Geneva
This article is about the city in Switzerland. For other articles subjects named Geneva, see Geneva (disambiguation).
Coat of arms of the City and Canton of Geneva |
Geneva (French: Genève, German: Genf, Italian: Ginevra, Spanish: Ginebra) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac de Genève or Lac Léman) empties into the Rhône River.
"Geneva" is also the name of the westernmost canton of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France and centered around the city of Geneva. The official name of this canton is République et Canton de Genève. Like some other Swiss cantons (Ticino, Neuchâtel) this canton calls itself a republic, as part of the Swiss confederation.
History
Geneva was the name of a settlement of the Celtic people of the Allobrogi. After the Roman conquest it became part of the Provincia Romana (Gallia Narbonensis). At Geneva Caesar hemmed in the Helvetii on their westward march. In the 9th century it became the capital of Burgundy. In the 16th century Geneva was the center of Calvinism; the old town Cathedral (Temple St-Pierre) was John Calvin's own church. It became a canton in 1815.
The city of Geneva is the seat of many international organizations, and was the seat of the League of Nations until its dissolution. Many United Nations organizations maintain offices here.
Notable sights in Geneva include its Clock Museum and Art & History Museum.
Geneva's most visible landmark however is not a museum, church or tower, but a fountain: the Jet d'Eau, water-jet, situated in Lake Geneva and visible throughout the city for its 140 metre high water column.
The city is served by Geneva Cointrin International Airport.
Geneva: Mont Blanc bridge over the Rhone river and St Pierre Cathedral
Statistics
Source: National Office of Statistics
See also: UN, John Calvin, CERN
External link
