Geneva ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. Geneva is a global city, an international financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy, which has led to it being called the "Peace Capital".
It hosts the highest number of international organisations in the world,François Modoux, "La Suisse engagera 300 millions pour rénover le Palais des Nations", Le Temps, Friday 28 June 2013, page 9. including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the Red Cross. It was where the Geneva Conventions on humanitarian treatment in war were signed, and, in the aftermath of World War I, it hosted the League of Nations. It shares a unique distinction with municipalities such as New York City, Bonn, Basel, and Strasbourg as a city which serves as the headquarters of at least one critical international organisation without being the capital of a country.
The city of Geneva () had a population of 203,856 in January 2021 within its municipal territory of . The Geneva metropolitan area as officially defined by Eurostat, including suburbs and exurbs in Vaud and the French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie, extends over As of 2020, the Eurostat-defined Functional Urban Area 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: ). and had a population of 1,053,436 in 2021.As of 2020, the Eurostat-defined Functional_Urban_Area 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 2021: 609,068 (source: ).Population of the 158 French communes in January 2021: 444,368 (source: ). The Canton of Geneva, the Nyon District, and the (a federation of eight French intercommunal councils), form the ("Greater Geneva"), a in charge of organising cooperation within the cross-border metropolitan area of Geneva. The extends over Grand Genève is made up of:
Canton of Geneva (245.8 km²) District of Nyon (307.4 km²) Genevois français (1443.2 km²), itself made up of CA Thonon Agglomération (238.9 km²), CA Annemasse-les Voirons-Agglomération (78.2 km²) , CC Arve et Salève (99.3 km²) , CC du Pays Rochois (93.9 km²) , CC Faucigny-Glières (150.7 km²) , CC du Genevois (151.5 km²), CA du Pays de Gex (404.9 km²), and CC du Pays Bellegardien (225.8 km²) . and had a population of 1,046,168, with 58.3% of them living in Switzerland, and 41.7% in France.Grand Genève is made up of:
Canton of Geneva (506,343 inh. in Jan. 2021) District of Nyon (103,305 inh. in Jan. 2021) Genevois français (436,520 inh. in Jan. 2021), itself made up of CA Thonon Agglomération (93,344 inh.) , CA Annemasse-les Voirons-Agglomération (93,417 inh.) , CC Arve et Salève (20,352 inh.) , CC du Pays Rochois (29,112 inh.) , CC Faucigny-Glières (27,764 inh.) , CC du Genevois (48,708 inh.) , CA du Pays de Gex (102,027 inh.) , and CC du Pays Bellegardien (21,796 inh.) .
In 2025, Geneva was ranked as the world's fifteenth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, and fourth in Europe behind London, Frankfurt and Dublin. In 2024, Geneva was ranked as the third most liveable city in the world by Mercer, as well as the fourth most expensive city in the world. In a UBS ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, and fourth in purchasing power, and was also the second most expensive city.
Etymology The city was mentioned in Latin texts, by Caesar, with the spelling Genava,Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Caesar Selections from His Commentarii De Bello Gallico, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2012, p. 34. probably from the Celtic from the stem ("mouth"), in the sense of an estuary, an etymology shared with the Italian port city of Genoa (in Italian Genova).John T. Koch, Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 1513.Delamarre, Xavier, Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise, Paris, 2003, p. 177
The medieval county of Geneva in Middle Latin was known as pagus major Genevensis or Comitatus Genevensis (also Gebennensis). After 1400 it became the Genevois province of Savoy (albeit not extending to the city proper, until the reformation of the seat of the Bishop of Geneva).Pour cette citation et le découpage suivant, organisation décrite par l'ouvrage Jules-Joseph Vernier, Étude historique et géographique sur la Savoie, Le Livre d'Histoire – Res Universis (réimpr. 1993) (1re éd. 1896), p. 137.
History
Geneva was an Allobrogian border town, fortified against the Helvetii tribe, when the Roman Republic took it in 121 BC. It became Christian under the Late Roman Empire, and acquired its first bishop in the 5th century, having been connected to the Bishopric of Vienne in the 4th.
In the Middle Ages, Geneva was ruled by a count under the Holy Roman Empire until the late 14th century, when it was granted a charter giving it a high degree of self-governance. Around this time, the House of Savoy came to at least nominally dominate the city. In the 15th century, an oligarchic republican government emerged with the creation of the Grand Council. In the first half of the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation reached the city, causing religious strife, during which Savoy rule was thrown off and Geneva allied itself with the Swiss Confederacy. In 1541, with Protestantism on the rise, John Calvin, the Protestant Reformer and proponent of Calvinism, became the spiritual leader of the city and established a "Protestant Rome". By the 18th century, Geneva had come under the influence of Catholic France, which cultivated the city as its own. France tended to be at odds with the ordinary townsfolk, which inspired the failed Geneva Revolution of 1782, an attempt to win representation in the government for men of modest means. In 1798, Revolutionary France under the Directory annexed Geneva. France lost Geneva, which recovered its independence, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. On 19 May 1815, Geneva joined the Swiss Confederation. In 1907, the separation of Church and State was adopted. Geneva flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the seat of many international organisations.
Geography
Topography
Geneva is located at 46°12' North, 6°09' East, at the south-western end of Lake Geneva, where the Rhône flows out. It is surrounded by three mountain chains, each belonging to the Jura: the Jura main range lies north-westward, the Vuache southward, and the Salève south-eastward.
The city covers an area of , while the area of the canton is , including the two small exclaves of Céligny in Vaud. The part of the lake that is attached to Geneva has an area of and is sometimes referred to as ('small lake'). The canton has only a border with the rest of Switzerland. Of of the border, 103 are shared with France, the department of Ain to the north and west and the department of 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.
The altitude of Geneva is and corresponds to the altitude of the largest of the Pierres du Niton, two large rocks emerging from the lake which date from the last ice age. This rock was chosen by General Guillaume Henri Dufour as the reference point for surveying in Switzerland.Swisstopo, Height reference for Switzerland. Retrieved 1 February 2007. The second main river of Geneva is the Arve, which flows into the Rhône just west of the city centre. Mont Blanc can be seen from Geneva and is an hour's drive from the city.
Climate
The climate of Geneva is a temperate climate, more specifically an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb). Winters are cool, usually with light frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day. Summers are relatively warm. Precipitation is adequate and is relatively well-distributed throughout the year, although autumn is slightly wetter than other seasons. Ice storms near Lac Léman are normal in the winter: Geneva can be affected by the Bise, a north-easterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter.
In summer, many people swim in the lake and patronise public beaches such as Genève Plage and the Bains des Pâquis. The city, in certain years, receives snow during colder months. The nearby mountains are subject to substantial snowfall and are suitable for skiing. Many world-renowned ski resorts such as Verbier and Crans-Montana are less than three hours away by car. Mont Salève (), just across the border in France, dominates the southerly view from the city centre, and Mont Blanc, the highest of the Alpine range, is visible from most of the city, towering high above Chamonix, which, along with Morzine, Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, and resorts of the Grand Massif such as Samoens, Morillon, and Flaine, are the closest French skiing destinations to Geneva.
During the years 2000–2009, the mean yearly temperature was 11 °C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003.
The highest temperature recorded in Genève–Cointrin was in July 2015, and the lowest temperature recorded was 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, and Acacias; (3) Eaux-Vives; and (4) Champel. The right bank includes: (1) Saint-Jean and Charmilles; (2) Servette and Petit-Saconnex; (3) Grottes and Saint-Gervais; and (4) Paquis and Nations.
Government
The Administrative Council () constitutes the executive government of the city of Geneva and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (), each presiding over a department. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (). In the governmental year 2021–2022, the Administrative Council is presided over by Frédérique Perler. 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 office is from 1June 2020 to 31May 2025. The delegates take office due to a winner-takes-all election (, or ). 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, near the .
Geneva's Administrative Council is made up of two representatives each of the Social Democratic Party (PS) and the Green Party (PES), and one member of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC). This gives the left-wing parties four out of the five seats and, for the first time in history, a female majority in the election held on 15March / 5April 2020. Except for the mayor, all other councillors have been elected for the first time.