wartime non-combatants and

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. Together with, for instance,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(global headquarters of the UN),

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

(Bank for International Settlements), and

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

(Council of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

), Geneva is a city serving as the headquarters of one of the most important international organizations, without being the capital of a country. In 2021, Geneva was ranked as the world's ninth most important

financial centre A financial centre ( BE), financial center ( AE), or financial hub, is a location with a concentration of participants in banking, asset management, insurance or financial markets with venues and supporting services for these activities to ta ...

for competitiveness by the

Global Financial Centres Index The Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) is a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centres based on over 29,000 financial centre assessments from an online questionnaire together with over 100 indices from organisations such as the World ...

, fifth in Europe behind London, Zürich, Frankfurt and Luxembourg. In 2019, Geneva was ranked among the ten most liveable cities in the world by

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...

together with Zürich and

. The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital". In 2019, Mercer ranked Geneva as the thirteenth

most expensive city These are lists of the world's most expensive cities for expatriate employees (not residents), according to the Mercer, ECA International and Xpatulator.com cost-of-living surveys. Other surveys from online collaborative indices, such as Numbeo, ...

in the world. In a

UBS UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...

ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, second most expensive, and fourth in

purchasing power Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. For example, if one had taken one unit of currency to a store in the 1950s, it would have been possible to buy a greater number of items than would ...

Name

The city was mentioned in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

texts, by

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

, with the spelling ''Genava'', probably from the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

from the stem ("bend, knee"), in the sense of a bending river or

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

, an etymology shared with the Italian port city of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

(in Italian ''Genova'').John T. Koch, ''Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 1513. The medieval

county of Geneva The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. History Several nobles had held the title of a ...

Middle Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying deg ...

was known as ''pagus major Genevensis'' or ''Comitatus Genevensis'' (also ''Gebennensis''). After 1400 it became the '' Genevois'' province of

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

(albeit not extending to the city proper, until the

reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

of the seat of the

Bishop of Geneva The Catholic Diocese of Geneva was a Latin Catholic diocese in part of Switzerland and Savoy from 400 to 1801 when it merged with the Diocese of Chambéry. The merged diocese later lost Swiss territory to the Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva an ...

History

Geneva was an Allobrogian border town, fortified against the

Helvetii The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celts, Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their Switzerland in the Roman era, contact with the Roman Republic in the ...

tribe, when the Romans took it in 121 BC. It became Christian under the Late

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, and acquired its first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the 5th century, having been connected to the

Bishopric of Vienne The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon. History The legend according to whic ...

in the 4th. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Geneva was ruled by a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

under the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

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 The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

came to at least nominally dominate the city. In the 15th century, an

oligarchic Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...

republican government emerged with the creation of the Grand Council. In the first half of the 16th century, the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

reached the city, causing religious strife, during which Savoy rule was thrown off and Geneva allied itself with the

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...

. In 1541, with Protestantism on the rise,

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

, the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Reformer and proponent of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

, became the spiritual leader of the city and established the

Republic of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

. By the 18th century, Geneva had come under the influence of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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 The Geneva Revolution of 1782 (french: La révolution genevoise de 1782) was a short-lived attempt to broaden the franchise and include men of modest means in the republican government of the oligarchic Genevan city-state. Background In 1782 the c ...

, an attempt to win representation in the government for men of modest means. In 1798, revolutionary France under the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

annexed Geneva. At the end of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, on 1June 1814, Geneva was admitted to the

Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. 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.

Geography

Topography

Geneva is located at 46°12' North, 6°09' East, at the south-western end of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

, where the

flows out. It is surrounded by three mountain chains, each belonging to the Jura: the Jura main range lies north-westward, the

Vuache The Vuache is a range of hills in eastern France, close to the border with Switzerland (the nearest city is in fact Geneva). To the north lies the Jura and to the south the Alps. At their northern end, the hills drop steeply down to the River R ...

southward, and the

Salève The Salève (), or Mont Salève, is a mountain of the French Prealps located in the department of Haute-Savoie in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is also called the "Balcony of Geneva" (French: ''Balcon de Genève''). Geography Geographically, the S ...

south-eastward. Genève vue aérienne

The city covers an area of , while the area of the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

is , including the two small

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

s of

Céligny Céligny is a municipality in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It consists of two small exclaves of the Canton of Geneva surrounded by the Canton of Vaud, near Crans-près-Céligny. History Céligny is first mentioned in 1163 as ''Siliniacum'' ...

. The part of the lake that is attached to Geneva has an area of and is sometimes referred to as ''petit lac'' (small lake). The canton has only a border with the rest of Switzerland. Of of 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, , or 1.5%, is used for agricultural purposes, while , or 3.1%, is forested. The rest of the land, , or 91.8%, is built up (buildings or roads), , or 3.1%, is either rivers or lakes and , or 0.1%, is wasteland.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010. 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. Confluence Rhône et Arve

The altitude of Geneva is and corresponds to the altitude of the largest of the

Pierres du Niton The Pierres du Niton (French for ''Neptune's Stones'') are two Glacial erratic, glacial erratics in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, in Geneva harbor. On the left bank of the lake near Quai Gustave-Ador, they are remnants from the last ice age, left by t ...

, two large rocks emerging from the lake which date from the last ice age. This rock was chosen by General

Guillaume Henri Dufour Guillaume Henri Dufour (15 September 178714 July 1875) was a Swiss military officer, structural engineer and topographer. He served under Napoleon I and held the Swiss office of General four times in his career, firstly in 1847 when he led the ...

as the reference point for surveying in Switzerland. The second main river of Geneva is the

Arve The Arve (french: L'Arve, ) is a river in France (''département'' of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long, of which 9 km in Switzerland. Its catchment area is , of which 80 km2 ...

, which flows into the

just west of the city centre.

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

can be seen from Geneva and is an hour's drive from the city.

Climate

The climate of Geneva is a

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

, more specifically an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: 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 , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

are normal in the winter: Geneva can be affected by the

Bise The Bise (French: ''La Bise'') is a cold, dry wind in Switzerland which blows through the Swiss Plateau from the northeast to the southwest. Cause and effect It is caused by canalisation of the air-current along the northern edge of the Alps, du ...

, a north-easterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter. In summer, many people swim in the lake and patronise public beaches such as Genève Plage and the

Bains des Pâquis Bains may refer to: Places *Bains, Haute-Loire, a commune in France *Bains, Louisiana, US, an unincorporated area in West Feliciana Parish People with the surname Bains *Hardial Bains (1939–1997), founder of the Communist Party of Canada *Har ...

. 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 Verbier is a village located in south-western Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is a holiday resort and ski area in the Swiss Alps and is recognised as one of the premier off-piste resorts in the world. Some areas are covered with snow all ...

and

Crans-Montana Crans-Montana is a municipality in the district of Sierre in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. On 1 January 2017 the former municipalities of Chermignon, Mollens, Montana and Randogne merged to form the new municipality of Crans-Montana. Cr ...

are less than three hours away by car. Mont Salève (), just across the border in France, dominates the southerly view from the city centre, and

, the highest of the Alpine range, is visible from most of the city, towering high above

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

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

Politics

Coat of arms

Administrative divisions

The city is divided into eight ''quartiers'', or districts, sometimes composed of several neighbourhoods. On the left bank are: (1) Jonction, (2) Centre,

Plainpalais Plainpalais is a neighbourhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and a former Municipalities of the canton of Geneva, municipality of the Canton of Geneva. It is mentioned in Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein'' in chapter 6, volume 1. Argentine author Jorge ...

, and Acacias; (3) Eaux-Vives; and (4)

Champel Champel is a neighborhood in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Champel is widely considered a posh, high-class neighbourhood due to its numerous parks and natural spaces, very luxurious apartments and proximity to the city center. Residences most ...

. The right bank includes: (1) Saint-Jean and Charmilles; (2)

Servette Servette is a district of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The district's name comes from the Latin word for forest, ''silva'', and means "little forest". Its name alludes to Servette's rural past, before Geneva grew beyond its walls and incorpora ...

and Petit-Saconnex; (3) Grottes and Saint-Gervais; and (4) Paquis and Nations.

Government

The Administrative Council (Conseil administratif) constitutes the executive government of the city of Geneva and operates as a

collegiate authority Collegiate may refer to: * College * Webster's Dictionary, a dictionary with editions referred to as a "Collegiate" * ''Collegiate'' (1926 film), 1926 American silent film directed by Del Andrews * ''Collegiate'' (1936 film), 1936 American musi ...

. It is composed of five councilors (french: link=no, Conseiller administratif/ Conseillère administrative), each presiding over a department. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (''la maire/le maire''). In the governmental year 2021–2022, the Administrative Council is presided over by ''Madame la maire de Genève''

Frédérique Perler Frédérique Perler (born August 21, 1960, in Basel) is a Geneva politician and member of the Green Party. She is an administrative councillor (executive) of the city of Geneva since June 1, 2020, at the head of the department of planning, constru ...

. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Municipal Council are carried out by the Administrative Council. Elections for the Administrative Council are held every five years. The current term of (''la législature'') is from 1June 2020 to 31May 2025. The delegates are elected by means of a system of Majorz. The mayor and vice change each year, while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate. The executive body holds its meetings in the

Palais Eynard Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace ** Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in ...

, near the Parc des Bastions. , Geneva's Administrative Council is made up of two representatives each of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(PS) and the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

(PES), and one member of the

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

(PDC). This gives the left-wing parties four out of the five seats and, for the first time in history, a female majority. The last election was held on 15March/5April 2020. Except for the mayor, all other councillors have been elected for the first time.

Parliament

The Municipal Council (Conseil municipal) holds

legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

. It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every five years. The Municipal Council makes regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Administrative Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

with a seven percent threshold. The sessions of the Municipal Council are public. Unlike members of the Administrative Council, members of the Municipal Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Geneva allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council. The Council holds its meetings in the Town Hall (''Hôtel de Ville''), in the old city. The last election of the Municipal Council was held on 15March 2020 for the (''législature'') of 2020–2025. Currently, the Municipal Council consists of: 19 members of the Social Democratic Party (PS), 18 Green Party (PES), 14 Les Libéraux-Radicaux (PLR), 8 Christian Democratic People's Party (PDC); 7

Geneva Citizens' Movement The Geneva Citizens' Movement (french: Mouvement Citoyens Genevois), abbreviated to MCG, is a populist political party in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. On its own initiative, it started, and is a part of, the wider Romandy Citizens' Movement ...

(MCG), 7 ''Ensemble à Gauche'' (an alliance of the left parties PST-POP (''Parti Suisse du Travail – Parti Ouvrier et Populaire'') and

solidaritéS Solidarity (french: solidaritéS) Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1898 is a socialist and Trotskyist political party, present in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Ne ...

), 6

Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party (german: Schweizerische Volkspartei, SVP; rm, Partida populara Svizra, PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (french: Union démocratique du centre, UDC; it, Unione Democratica di Centro, UDC), is a nati ...

(UDC).

Elections

National Council

In the 2019 federal election for the

Swiss National Council The National Council (german: Nationalrat; french: Conseil national; it, Consiglio nazionale; rm, Cussegl naziunal) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the upper house being the Council of States. With 200 seats, the ...

the most popular party was the

which received 26% (+14.6) of the vote. The next seven most popular parties were the PS (17.9%, -5.9), PLR (15.1%, -2.4), the UDC (12.6%, -3.7), the

PdA PDA may refer to: Science and technology * Patron-driven acquisition, a mechanism for libraries to purchase books *Personal digital assistant, a mobile device * Photodiode array, a type of detector * Polydiacetylenes, a family of conducting poly ...

(10%, +1.3), the PDC (5.4%, -5.3), the pvl (5%, +2.9), and MCR (4.9%, -2.7). In the federal election a total of 34,319 votes were cast, and the

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

was 39.6%. In the 2015 federal election for the

the most popular party was the PS which received 23.8% of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the PLR (17.6%), the UDC (16.3%), the

(11.4%), the PDC (10.7%), and the

(8.8%). In the federal election a total of 36,490 votes were cast, and the

was 44.1%.

Metropolitan cooperation

The city centre of Geneva is located only from the border of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. As a result, the

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

and the

largely extend across the border on French territory. Due to the small size of the municipality of Geneva () and extension of the urban area over an international border, official bodies of transnational cooperation were developed as early as the 1970s to manage the cross-border Greater Geneva area at a metropolitan level. In 1973, a Franco-Swiss agreement created the ''Comité régional franco-genevois'' ("Franco-Genevan Regional Committee", CRFG in French). In 1997 an 'Urban planning charter' of the CRFG defined for the first time a planning territory called ''agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise'' ("Franco-

-Genevan urban area"). 2001 saw the creation of a ''Comité stratégique de développement des transports publics régionaux'' ("Strategic Committee for the Development of Regional Public Transports", DTPR in French), a committee which adopted in 2003 a 'Charter for Public Transports', first step in the development of a metropolitan, cross-border

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

network (see

Léman Express The Léman Express is a commuter rail network for the transborder agglomeration of Grand Genève (''Greater Geneva'') in west Switzerland and the French Alps (Haute-Savoie and Ain). Six lines serve Swiss and French towns along 230 km of rai ...

). In 2004, a public transnational body called ''Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois'' ("Franco-Vaud-Genevan urban area project") was created to serve as the main body of metropolitan cooperation for the planning territory defined in 1997, with more local French councils taking part in this new public body than in the CRFG created in 1973. Finally in 2012 the ''Projet d’agglomération franco-valdo-genevois'' was renamed ''

Grand Genève Grand Genève ("Greater Geneva" in English) is a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation (in French: ''groupement local de coopération transfrontalière'', or GLCT), a public entity under Swiss law, in charge of organizing cooperation within ...

'' ("Greater Geneva"), and the following year it was transformed into a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation (GLCT in French), a public entity under Swiss law, which now serves as the executive body of the ''Grand Genève''. The ''Grand Genève'' GLCT is made up of the

, the

(in the canton of Vaud), and the ''Pôle métropolitain du Genevois français'' (literally "Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory"), this last one a federation of eight French intercommunal councils in

and

. The ''Grand Genève'' GLCT extends over and had a population of 1,025,316 in Jan. 2019 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.5% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.5% on French territory.

International relations

Geneva does not have any

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

relationships with other cities. It declares itself related to the entire world.

Demographics

Population

The city of Geneva (''ville de Genève'') had a population 201,818 in 2019 (Jan. estimate) within its small municipal territory of . The city of Geneva is at the centre of the Geneva

, a

(as per

methodology) which extends over Swiss territory (entire

and part of the canton of

) and French territory (parts of the departments of

and

). The Geneva Functional Urban Area covers a land area of (24.2% in Switzerland, 75.8% in France) and had 1,032,750 inhabitants in Jan. 2019 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58,1% of them on Swiss territory and 41.9% on French territory. The Geneva metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing in Europe. Its population rose from 870,208 in Jan. 2008 to 1,032,750 in Jan. 2019, which means the metropolitan area registered a population growth rate of +1.57% per year during those 11 years. Growth is higher in the French part of the metropolitan area (+2.01% per year between 2008 and 2019) than in the Swiss part (+1.29% per year between 2008 and 2019), as Geneva attracts many French commuters due to high Swiss salaries and a favorable Franco-Swiss tax regime for French residents working in Switzerland. The official language of Geneva (both the city and the canton) is French. English is also common due to the high number of anglophone immigrants and foreigners working in international institutions and in the bank sector. , 128,622 or 72.3% of the population speaks French as a first language, with English being the second most common (7,853 or 4.4%) language. 7,462 inhabitants speak Spanish (or 4.2%), 7,320 speak Italian (4.1%), 7,050 speak German (4.0%) and 113 people who speak Romansh. As a result of

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

flows in the 1960s and 1980s, Portuguese is also spoken by a considerable proportion of the population. In the city of Geneva, , 48% of the population are resident foreign nationals. For a list of the largest groups of foreign residents see the cantonal overview. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009), the population has changed at a rate of 7.2%; a rate of 3.4% due to migration and at a rate of 3.4% due to births and deaths.Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 25 April 2011/ , the gender distribution of the population was 47.8% male and 52.2% female. The population was made up of 46,284 Swiss men (24.2% of the population) and 45,127 (23.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 56,091 Swiss women (29.3%) and 43,735 (22.9%) non-Swiss women.Canton of Geneva Statistical Office
''Population résidante du canton de Genève, selon l'origine et le sexe, par commune, en mars 2011'' accessed 18 April 2011. approximately 24.3% of the population of the municipality were born in Geneva and lived there in 200043,296. A further 11,757 or 6.6% who were born in the same canton, while 27,359 or 15.4% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 77,893 or 43.8% were born outside of Switzerland. In , there were 1,147 live births to Swiss citizens and 893 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in the same time span there were 1,114 deaths of Swiss citizens and 274 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 33, while the foreign population increased by 619. There were 465 Swiss men and 498 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2933 non-Swiss men and 2662 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 135 and the non-Swiss population increased by 3181 people. This represents a

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

of 1.8%.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Superweb database – Gemeinde Statistics 1981–2008
accessed 19 June 2010. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16%. , there were 78,666 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 74,205 married individuals, 10,006 widows or widowers and 15,087 individuals who are divorced.STAT-TAB Thema 40 – Eidgenössische Volkszählung (34)
accessed 2 February 2011. , there were 86,231 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. There were 44,373 households that consist of only one person and 2,549 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 89,269 households that answered this question, 49.7% were households made up of just one person and there were 471 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 17,429 married couples without children, 16,607 married couples with children. There were 5,499 single parents with a child or children. There were 1,852 households that were made up of unrelated people and 3,038 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing. Geneva - Quartier des Grottes

, there were 743 single family homes (or 10.6% of the total) out of a total of 6,990 inhabited buildings. There were 2,758 multi-family buildings (39.5%), along with 2,886 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (41.3%) and 603 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (8.6%). Of the single family homes, 197 were built before 1919, while 20 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (277) were built between 1919 and 1945.Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB – Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 – Gebäude und Wohnungen
accessed 28 January 2011. , there were 101,794 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 27,084. There were 21,889 single room apartments and 11,166 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 85,330 apartments (83.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 13,644 apartments (13.4%) were seasonally occupied and 2,820 apartments (2.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 1.3 new units per 1000 residents. , the average price to rent an average apartment in Geneva was 1163.30

Swiss franc The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...

s (CHF) per month (US$930, £520, €740 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 641.60 CHF (US$510, £290, €410), a two-room apartment was about 874.46 CHF (US$700, £390, €560), a three-room apartment was about 1126.37 CHF (US$900, £510, €720) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2691.07 CHF (US$2150, £1210, €1720). The average apartment price in Geneva was 104.2% of the national average of 1116 CHF.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices
2003 data accessed 26 May 2010. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.25%. In June 2011, the average price of an apartment in and around Geneva was 13,681 CHF per square metre (). The average can be as high as 17,589

s (CHF) per square metre () for a luxury apartment and as low as 9,847 Swiss francs (CHF) for an older or basic apartment. For houses in and around Geneva, the average price was 11,595 Swiss francs (CHF) per square metre () (June 2011), with a lowest price per square metre () of 4,874 Swiss francs (CHF), and a maximum price of 21,966 Swiss francs (CHF).

Historical population

William Monter calculates that the city's total population was 12,000–13,000 in 1550, doubling to over 25,000 by 1560. The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1100 height:500 PlotArea = height:350 left: 100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:180000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:20000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:5000 start:0 Colors= id:TO value:yellowgreen legend:Total id:FR value:teal legend:French_Speaking id:GE value:green legend:German_Speaking id:CA value:lightpurple legend:Catholic id:PR value:oceanblue legend:Protestant id:SW value:red legend:Swiss PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from:start till:37724 text:"37,724" color:TO bar:1870 from:start till:60004 text:"60,004" color:TO bar:1888 from:start till:75709 text:"75,709" color:TO bar:1900 from:start till:97359 text:"97,359" color:TO bar:1910 from:start till:115243 text:"115,243" color:TO bar:1930 from:start till:124121 text:"124,121" color:TO bar:1950 from:start till:145473 text:"145,473" color:TO bar:1970 from:start till:173618 text:"173,618" color:TO bar:1990 from:start till:171042 text:"171,042" color:TO bar:2000 from:start till:177964 text:"177,964" color:TO LineData = points:(300,111)(400,113) color:GE points:(400,113)(500,118) color:GE points:(500,118)(600,126) color:GE points:(600,126)(700,130) color:GE points:(700,130)(800,128) color:GE points:(800,128)(900,109) color:GE points:(900,109)(1000,104) color:GE points:(300,209)(400,241) color:FR points:(400,241)(500,259) color:FR points:(500,259)(600,271) color:FR points:(600,271)(700,306) color:FR points:(700,306)(800,307) color:FR points:(800,307)(900,309) color:FR points:(900,309)(1000,340) color:FR points:(100,112)(200,143) color:CA points:(200,143)(300,153) color:CA points:(300,153)(400,177) color:CA points:(400,177)(500,194) color:CA points:(500,194)(600,186) color:CA points:(600,186)(700,204) color:CA points:(700,204)(800,266) color:CA points:(800,266)(900,245) color:CA points:(900,245)(1000,219) color:CA points:(100,141)(200,158) color:PR points:(200,158)(300,171) color:PR points:(300,171)(400,187) color:PR points:(400,187)(500,198) color:PR points:(500,198)(600,218) color:PR points:(600,218)(700,236) color:PR points:(700,236)(800,217) color:PR points:(800,217)(900,157) color:PR points:(900,157)(1000,141) color:PR points:(100,147)(200,166) color:SW points:(200,166)(300,182) color:SW points:(300,182)(400,204) color:SW points:(400,204)(500,221) color:SW points:(500,221)(600,270) color:SW points:(600,270)(700,321) color:SW points:(700,321)(800,314) color:SW points:(800,314)(900,282) color:SW points:(900,282)(1000,284) color:SW

Religion

The recorded 66,491 residents (37.4% of the population) as Catholic, while 41,289 people (23.20%) belonged to no church or were agnostic or

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, 24,105 (13.5%) belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

, and 8,698 (4.89%) were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. There were also 3,959 members of an

Orthodox church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church * Oriental Orthodox Churches * Orthodox Presbyterian Church * Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand * State church of the Roman Empire * True Orthodox church See also * Orthodox (dis ...

(2.22%), 220 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belonged to the

Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is an Old Catholic denomination in Switzerland. This denomination is part of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic). Recent developments In 1871 the Zürich Catholic community planned to build a chu ...

, 2,422 (1.36%) who belonged to another Christian church, and 2,601 people (1.46%) who were Jewish. There were 707 individuals who were Buddhist, 474 who were Hindu and 423 who belonged to another church. 26,575 respondents (14.93%) did not answer the question. According to 2012 statistics by Swiss Bundesamt für Statistik 49.2% of the population were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, (34.2%

, 8.8%

Swiss Reformed The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

(organized in the

Protestant Church of Geneva The Protestant Church of Geneva (EPG, french: link=no, Église protestante de Genève) is an organization of congregations in the Canton of Geneva. It was founded in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation. It was the state church of Geneva from it ...

) and 6.2% other Christians, mostly other

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

), 38% of Genevans were

non-religious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and anti ...

, 6.1% were

and 1.6% were Jews. Geneva has historically been considered a

city and was known as the ''Protestant Rome'' due to it being the base of

William Farel William Farel (1489 – 13 September 1565), Guilhem Farel or Guillaume Farel (), was a French evangelist, Protestant reformer and a founder of the Calvinist Church in the Principality of Neuchâtel, in the Republic of Geneva, and in Switzerland ...

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformatio ...

and other

Protestant reformers Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

. Over the past century, substantial immigration from France and other predominantly

countries, as well as general secularization, has changed its religious landscape. As a result, three times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants lived in the city in 2000, while a large number of residents were members of neither group. Geneva forms part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg ( la, Dioecesis Lausannensis, Genevensis et Friburgensis) is a Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland, which is (as all sees in the Alpine country) exempt (i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not p ...

. The

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...

and the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

both have their headquarters at the

Ecumenical Centre The Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, is located in the vicinity of the International Labour Organization, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the World Health Organization and serves as the base for the following church ...

, Geneva. The

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

, a worldwide organization of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Continental Reformed Continental Reformed Protestantism is a part of the Calvinist tradition within Protestantism that traces its origin in the European continent. Prominent subgroups are the Dutch Reformed, the Swiss Reformed, the French Reformed (Huguenots), the ...

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

and other

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

churches gathering more than 80 million people around the world was based here from 1948 until 2013. The executive committee of the

voted in 2012 to move its offices to

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Germany, citing the high costs of running the ecumenical organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The move was completed in 2013. Likewise, the

Conference of European Churches The Conference of European Churches (CEC) was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. In its commitment to Europe as a who ...

have moved their headquarters from Geneva to Brussels.

"Protestant Rome"

Prior to the

the city was ''de jure'' and ''de facto''

. Reaction to the new movement varied across Switzerland.

went to Geneva in 1536 after

encouraged him to do so. In Geneva, the Catholic bishop had been obliged to seek exile in 1532. Geneva became a stronghold of

. Some of the tenets created there influenced Protestantism as a whole.

St. Pierre Cathedral Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland is a former Roman Catholic cathedral that was later converted into a Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva church during the Reformation. It is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one ...

was where Calvin and his

preached. It constituted the epicentre of the newly developing Protestant thought that would later become known as the

Reformed tradition Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the Christian theology, theological tradition and forms of Christianity, Christ ...

. Many prominent Reformed theologians operated there, including

and

, Calvin's successor who progressed Reformed thought after his death. Geneva was a shelter for Calvinists, but at the same time it persecuted Roman Catholics and others considered heretics. The case of

Michael Servetus Michael Servetus (; es, Miguel Serveto as real name; french: Michel Servet; also known as ''Miguel Servet'', ''Miguel de Villanueva'', ''Revés'', or ''Michel de Villeneuve''; 29 September 1509 or 1511 – 27 October 1553) was a Spanish th ...

, an early

Nontrinitarian Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence ...

, is notable. Condemned by both Catholics and Protestants alike, he was arrested in Geneva and burnt at the stake as a heretic by order of the city's Protestant governing council. John Calvin and his followers denounced him, and possibly contributed to his sentence. In 1802, during its annexation to France under

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, the Diocese of Geneva was united with the Diocese of Chambéry, but the 1814 Congress of Vienna and the 1816 Treaty of Turin stipulated that in the territories transferred to a now considerably extended Geneva, the Catholic religion was to be protected and that no changes were to be made in existing conditions without an agreement with the Holy See. Napoleon's common policy was to emancipate Catholics in Protestant-majority areas, and the other way around, as well as emancipating Jews. In 1819, the city of Geneva and 20 parishes were united to the Diocese of Lausanne by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

and in 1822, the non-Swiss territory was made into the

Diocese of Annecy The Roman Catholic Diocese of Annecy (Latin: ''Dioecesis Anneciensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Annecy'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Saint-Gingolph VS, a town in the Swiss canton of Valais, is also part ...

. A variety of concord with the civil authorities came as a result of the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

, enacted with strong Catholic support in 1907.

Crime

In 2014 the incidence of crimes listed in the

Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...

in Geneva was 143.9 per thousand residents. During the same period the rate of drug crimes was 33.6 per thousand residents. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 35.7 per thousand residents.

Cityscape

Heritage sites of national significance

There are 82 buildings or sites in Geneva that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance, and the entire old city of Geneva is part of the

Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...

. Religious buildings: Cathedral St-Pierre et Chapel des Macchabés, Notre-Dame Church, Russian church, St-Germain Church, Temple de la Fusterie, Temple de l'Auditoire Civic buildings: Former Arsenal and Archives of the City of Genève, Former Crédit Lyonnais, Former Hôtel Buisson, Former Hôtel du Résident de France et Bibliothèque de la Société de lecture de Genève, Former école des arts industriels, Archives d'État de Genève (Annexe), Bâtiment des forces motrices,

Bibliothèque de Genève The Bibliothèque de Genève (BGE, English: Geneva Library, Library of Geneva), founded in 1559, was known as ''Bibliothèque publique et universitaire'' (BPU, English: Public and University Library) from 1907 to 2006. It occupies different build ...

, Library juive de Genève «Gérard Nordmann», Cabinet des estampes, Centre d'Iconographie genevoise,

Collège Calvin The Collège Calvin, formerly the Collège de Genève, is the oldest public secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin. History On February 24, 1428, the ''Conseil Général'' of Geneva decided to establish ...

, École Geisendorf,

University Hospital of Geneva A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(HUG), Hôtel de Ville et tour Baudet,

Immeuble Clarté Immeuble Clarté is an apartment building in Geneva designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret starting from 1928 and built in 1931–32. It has eight stories comprising 45 free plan units of diverse configurations and sizes. It is one of Le Cor ...

at Rue Saint-Laurent 2 and 4, Immeubles House Rotonde at Rue Charles-Giron 11–19, Immeubles at Rue Beauregard 2, 4, 6, 8, Immeubles at Rue de la Corraterie 10–26, Immeubles at Rue des Granges 2–6, Immeuble at Rue des Granges 8, Immeubles at Rue des Granges 10 and 12, Immeuble at Rue des Granges 14, Immeuble and Former Armory at Rue des Granges 16, Immeubles at Rue Pierre Fatio 7 and 9, House de Saussure at Rue de la Cité 24, House Des arts du Grütli at Rue du Général-Dufour 16, House Royale et les deux immeubles à côté at Quai Gustave Ador 44–50, Tavel House at Rue du Puits-St-Pierre 6, Turrettini House at Rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville 8 and 10, Brunswick Monument, Palais de Justice, Palais de l'Athénée, Palais des Nations with library and archives of the SDN and ONU, Palais Eynard et Archives de la ville de Genève,

Palais Wilson The Palais Wilson (Wilson Palace) in Geneva, Switzerland, is the current headquarters of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was also the headquarters of the League of Nations from 1 November 1920 until that bod ...

, Parc des Bastions avec Mur des Réformateurs, Place de Neuve et Monument du Général Dufour, Pont de la Machine, Pont sur l'Arve, Poste du Mont-Blanc, Quai du Mont-Blanc, Quai et Hôtel des Bergues, Quai Général Guisan and English Gardens, Quai Gustave-Ador and

Jet d'eau The Jet d'Eau (, ''Water-Jet'') is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of group stage matches ...

Télévision Suisse Romande Télévision Suisse Romande ("Swiss Television Romandy") was a Television broadcasting, TV network with two channels: TSR 1 and TSR 2 (the two channels became RTS Un and RTS Deux after 2012). They were the main French language channels in Switz ...

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

, Victoria Hall. Archeological sites: Foundation Baur and Museum of the arts d'Extrême-Orient, Parc et campagne de la Grange and Library (neolithic shore settlement/Roman villa),

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

shore settlement of Plonjon, Temple de la Madeleine archeological site, Temple Saint-Gervais archeological site, Old City with

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and medieval villages. Museums, theaters, and other cultural sites: Conservatoire de musique at Place Neuve 5, Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Fonds cantonal d'art contemporain, Ile Rousseau and statue,

Institut et Musée Voltaire The Institut et Musée Voltaire is a museum in Geneva dedicated to the life and works of Voltaire. The museum is housed in Les Délices, which was Voltaire's home from 1755 until 1760. The property was bought by the city of Geneva in 1929, and the ...

with Library and Archives, Mallet House and Museum international de la Réforme,

Musée Ariana The Musée Ariana, also known as the Musée suisse de la céramique et du verre (''Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass''), is a museum in Geneva, Switzerland. It is devoted to ceramic and glass artwork, and contains around 20,000 objects from the ...

, Museum of Art and History, Museum d'art moderne et contemporain, Museum d'ethnographie, Museum of the International Red Cross,

Musée Rath The Musée Rath is an art museum in Geneva, used exclusively for temporary exhibitions. Its building is the oldest purpose-built art museum in Switzerland, and the original home of Geneva's Musée d'Art et d'Histoire. It is located on Place Neu ...

, Natural History Museum, Plainpalais Commune Auditorium, Pitoëff Theatre, Villa Bartholoni at the Museum of History and Science. International organizations:

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

(ILO),

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

(UNHCR),

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Internati ...

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

, World

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. Geneva saint peter.JPG,

Vue aile sud College Calvin.JPG,

IKRK Hauptquartier.jpg,

(CICR) Botanical Garden Geneva 2006 803.JPG,

Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva The Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva () is a museum and an institution of the City of Geneva. Establishment and location It was founded in 1817 in a former area of ''Bastions Park'' in 1817 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle ...

Basilique Notre-Dame, Genève.jpg, Notre-Dame Church Eglise Orthodoxe Russe de Geneve.jpg,

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

Genf UNHCR.JPG,

(UNHCR) Hotel de Ville Geneva.jpg, Hôtel de Ville and the Tour Baudet Voltaire Museum.JPG,

Musee Reforme.JPG, Mallet House and Museum international de la Réforme Tavel House.JPG, Tavel House Brunswick Monument.jpg,

Brunswick Monument The Brunswick Monument is a mausoleum built in 1879 in the Jardin des Alpes in Geneva, Switzerland to commemorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick (1804–1873). He bequeathed his fortune to the city of Geneva in exchange for a monu ...

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (46745210785).jpg, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Villa La Grange.jpg, The Villa La Grange

Society and culture

Media

The city's main newspaper is the daily ''

Tribune de Genève The ''Tribune de Genève'' (English: ''Geneva Tribune'') is a Swiss French-language, regional daily newspaper, published in Berliner format by Edipresse in Geneva. History and operations The ''Tribune de Genève'' was first published by Jame ...

'', with a readership of about 187,000. ''

Le Courrier ''Le Courrier'' (literally "The Mail") is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Geneva. Founded on 5 January 1868, it was originally supported by the Roman Catholic Church, but has been completely independent since 1996. Mainly ...

'' mainly focuses on Geneva. Both ''

Le Temps ''Le Temps'' (literally "The Time") is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Berliner format in Geneva by Le Temps SA. It is the sole nationwide French-language non-specialised daily newspaper of Switzerland. Since 2021, it has b ...

'' (headquartered in Geneva) and '' Le Matin'' are widely read in Geneva, but cover the whole of

. Geneva is the main media center for French-speaking Switzerland. It is the headquarters for the numerous French language radio and television networks of the

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (german: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft; french: Société suisse de radiodiffusion et télévision; it, Società svizzera di radiotelevisione; rm, Societad Svizra da Radio e Televisiun; SRG ...

, known collectively as

Radio Télévision Suisse Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

. While both networks cover the whole of

, special programs related to Geneva are sometimes broadcast on some of the local radio frequencies. Other local radio stations broadcast from the city, including YesFM ( FM 91.8 MHz),

Radio Cité Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

(non-commercial radio, FM 92.2 MHz), OneFM (FM 107.0 MHz, also broadcast in

), and

World Radio Switzerland World Radio Switzerland (WRS) is the only 24-hour, English-language broadcast radio station in Switzerland. Until October 2013, it broadcast on 101.7 MHz FM in the Lake Geneva region, and now continues on DAB+ digital radio across Switzer ...

(FM 88.4 MHz). Léman Bleu is a local TV channel, founded in 1996 and distributed by cable. Due to the proximity to France, many French television channels are also available.

Traditions and customs

Geneva observes ''

Jeûne genevois Jeûne genevois (meaning Genevan fast) is a public holiday in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland which occurs on the Thursday following the first Sunday of September. It dates back to the 16th century. Background The Swiss Federal Diets of 1480 a ...

'' on the first Thursday following the first Sunday in September. By local tradition, this commemorates the date news of the

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

of Huguenots reached Geneva. Geneva celebrates ''

L'Escalade ''L'Escalade'', or ''Fête de l'Escalade'' (from escalade, the act of scaling defensive walls), is an annual festival in Geneva, Switzerland, held each December commemorating the defeat of an attempt to conquer the Protestant city-state by the ...

'' on the weekend nearest 12 December, celebrating the defeat of the surprise attack of troops sent by

Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression. Being ...

during the night of 11–12 December 1602. Festive traditions include chocolate cauldrons filled with vegetable-shaped marzipan treats and the Escalade procession on horseback in seventeenth century armour. Geneva has also been organizing a 'Course de l'Escalade', which means 'Climbing Race'. This race takes place in Geneva's Old Town, and has been popular across all ages. Non-competitive racers dress up in fancy costumes, while walking in the race. Since 1818, a particular chestnut tree has been used as the official "herald of the spring" in Geneva. The ''sautier'' (secretary of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva) observes the tree and notes the day of arrival of the first bud. While this event has no practical effect, the sautier issues a formal

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

and the local newspaper will usually mention the news. As this is one of the world's oldest records of a plant's reaction to climatic conditions, researchers have been interested to note that the first bud has been appearing earlier and earlier in the year. During the 19th century many dates were in March or April. In recent years, they have usually been in late February (sometimes earlier). In 2002, the first bud appeared unusually early, on 7 February, and then again on 29 December of the same year. The following year, one of the hottest years recorded in Europe, was a year with no bud. In 2008, the first bud also appeared early, on 19 February.

Music and festivals

The

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

, the

Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, official ...

, which officially opened in 1876, was partly destroyed by a fire in 1951 and reopened in 1962. It has the largest stage in Switzerland. It features opera and dance performances, recitals, concerts and, occasionally, theatre. The Victoria Hall is used for classical music concerts. It is the home of the

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. History Er ...

. Every summer the

Fêtes de Genève The Fêtes de Genève (Geneva Festival) was an annual summer event in Geneva, Switzerland. It included a grand fireworks display. History The Fêtes de Genève started during the first half of the twentieth century. Having suffered financial ...

(Geneva Festival) are organised in Geneva. According to

in 2013 hundreds of thousands of people came to Geneva to see the annual hour-long grand

firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

display of the Fêtes de Genève."Une heure de feux genevois sur le thème des conquêtes"
, www.rts.ch (page visited on 11 August 2013). An annual music festival takes place in June. Groups of artists perform in different parts of the city. In 2016 the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary. Further annual festivals are the ''Fête de l'Olivier,'' a festival of Arabic music, organized by the ICAM since 1980, and the ''Genevan Brass Festival'', founded by Christophe Sturzenegger in 2010.

Education

The Canton of Geneva's

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

system has ''écoles primaires'' (ages 4–12) and ''cycles d'orientation'' (ages 12–15). Students can leave school at 15, but secondary education is provided by ''collèges'' (ages 15–19), the oldest of which is the

, which could be considered one of the oldest

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

in the world, ''écoles de culture générale'' (15–18/19) and the ''écoles professionnelles'' (15–18/19). The ''écoles professionnelles'' offer full-time courses and part-time study as part of an apprenticeship. Geneva also has a number of private schools. In 2011 89,244 (37.0%) of the population had completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 107,060 or (44.3%) had completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 107,060 who completed tertiary schooling, 32.5% were Swiss men, 31.6% were Swiss women, 18.1% were non-Swiss men and 17.8% were non-Swiss women. During the 2011–2012 school year, there were a total of 92,311 students in the Geneva school system (primary to university). The education system in the Canton of Geneva has eight years of primary school, with 32,716 students. The secondary school program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling, followed by three to five years of optional, advanced study. There were 13,146 lower-secondary students who attended schools in Geneva. There were 10,486 upper-secondary students from the municipality along with 10,330 students who were in a professional, non-university track program. An additional 11,797 students were attending private schools. university Geneva

Geneva is home to the

where approximately 16,500 students are regularly enrolled. In 1559

founded the Geneva Academy, a theological and humanist seminary. In the 19th century the academy lost its ecclesiastic links and in 1873, with the addition of a medical faculty, it became the University of Geneva. In 2011 it was ranked European university. The

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, or the Geneva Graduate Institute (french: Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement), abbreviated IHEID, is a government-accredited postgraduate institution ...

was among the first academic institutions in the world to teach international relations. It is one of Europe's most prestigious institutions, offering MA and PhD programmes in anthropology and sociology, law, political science, history, economics, international affairs, and development studies. The oldest international school in the world is the

International School of Geneva The International School of Geneva (in French: ''Ecole Internationale de Genève''), also known as "Ecolint" or "The International School", is a private, non-profit international school based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1924 in the servic ...

, founded in 1924 along with the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. The

Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

is a private, for-profit university in the grounds of the Château de Penthes.

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

(the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is probably the best known of Geneva's educational and research facilities, most recently for the

Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...

. Founded in 1954, CERN was one of Europe's first joint ventures and has developed as the world's largest

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

laboratory. Physicists from around the world travel to CERN to research matter and explore the fundamental forces and materials that form the universe. Geneva is home to five major libraries, the ''Bibliothèques municipales Genève'', the ''Haute école de travail social, Institut d'études sociales'', the ''Haute école de santé'', the ''Ecole d'ingénieurs de Genève'' and the ''Haute école d'art et de design''. There were () 877,680 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year 1,798,980 items were loaned.

Economy

Geneva's economy is largely service-driven and closely linked to the rest of the canton. The city is one of the global leaders in financial centres. Three main sectors dominate the financial sector: commodity trading; trade finance, and wealth management. Around a third of the world's free traded oil, sugar, grains and oil seeds is traded in Geneva. Approximately 22% of the world's cotton is traded in the Lake Geneva region. Other major commodities traded in the canton include steel, electricity, or coffee. Large trading companies have their regional or global headquarters in the canton, such as Bunge,

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...

Vitol Vitol is a Swiss-based multinational energy and commodity trading company that was founded in Rotterdam in 1966 by Henk Viëtor and Jacques Detiger. Though trading, logistics and distribution are at the core of its business, these are complemente ...

Gunvor Gunvor Group Ltd is a Cypriot-domiciled multinational commodity trading company registered in Cyprus, with its main trading office in Geneva, Switzerland. Gunvor also has trading offices in Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai, with a network of re ...

BNP Paribas BNP Paribas is a French international banking group, founded in 2000 from the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP, "National Bank of Paris") and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. The full name of the grou ...

Trafigura Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd. is a Singaporean-based Swiss multinational commodity trading company founded in 1993 that trades in base metals and energy. It is the world's largest private metals trader and second-largest oil trader having built or p ...

Mercuria Energy Group Mercuria Energy Group Ltd is a Cypriot-domiciled multinational commodity trading company active in a wide spectrum of global energy markets including crude oil and refined petroleum products, natural gas (including LNG), power, biodiesel, base ...

, in addition to being home to the world's largest shipping company,

Mediterranean Shipping Company Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC) is an international shipping line founded by Gianluigi Aponte in Italy in 1970, with headquarters in Switzerland since 1978. The privately held company is owned by the Aponte family. It has been the lar ...

. Commodity trading is sustained by a strong trade finance sector, with large banks such as BCGE, BCP, BNP Paribas,

BCV BCV could refer to: Places * Bruce Grove railway station, London, England Airports * Birchwood Airport (FAA LID code), an airport near Birchwood, Alaska * Hector Silva Airstrip (IATA code), Belmopan, Belize Banks * Central Bank of Venezuela * ...

Crédit Agricole Crédit Agricole Group (), sometimes called La banque verte ( en, The green bank) due to its historical ties to farming, is a French international banking group and the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It is France's second lar ...

Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world and is one of the nine global " ...

ING Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

Société Générale Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English as SocGen (), is a French-based multinational financial services company founded in 1864, registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby in La Défense. Société Générale ...

, and

, all having their headquarters in the area for this business. Wealth management is dominated by non-publicly listed banks and private banks, particularly Pictet,

Lombard Odier The Lombard Odier Group is an independent Swiss banking group based in Geneva. Its operations are organised into three divisions: private banking (wealth management), asset management, and IT and back and middle office services for other financ ...

Edmond de Rothschild Group The Edmond de Rothschild Group is a financial institution specialized in private banking and asset management. Based in Geneva, the group is family-owned and independent, and encompasses the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations (philanthropic arm), ...

Union Bancaire Privée Union Bancaire Privée (UBP SA) is a private bank and wealth management firm headquartered in Geneva. UBP is one of the largest private banks in Switzerland, and serves private and institutional clients. The bank was founded in 1969 by Edgar de Pi ...

Mirabaud Group Mirabaud is an international banking and financial group based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1819, it gradually developed into the third largest private bank in the city. Six partners are involved in the group's day-to-day management. Mirab ...

Dukascopy Bank Dukascopy Bank is a Swiss online bank which provides online and mobile trading, banking and financial services. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it has offices in Riga, Kyiv, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai and Tokyo, with o ...

, Bordier & Cie,

Banque SYZ Origins Bank Syz Ltd is a boutique Swiss private bank which is part of the Syz Group and was founded in 1996 by Eric Syz, Alfredo Piacentini and Paolo Luban. In June 2014, two of the co-founders decided to continue their careers in a different d ...

, or

REYL & Cie The REYL Group, styled REYL Intesa Sanpaolo, is a financial services company founded in Geneva in 1973 by Dominique REYL. REYL provides financial advisory and investment services to private and institutional clients. REYL specialises in wealth m ...

. In addition, the canton is home to the largest concentration of foreign-owned banks in Switzerland, such as

HSBC Private Bank HSBC Global Private Banking is part of the Wealth and Personal Banking division within the HSBC Group (as of 2020, HSBC was the world's sixth largest bank by total assets and market capitalization) They provide award winning private banking ser ...

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...

, or

Arab Bank Arab Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, founded in 1930 in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, as the first private sector financial institution in the Arab world. Headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, it serves c ...

. Behind the financial sector, the next largest major economic sector is watchmaking, dominated by luxury firms

Rolex Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

Richemont Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., commonly known as Richemont, is a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by South African businessman Johann Rupert. Through its various subsidiaries, Richemont produces and sells je ...

Patek Philippe Patek Philippe SA is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer, located in the Canton of Geneva and the Vallée de Joux. Established in 1839, it is named after two of its founders, Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe. Since 1932, the company ha ...

Piaget Piaget () may refer to: People with the surname * Édouard Piaget (18171910), a Swiss entomologist * Jean Piaget (18961980), a Swiss developmental psychologist * Paul Piaget (disambiguation), several people * Solange Piaget Knowles (born 1986) ...

Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis is a Swiss watch manufacturer of luxury watches based in Geneva, Switzerland. The company was founded by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias in 1995. In 2008, the company was acquired by Richemont group. The Roger Dubuis watches include th ...

, and others, whose factories are concentrated in the

Les Acacias Les Acacias is a district shared between the cities of Geneva and Carouge in Switzerland, located on the left bank of the Arve. Geography In the past the area was frequently subjected to the overflow of the Arve, the Drize and the Aire rivers. The ...

neighbourhood, as well as the neighbouring municipalities of

Plan-les-Ouates Plan-les-Ouates () is a municipality of the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. History Plan-les-Ouates is first mentioned in 1537 as ''Plan-des-Vuattes''. In 1851 it became an independent municipality when the municipality of Compesières dissolv ...

Satigny Satigny is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It is the largest municipality of the canton by land area and the largest wine-producing municipality of the country. Its territory contains the majority of the Mandement area, a desi ...

, and

Meyrin Meyrin () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The main site of CERN, the European particle physics research organisation, is in Meyrin. Meyrin was originally a small agricultural village until the 1950s, when construction of CE ...

. Trade finance, wealth management, and watchmaking, approximately contribute two thirds of the corporate tax paid in the canton Other large multinationals are also headquartered in the city and canton, such as

Firmenich Firmenich SA is a private Swiss company in the fragrance and flavor business. It is the largest privately owned company in the field and ranks number two worldwide. Firmenich has created perfumes for over 125 years and produced a number of well-k ...

(in Satigny), and

Givaudan Givaudan () is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients. As of 2008, it is the world's largest company in the flavour and fragrance industries. Overview The company's scents and flavours are de ...

(in Vernier), the world's two largest manufacturers of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients;

SGS SGS may refer to: Acronym usage * ISO 639-3 code for the Samogitian dialect * ISO 3166 trigram for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands * FAA location identifier for South St. Paul Municipal Airport Companies and organizations * SGS Essen ...

, the world's largest inspection, verification, testing and certification services company;

Temenos A ''temenos'' (Greek: ; plural: , ''temenē''). is a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, especially to kings and chiefs, or a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, such as a sanctuary, holy gro ...

, a large banking software provider; or the local headquarters for

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

Japan Tobacco International JTI - Japan Tobacco International is the international tobacco division of Japan Tobacco, a leading international tobacco product manufacturer. The holding company is JT International SA and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and sells its b ...

, or

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, sk ...

(in Vernier). Although they do not directly contribute to the local economy, the city of Geneva is also host to the world's largest concentration of international organisations and UN agencies, such as the

, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

, the

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, 15 specialized agencies of the United Nation ...

, the

, and the

, as well as the European headquarters of the

. Its international mindedness, well-connected

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

, and centrality in the continent, also make Geneva a good destination for congresses and trade fairs, of which the largest is the

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

held in

Palexpo Palexpo is a convention center in Geneva, Switzerland. The buildings are owned by the canton of Geneva while the company is a semi-private foundation. The center is located close to Geneva International Airport. There are seven halls, and 102,00 ...

. Agriculture is commonplace in the hinterlands of Geneva, particularly wheat and wine. Despite its relatively small size, the canton produces around 10% of the Swiss wine and has the highest vineyard density in the country. The largest strains grown in Geneva are gamay, chasselas, pinot noir, gamaret, and chardonnay. , Geneva had an unemployment rate of 3.9%. , there were five people employed in the primary economic sector and about three businesses involved in this sector. 9,783 people were employed in the

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...

and there were 1,200 businesses in this sector. 134,429 people were employed in the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

, with 12,489 businesses in this sector. There were 91,880 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, with women making up 47.7% of the workforce. , the total number of

full-time equivalent Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit that indicates the workload of an employee, employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to me ...

jobs was 124,185. The number of jobs in the primary sector was four, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 9,363 of which 4,863 or (51.9%) were in manufacturing and 4,451 (47.5%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 114,818. In the tertiary sector; 16,573 or 14.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 3,474 or 3.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 9,484 or 8.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 4,544 or 4.0% were in the information industry, 20,982 or 18.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 12,177 or 10.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 10,007 or 8.7% were in education and 15,029 or 13.1% were in health care. , there were 95,190 workers who commuted into the municipality and 25,920 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 3.7 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 13.8% of the workforce coming into Geneva are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb
accessed 24 June 2010. Of the working population, 38.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 30.6% used a private car.

Sport

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

is one of the most popular sports in Geneva. Geneva is home to

Genève-Servette HC The Genève-Servette HC (also called Servette or GSHC) is a professional ice hockey club based in Geneva, Switzerland and competing in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. The team plays their home games at the ...

, which plays in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL). They play their home games in the 7,135-seat

Patinoire des Vernets Patinoire des Vernets is an indoor arena located in Geneva, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of Genève-Servette HC. Opened in 1958, it has a seating capacity for 7,135 people. History When it opened in 1958, ...

. In 2008, 2010 and 2021 the team made it to the league finals but lost to the

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and playe ...

SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...

and

EV Zug EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena. History EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...

respectively. The team was by far the most popular one in both the city and the canton of Geneva, drawing three times more spectators than the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team in 2017. Since the return of

Servette FC Servette FC is a Swiss football club based in Geneva, founded in March 1890 with rugby as its first sporting activity, and named after the Geneva district of the same name. The football section was created on 17 January 1900. They play in the S ...

in the

Swiss Super League The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season ...

, however, both teams have similar attendance numbers. The town is home to

, a football club founded in 1890 and named after a borough on the right bank of the

. It is the most successfull football club in

, and the third in Switzerland overall, with 17 league titles and 7 Swiss Cups. The home of Servette FC is the 30,000-seat

Stade de Genève Stade de Genève, also called Stade de la Praille, is a stadium in Lancy, Canton of Geneva. It has a capacity of 30,084. Overview The stadium was completed in 2003 by Implenia, Zschokke Construction S.A. after nearly three years of construction. ...

. Servette FC plays in the

Credit Suisse Super League The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season. ...

Étoile Carouge FC Étoile Carouge FC is a Swiss football team based in Carouge and founded in 1904. It currently plays in the Promotion League and holding home games at ''Stade de la Fontenette'', which seats up to 3,690 spectators. History Carouge had surviv ...

and

Urania Genève Sport Urania Genève Sport is a Swiss omnisport club based in Geneva. Its football section was founded in 1896. The current club was born in 1922 through a merger between FC Urania and FC Genève. Its main title is the Swiss cup, won in 1929 agains ...

also play in the city. Geneva is home to the basketball team

Lions de Genève The Lions de Genève are a professional basketball club based in the city of Geneva, Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal insti ...

, 2013 and 2015 champions of the

Swiss Basketball League The Swiss Basketball League, also known as SB League or SBL, is the top-tier professional club basketball league in Switzerland. It is organized by Swiss Basketball. The winners of the SBL are crowned Swiss national basketball champions. Current ...

. The team plays its home games in the ''Pavilion des Sports''.

Geneva Jets Australian Football Club , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

have been playing

Australian Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modifie ...

in the

AFL Switzerland AFL Switzerland is an Australian rules football league in Switzerland. Founded in 2019, it is an official affiliation of AFL Europe. For the 2022 season, there are four clubs, plus a combined team, the Northern Bears. Teams are composed of males ...

league since 2019.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city is served by the

Geneva Airport Geneva Airport ,, german: Flughafen Genf, it, Aeroporto di Ginevra, rm, Eroport de Genevra formerly and still unofficially known as Cointrin Airport, is the international airport of Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland. It i ...

. It is connected by

Geneva Airport railway station Geneva Airport railway station (french: Gare de Genève-Aéroport) is a train station located underground next to the terminal building of Geneva International Airport (french: Aéroport international de Genève) (IATA code: GVA), in Grand-Sacon ...

(french: link=no, Gare de Genève-Aéroport) to both the

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...

network and the French

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

network, including links to Paris, Lyon,

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

and

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

. Geneva is connected to the motorway systems of both Switzerland (

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

) and France. Public transport by bus, trolleybus or tram is provided by ''

Transports Publics Genevois Geneva Public Transport (french: Transports publics genevois, TPG) operates most of the public transportation system in canton of Geneva, Switzerland, including the city of Geneva. The agency's head office is in Grand-Lancy, Lancy. The TPG o ...

''. In addition to an extensive coverage of the city centre, the network extends to most of the municipalities of the Canton, with a few lines reaching into France. Public transport by boat is provided by the

Mouettes Genevoises ''Mouettes Genevoises Navigation'' is a private water bus operator in Geneva, Switzerland, operating four lines across the western end of Lake Geneva. A member of the integrated Unireso fare network, its head office is in Geneva. The modern compan ...

, which link the two banks of the lake within the city, and by the ''

Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman The ' or Lake Geneva General Navigation Company (commonly abbreviated to CGN) is a public Swiss company operating ships on Lake Geneva connecting towns in both France and Switzerland including Geneva, , , , and . History The CGN was formed in 187 ...

'' which serves more distant destinations such as

Nyon Nyon (; outdated German language, German: or ; outdated Italian language, Italian: , ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Nyon District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilomet ...

Yvoire Yvoire () is a small medieval town in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Savoie, in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) northeast of Geneva. Geography Lo ...

Thonon Thonon-les-Bains (; frp, Tonon), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is ...

Évian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evia ...

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

and

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...

using both modern diesel vessels and vintage

paddle steamers A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

Trains operated by

connect the airport to the main station of Cornavin in six minutes. Regional train services are being developed towards Coppet and Bellegarde. At the city limits two new railway stations have been opened since 2002: Genève-Sécheron (close to the UN and the

Botanical Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

) and Lancy-Pont-Rouge. In 2011 work started on the

CEVA rail CEVA (Cornavin‒Eaux-Vives‒Annemasse) is an orbital rail line designed to connect the main railway station of Geneva, Switzerland ( Gare de Cornavin) on the north of Lake Geneva with the Gare d'Annemasse in Annemasse, France, to the south of L ...

(Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse) project, first planned in 1884, which will connect Cornavin with the Cantonal hospital, Eaux-Vives railway station and

Annemasse Annemasse (; Arpitan: ''Anemâsse'') is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Even though it covers a relatively small territory (4.98 km2 or 1.92 sq mi), it is Haute-Savoie's second ...

, in France. The link between the main railway station and the

classification yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English ( Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English ( Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ...

of La Praille already exists; from there, the line runs mostly underground to the Hospital and Eaux-Vives, where it links to the existing line to France. The line fully opened in December 2019, as part of the

regional rail network. TOSA Bus at PALEXPO with flag

In May 2013, the demonstrator electric bus system with a capacity of 133 passengers commenced between

and

. The project aims to introduce a new system of mass transport with electric "flash" recharging of the buses at selected stops while passengers are disembarking and embarking. Taxis in Geneva can be difficult to find, and may need to be booked in advance, especially in the early morning or at peak hours. Taxis can refuse to take babies and children because of

seating Seating may refer to: General plans: * Seating plan In theaters or stadiums: * Bleacher seating * Chanin's seating plan * Club seating * Continental seating * Festival seating * General seating * Home theater seating * Movable seating * Reserve ...

legislation. An ambitious project to close 200 streets in the centre of Geneva to cars was approved by the Geneva cantonal authorities in 2010 and was planned to be implemented over a span of four years (2010–2014), though , work on the project has yet to be started.

Utilities

Water, natural gas and electricity are provided to the

municipalities of the Canton of Geneva The following are the 45 municipalities of the canton of Geneva, as of 2017. List *Aire-la-Ville *Anières *Avully *Avusy *Bardonnex *Bellevue * Bernex *Carouge * Cartigny *Céligny *Chancy *Chêne-Bougeries * Chêne-Bourg *Choulex *Collex-Bos ...

by the state-owned

Services Industriels de Genève Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

, known as SIG. Most of the drinking water (80%) is extracted from the

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

; the remaining 20% is provided by

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

, originally formed by infiltration from the Arve. 30% of the Canton's electricity needs is locally produced, mainly by three

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dams on the

(Seujet, Verbois and Chancy-Pougny). In addition, 13% of the electricity produced in the Canton is from the burning of waste at the waste incineration facility of Les Cheneviers. The remaining needs (57%) are covered by imports from other cantons in Switzerland or other European countries; SIG buys only electricity produced by renewable methods, and in particular does not use electricity produced using

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...

s or

fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

. Natural gas is available in the City of Geneva, as well as in about two-thirds of the municipalities of the canton, and is imported from Western Europe by the Swiss company Gaznat. SIG also provides telecommunication facilities to carriers,

service provider A service provider (SP) is an organization that provides services, such as consulting, legal, real estate, communications, storage, and processing services, to other organizations. Although a service provider can be a sub-unit of the organization t ...

s and large enterprises. From 2003 to 2005, "Voisin, voisine" a

fibre to the Home Fiber to the ''x'' (FTTX; also spelled "fibre") or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. As fiber optic ...

pilot project with a

triple play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

offering was launched to test the

end-user In product development, an end user (sometimes end-user) is a person who ultimately uses or is intended to ultimately use a product. The end user stands in contrast to users who support or maintain the product, such as sysops, system administrat ...

market in the Charmilles district.

International organisations

Geneva is the European headquarters of the

, in the

Palace of Nations The Palace of Nations (french: Palais des Nations, ) is the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served ...

building, up the hill from the headquarters of the former League of Nations. Several agencies are headquartered in Geneva, including the

, the UN

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the United Nations Secretariat, Se ...

, the

International Baccalaureate Organization The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

and the

. Apart from the UN agencies, Geneva hosts many

inter-governmental organizations An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...

, such as the

, the South Centre, the

, the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

, the

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM was ...

, the

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 192-member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

and the

. The

Maison de la Paix The Maison de la paix (literally: ''House of Peace'') is a building owned by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. The building was designed by Eric Ott of Neuchâtel's IPAS firm. It serves as ...

building hosts the three Geneva centres supported by the Swiss Confederation: the International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the

Geneva Centre for Security Policy The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation that was established in 1995 under Swiss law to "promote the building and maintenance of peace, security and stability". The GCSP was founded by the Federal Department ...

, as well as other organisations active in the field of peace, international affairs and sustainable development. Organizations on the European level include the

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...

(EBU) and

(the European Organization for Nuclear Research) which is the world's largest particle physics laboratory. The

Geneva Environment Network The Geneva Environment Network (GEN) is a cooperative partnership of over 75 environment and sustainable development organizations based in the Geneva area, including United Nations offices and programmes, local authorities, academic institutions an ...

(GEN) publishes the Geneva Green Guide, an extensive listing of Geneva-based global organisations working on environmental protection and sustainable development. A website, jointly run by the Swiss Government, the

World Business Council for Sustainable Development The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led organization of over 200 international companies. The Council is also connected to 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations. Its origins d ...

, the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

, includes accounts of how NGOs, business, government and the UN cooperate. By doing so, it attempts to explain why Geneva has been picked by so many NGOs and UN bodies as their headquarters' location. The

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

and the World Scout Bureau Central Office are headquartered in Geneva.

Notable people

A–C

MCC-31320 Portret van Johannes Calvijn (1509-1564)-uitsnede

Alfredo Aceto Alfredo Aceto (born 1991) is a visual artist based between Turin and Geneva. Aceto was born in Turin, Italy. He studied fine arts at ECAL.His work has been exhibited in many international surveys, including DOC!, Paris, Museo Pietro Canonica, R ...

(born 1991), a visual artist *

Gustave Ador Gustave Ador (23 December 1845 – 31 March 1928) was a Swiss politician. In 1919, he became President of the Confederation. Biography Origins Ador was born in Cologny, a municipality of Geneva. He was the grandson of Jean Pierre Ador, an immi ...

(1845–1928), statesman, President of the

(ICRC) *

David Aebischer David Aebischer (born February 7, 1978) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens and the Phoenix Coyotes. He was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup ...

(born 1978), ice hockey goaltender, 2001

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

champion *

Jacques-Laurent Agasse Jacques-Laurent Agasse (April 24, 1767 – December 27, 1849) was an animal and Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter from Switzerland. Born at Geneva, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he w ...

(1767–1849), animal and landscape painter *

Jeff Agoos Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos served as the Sporting Director for the N ...

(born 1968), retired American soccer defender, 134 caps for the US team *

Henri-Frédéric Amiel Henri Frédéric Amiel (; 27 September 1821 – 11 May 1881) was a Swiss moral philosopher, poet, and critic. Biography Born in Geneva in 1821, Amiel was descended from a Huguenot family that moved to Switzerland following the revocation of the E ...

(1821–1881), moral philosopher, poet and critic *

Gustave Amoudruz Gustave Amoudruz (23 March 1885 – 28 December 1963) was a Swiss sports shooter. He competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olym ...

(1885–1963), sports shooter, bronze medallist at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

Adolphe Appia Adolphe Appia (1 September 1862 – 29 February 1928), son of Red Cross co-founder Louis Appia, was a Swiss architect and theorist of stage lighting and décor. Early life Adolphe Appia was raised in Geneva, Switzerland, in a "strictly Calvinis ...

(1862–1928), architect and theorist of

stage lighting Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts.

and décor. *

Philip Arditti Philip Arditti also credited as Philip Ishak Arditti, is a Turkish theatre and television actor of Jewish Sephardic descent, famous for his role as Uday Hussein in the four episode '' House of Saddam'' television docudrama. He also appeared in t ...

(born c. 1980), British/Jewish Sephardic theatre and television actor *

Aimé Argand François-Pierre-Amédée Argand, known as Ami Argand (5 July 1750 – 14 or 24 October 1803) was a Genevan physicist and chemist. He invented the Argand lamp, a great improvement on the traditional oil lamp. Early years Francois-Pierre-Amédé ...

(1750–1803), physicist and chemist, invented the

Argand lamp The Argand lamp is a type of oil lamp invented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. Its output is 6 to 10 candelas, brighter than that of earlier lamps. Its more complete combustion of the candle wick and oil than in other lamps required much less frequent ...

Jean-Robert Argand Jean-Robert Argand (, , ; July 18, 1768 – August 13, 1822) was an amateur mathematician. In 1806, while managing a bookstore in Paris, he published the idea of geometrical interpretation of complex numbers known as the Argand diagram and is known ...

(1768–1822), amateur mathematician, published the

Argand diagram In mathematics, the complex plane is the plane formed by the complex numbers, with a Cartesian coordinate system such that the -axis, called the real axis, is formed by the real numbers, and the -axis, called the imaginary axis, is formed by the ...

Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; Eastern Catalan: �ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and education Argerich was born in Buenos Ai ...

(born 1941), an Argentine classical concert pianist *

John Armleder John Armleder (born 1948, in Geneva) is a Swiss performance artist, painter, sculptor, critic, and curator. His work is based on his involvement with Fluxus in the 1960s and 1970s, when he created performance art pieces, installations and collectiv ...

(born 1948), performance artist, painter, sculptor, critic and curator *

Germaine Aussey Germaine Aussey (born Germaine Adrienne Agassiz, December 18, 1909 in Paris – March 15, 1979 in Geneva) was a French actress who worked with, among others, René Clair, Julien Duvivier, Paul Fejos, Jean Grémillon, Marc Allégret, and ...

(1909–1979), née Agassiz, an actress of Swiss origin who settled in Geneva in 1960 *

Alexandre Bardinon Alexandre Bardinon (born 9 May 2002) is a French-Swiss racing driver who last competed in the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship under a French license for FA Racing. He is the grandson of French businessman and Ferrari collector Pierr ...

(born 2002), racing driver *

Pierre Bardinon Pierre Bardinon (1931 – August 2012) was a French businessman and collector of Ferrari cars. Pierre Bardinon was born in 1931, an heir to the Chapal family. He later inherited their leather and fur business. Bardinon owned the Circuit du Mas d ...

(1931–2012), businessman and car collector *

Mathias Beche Mathias Beche (born 28 June 1986 in Geneva) is a Swiss professional racing driver. He finished eighth overall and second in the LMP2 class of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans and is the reigning champion of the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 clas ...

(born 1986), racing driver *

Jean-Luc Bideau Jean-Luc Bideau (born 1 October 1940) is a Swiss film actor. Personal life Jean-Luc Bideau is married to Marcela Salivarova, a director of Czechoslovak origin. Together, they have two children: Nicolas, head of Presence Switzerland Presence ...

(born 1940), film actor *

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

(1880–1959), US composer of Swiss origin *

Roger Bocquet Roger Bocquet (9 April 1921 – 10 March 1994) was a Swiss footballer during the 1940s and 1950s. He played as a half-back and was a participant at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and 1954 FIFA World Cup. He insisted on playing during the 1954 World ...

(1921–1994), footballer who won 48 caps for Switzerland * Raoul Marie Joseph Count de Boigne (1862–1949), a French sports shooter, bronze medallist at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

Caroline Boissier-Butini Caroline Boissier-Butini (2 May 1786 – 9 March 1836) was a Swiss pianist and composer. Career Born Caroline Butini in Geneva, she was the eldest child of Pierre Butini (1759–1838) and Jeanne-Pernette, née Bardin (1764–1841). The musician w ...

(1786–1836), pianist and composer *

François Bonivard François Bonivard (or Bonnivard; 1493–1570) was a nobleman, ecclesiastic, historian, and Geneva patriot at the time of the Republic of Geneva. His life was the inspiration for Lord Byron's 1816 poem ''The Prisoner of Chillon''. He was a partis ...

(1493–1570), Geneva ecclesiastic, historian and libertine *

Charles Bonnet Charles Bonnet (; 13 March 1720 – 20 May 1793) was a Genevan naturalist and philosophical writer. He is responsible for coining the term ''phyllotaxis'' to describe the arrangement of leaves on a plant. He was among the first to notice parthe ...

(1720–1793), naturalist and philosophical writer *

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

(1899–1986), Argentine short-story writer, studied at the

Collège de Genève In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

Marc-Théodore Bourrit Marc-Théodore Bourrit (1739–1819) was a genevois traveller and writer. Biography Marc-Théodore Bourrit came of a family which was of French origin but had taken refuge at Geneva for reasons connected with religion. His father was a watchmake ...

(1739–1819), traveller and writer *

Nicolas Bouvier Nicolas Bouvier (6 March 1929 in Lancy – 17 February 1998) was a 20th-century Swiss traveller, writer, picture editor and photographer. He studied in Geneva in the 1950s and lived there later between his travels. Life Bouvier was born at Gra ...

(1929–1998), writer and photographer *

Clotilde Bressler-Gianoli Clotilde Bressler-Gianoli (June 3, 1875 – May 12, 1912), sometimes seen as Clothilde Bressler-Gianoli, was an Italian opera singer born in Switzerland. Early life Clotilde Bressler-Gianoli was born in Geneva in 1875 (some sources give 1874), th ...

(1875–1912), an Italian opera singer *

Christiane Brunner Christiane Brunner (b. Geneva, 23 March 1947) is a Swiss politician and lawyer. Career Brunner has occupied the following positions: *Deputy of the Great Council of the Canton of Geneva, 1981–1990 *Member of the National Council, 1991&nd ...

(born 1947), politician, lawyer and trade union champion *

Mickaël Buffaz Mickaël Buffaz (born 21 May 1979 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a former French professional road bicycle racer. Major results ;2002 : 1st Paris–Troyes ;2003 : 1st Overall Mi-Août Bretonne : 1st Prix des Moissons : 7th Tour du Doubs ;2004 ...

(born 1979), French cyclist *

Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui (; 24 June or 13 July 1694 – 3 April 1748) was a Genevan legal and political theorist who popularised a number of ideas propounded by other thinkers. Life Born in Geneva, Republic of Geneva, into a Calvinist family (des ...

(1694–1748), Genevan legal and political theorist *

Cécile Butticaz Cécile Butticaz (2 July 1884, in Geneva – 1 June 1966, in Geneva), also known as Cécile Biéler or Cécile Biéler-Butticaz, was a Swiss engineer. She is considered the first female electrical engineer in Europe, because she earned her enginee ...

(1884–1966), engineer * Kate Burton (born 1957), actress, the daughter of actor

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

(1509–1564), influential theologian, reformer *

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candol ...

(1778–1841), botanist, worked on plant classification *

Clint Capela Clint N'Dumba Capela (born May 18, 1994) is a Swiss professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the Hawks' franchise leader in career field-goal percentage, having led the NBA in the sa ...

(born 1994), professional basketball player *

Jean de Carro Jean de Carro (born in Geneva, August 8, 1770; died at Carlsbad, March 12, 1857) was a Swiss-born physician who worked from Austria to promote vaccination against smallpox. Champion of vaccination Taking up his abode in Vienna in 1795, he became ...

(1770–1857), Vienna-based physician, promoted vaccination against smallpox * Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614), a classical scholar and philologist * Méric Casaubon (1599–1671), son of Isaac Casaubon, a French-English classical scholar * Mike Castro de Maria (born 1972), electronic music composer * Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel (1811–1893), politician, on the Swiss Federal Council 1864–1872 * Alfred Edward Chalon RA (1780–1860), portrait painter * John James Chalon RA (1778–1854), painter of landscapes, marine scenes and animal life * Marguerite Champendal (1870–1928), first Genevan to have obtained her doctorate in medicine at the University of Geneva (1900) * Henri Christiné (1867–1941), French composer of sparkling, witty, jazzy musical plays * Victor Cherbuliez (1829–1899), novelist and author * Étienne Clavière (1735–1793), banker and politician of the French revolution * Paulo Coelho (born 1947), Brazilian lyricist and novelist, author of ''The Alchemist (novel), The Alchemist'', residing in Geneva * Renée Colliard (born 1933), former alpine skier, gold medallist at the 1956 Winter Olympics * Gabriel Cramer (1704–1752), Genevan mathematician

D–G

Kat Graham during an interview in June 2017 01

* Maryam d'Abo (born 1960), English film and TV actress and Bond girl * Jacques-Antoine Dassier (1715–1759), a Genevan medallist, active in London * Michel Decastel (born 1955), football manager and midfielder, 314 club caps, 19 for Switzerland national football team, Switzerland * Jean-Denis Delétraz (born 1963), racing driver * Louis Delétraz (born 1997), racing driver * Jean-Louis de Lolme (1740–1806), lawyer and constitutional writer * Jean-André Deluc (1727–1817), geologist, natural philosopher and meteorologist * Giovanni Diodati (1576–1649), Italian Calvinist theologian and Bible translator * Élie Ducommun (1833–1906), peace activist, 1902 Nobel Peace Prize winner * Armand Dufaux (1833–1941), aviation pioneer, flew the length of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

in 1910 * Henri Dufaux (1879–1980), French-Swiss aviation pioneer, inventor, painter and politician * Pierre Étienne Louis Dumont (1759–1829), Genevan political writer * Henry Dunant (1828–1910), founded the

, first recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 * Emmanuel-Étienne Duvillard (1775–1832), Swiss economist * Isabelle Eberhardt (1877–1904), Russian-Swiss explorer and travel writer * Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837–1898), Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary * Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice (born 1972), a member of the

* Louis Favre (engineer), Louis Favre (1826–1879), engineer, responsible for the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel * Philippe Favre (1961–2013), racing driver * Henri Fazy (1842–1920), politician and historian * Edmond Fleg, born Flegenheimer (1874–1963), a Swiss-French writer, thinker, novelist, essayist and playwright * Ian Fleming (1908–1964), author (James Bond), studied psychology briefly in Geneva in 1931 * Sylvie Fleury (born 1961), a contemporary object artist of installation art and mixed media * Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks KCB FRS FSA (1826–1897), English antiquary and museum administrator * Pierre-Victor Galland (1822–1892), painter * Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), an American politician of Republic of Geneva, Genevan origin, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist * Agénor de Gasparin (1810–1871), French statesman and author, also researched table-turning * Valérie de Gasparin (1813–1894), woman of letters, regards freedom, equality and creativity * François Gaussen (1790–1863), Protestant divine * Marcel Golay (astronomer), Marcel Golay (1927–2015), astronomer * Claude Goretta (1929–2019), film director and television producer * Emilie Gourd (1879–1946), journalist and activist for Women's suffrage in Switzerland * Isabelle Graesslé (born 1959), theologian, feminist and former museum director, moderator of ministers and deacons at the

* Kat Graham (born 1989), actress, singer, and model, she plays ''Bonnie Bennett'' in ''The Vampire Diaries'' * Cédric Grand (born 1976), bobsledder, competed in four Winter Olympics, bronze medallist at the 2006 Winter Olympics * Romain Grosjean (born 1986), racing driver, currently racing for Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series

H–M

LeninEnSuizaMarzo1916--barbaroussovietr00mcbr

Amelie Mauresmo at the Aegon Championships 2014

* Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay (Royal Navy officer, born 1827), Lord John Hay GCB (1827–1916), Royal Navy officer and politician * Abraham Hermanjat (1862–1932), painter who worked in the Fauvist and Divisionist styles * Germain Henri Hess (1802–1850), a Swiss-Russian chemist and doctor, formulated Hess's law * Hector Hodler (1887–1920), Esperantist * Fulk Greville Howard (1773–1846), an English politician * Jean Huber (1721–1786), a painter, silhouettiste, soldier and author * François Huber (1750–1831), naturalist, studied the respiration of bees * Marie Huber (1695–1753), translator, editor and author of theological works * Pierre Jeanneret (1896–1967), architect, collaborated with his cousin Le Corbusier * Thomas Jouannet (born 1970), actor * Charles Journet (1891–1975), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church * Louis Jurine (1751–1819), physician, surgeon, naturalist and entomologist * Sonia Kacem (born 1985), Swiss-born visual artist * Michael Krausz (born 1942), American philosopher, an artist and orchestral conductor * Adrien Lachenal (1849–1918), politician, Federal Council of Switzerland 1892–1899 * François Lachenal (1918–1997), a publisher and diplomat * Paul Lachenal (1884–1955), politician, co-founded

* Marie Laforêt (born 1939), a French singer and actress * Sarah Lahbati (born 1993), actress and singer * Franz Lefort, François Le Fort (1656–1699), first Russian Admiral * Georges-Louis Le Sage (1724–1803), physicist, Le Sage's theory of gravitation * Jean Leclerc (theologian), Jean Leclerc (1657–1736), theologian and biblical scholar, promoted exegesis * Henri Leconte (born 1963), former French professional tennis player, men's singles finalist, French Open 1988 * Philippe Le Royer (1816-1897), French and Swiss politician and lawyer, served France as the Minister of Justice and President of the Senate * Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), lived in Geneva 1902–1905 as an exile from the Russian Empire * Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702–1789), painter, art connoisseur and dealer * Corinne Maier (born 1963), psychoanalyst, economist, and best-selling writer * Ella Maillart (1903–1997), adventurer, travel writer and photographer, as well as a sportswoman * Solomon Caesar Malan (1812–1894), oriental linguist and biblical scholar * Jacques Mallet du Pan (1749–1800), Genevan-French royalist journalist * Alexander Marcet FRS (1770–1822), physician who became a British citizen in 1800 * Jane Marcet (1769–1858), an innovative writer of popular introductory science books * Sebastian Marka (born 1978), German film director and editor * Frank Martin (composer), Frank Martin (1890–1974), composer, editor of The Statesman's Year Book * Nicolas Maulini (born 1981), racing driver * Théodore Maunoir, Dr. Théodore Maunoir (1806–1869), co-founder of the

* Amélie Mauresmo (born 1979), former professional tennis player and former world No.1 * Barthélemy Menn (1815–1893), a landscape painter, introduced painting en plein air * Heinrich Menu von Minutoli (1772–1846), a Prussian Generalmajor, explorer and archaeologist * Jacques-Barthélemy Micheli du Crest (1690–1766), military engineer, physicist and cartographer * Giorgio Mondini (born 1980), racing driver * Stephanie Morgenstern (born 1965), Canadian actress, filmmaker and screenwriter * Edoardo Mortara (born 1987), Swiss-Italian racing driver * Thierry Moutinho (born 1991), Swiss-Portuguese footballer * Gustave Moynier (1826–1910), lawyer and co-founder of the

N-R

* Jacques Necker (1732–1804), banker and finance minister for Louis XVI of France * Louis Albert Necker (1786–1861), a crystallographer and geographer, devised the Necker cube * Felix Neff (1798–1829), Protestant divine and philanthropist * Alfred Newton FRS HFRSE (1829–1907), English zoologist and ornithologist * Karim Ojjeh (born 1965), Saudi Arabian businessman and racing driver * Julie Ordon (born 1984), model and actress * Rémy Pagani (born 1954), politician, Mayor of Geneva 2009/10 and 2012/13 * Liliane Maury Pasquier (born 1956), politician * PATjE (born 1970), birth name Patrice Jauffret, a singer, songwriter, and musician * Faule Petitot (1572–1629), sculptor, cabinetmaker and architect, citizen of Geneva since 1615 * Jean Petitot (1607–1691), enamel painter, son of Faule * Carmen Perrin (born 1953), Bolivian-born Swiss visual artist, designer, and educator. * Jean Piaget (1896–1980), clinical psychologist, devised genetic epistemology * Robert Pinget (1919–1997), an avant-garde French modernist nouveau roman writer * George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1721–1803), English diplomat and politician * Barbara Polla (born 1950), medical doctor, gallery owner, art curator and writer * James Pradier (1790–1852), Republic of Geneva, Genevan and then Swiss sculptor, Neoclassical sculpture, neoclassical style * Jean-Louis Prévost (1838–1927), neurologist and physiologist * Pierre Prévost (physicist), Pierre Prévost (1751–1839), philosopher, physicist wrote the law of exchange in radiation * Tariq Ramadan (born 1962), a Swiss Muslim academic, philosopher and writer * Marcel Raymond (1897–1981), a literary critic of French literature of the "Geneva School" * Flore Revalles (1889–1966), singer, dancer and actress * Charles Pierre Henri Rieu (1820–1902), Orientalist and Professor of Arabic * Prof Auguste Arthur de la Rive (1801–1873), a physicist, worked on the heat of gases * Charles-Gaspard de la Rive (1770–1834), physicist, psychiatrist and politician * François Jules Pictet de la Rive (1809–1872), zoologist and palaeontologist * Tibor Rosenbaum (1923–1980), rabbi and businessman * Marc Rosset (born 1970), former pro tennis player, gold medallist at the 1992 Summer Olympics, 1992 Olympic Games * Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), writer and philosopher * Jean Rousset (1910–2002), literary critic and early structuralism writer of the Geneva School * Xavier Ruiz (born 1970), film producer and director

S–Z

Michel Simon in The Train (1964) trailer

* Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913), a linguist and semiotician * Horace Bénédict de Saussure (1740–1799), geologist, meteorologist, physicist, and Alpine explorer * Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure (1767–1845), chemist, studied plant physiology, advanced phytochemistry * Léon Savary (1895–1968), writer and journalist * Michael Schade (born 1965), a Canadian operatic tenor * Johann Jacob Schweppe (1740–1821), watchmaker developed Schweppes bottled carbonated water * Marguerite Sechehaye (1887–1965), a psychotherapist, treated people with schizophrenia * Louis Segond (1810–1885), theologian and translator, pastor in

* Philippe Senderos (born 1985), footballer, over 200 club caps and 57 for Switzerland national football team, Switzerland * Jean Senebier (1742–1809), pastor and voluminous writer on vegetable physiology *Liberato Firmino Sifonia (1917-1996), an Italian composer * Pierre Eugene du Simitiere (1737–1784), naturalist, American patriot and portrait painter. * Michel Simon (1895–1975), actor * Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi (1773–1842), historian and political economist * Edward Snowden (born 1983), lived in Geneva between 2007 and 2009, while working for the CIA * Pierre Soubeyran (1706–1775), engraver, etcher and Encyclopédiste * Terry Southern (1924–1995), American author, essayist and screenwriter; lived in Geneva 1956–59 * Ezekiel Spanheim (1629–1710), Prussian diplomat * Friedrich Spanheim (1632–1701), a Calvinistic theology professor at the University of Leiden * Jacques Charles François Sturm (1803–1855), French mathematician * Émile Taddéoli (1879–1920), Swiss aviation pioneer * Alain Tanner (born 1929), film director * Sigismund Thalberg (1812–1871), Austrian composer and pianist * Max Thurian (1921–1996), theologian, known as Frère Max * Pierre Tirard (1827–1893), French politician * Rodolphe Töpffer (1799–1846), teacher, author, painter, cartoonist and caricaturist * Wolfgang-Adam Töpffer (1766–1847), painter of landscapes and watercolors * Vico Torriani (1920–1998), singer, actor, show host * Georges Trombert (1874–1949), a French fencer, silver and bronze medallist at the

* Théodore Tronchin (1709–1781), a Genevan physician * François Turrettini (1623–1687), a Genevan-Italian Reformed scholastic theologian * Jean Alphonse Turrettini (1671–1737), reformed theologian * Princess Vittoria of Savoy (2003), heir to the House of Savoy, Italian throne * François Vivares (1709–1780), French landscape-engraver, active in England * Johann Vogel (footballer), Johann Vogel (born 1977), former footballer, played 94 games for Switzerland national football team, Switzerland * Prince Andrei Volkonsky (1933–2008), Russian composer of classical music and harpsichordist * Voltaire (1694–1778), French philosopher, historian, dramatist and man of letters; lived at Les Délices 1755–1760 * Nedd Willard (1926–2018), writer * R. Norris Williams (1891–1968), American tennis player and RMS Titanic survivor * Pierre Wissmer (1915–1992), Swiss-French composer, pianist and music teacher * Jean Ziegler (born 1934), politician and sociologist * Reto Ziegler (born 1986), footballer, has played 35 games for Switzerland national football team, Switzerland

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * Joëlle Kuntz, ''Geneva and the call of internationalism. A history'', éditions Zoé, 2011, 96 pages ().

External links

* *
Geneva public transport

Geneva Tourist Information OfficeGeneva Tourist ShoppingGeneva Historical & Genealogical Society Collection
{{Portal bar, Switzerland, Europe, Geography, Geneva, Cities in Switzerland Cantonal capitals of Switzerland Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC Associates of the Old Swiss Confederacy Former theocracies Counties of the Holy Roman Empire Populated places on the Rhône Populated places on Lake Geneva Populated riverside places in Switzerland Municipalities of the canton of Geneva