Geneva, French Genève, German Genf, Italian Ginevra, city, capital of Genève canton, in the far southwestern corner of Switzerland that juts into France. One of Europe’s most cosmopolitan
cities, Geneva has served as a model for republican government and owes
its preeminence to the triumph of human, rather than geographic,
factors. It developed its unique character from the 16th century, when,
as the centre of the Calvinist Reformation, it became the “Protestant Rome.”
A city-state transformed after many vicissitudes into a democratic Swiss canton, Genève has functioned primarily as a centre of commerce, in contact with both Germanic and Mediterranean countries. The contemporary city of Geneva is, above all, a service metropolis, retaining its financial importance and housing the headquarters of many public and private international organizations. Pop. (2010) city, 187,470; urban agglom., 544,772.
Geneva is located at the southwestern end of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) at its junction with the Rhône River.
The city lies at an elevation of 1,230 feet (375 metres) in the centre
of a natural basin encircled by mountains. This excellent site, besides
commanding the important Swiss corridor between the Alps and the Jura Mountains, is also the focus of Alpine passes leading into Italy and, along the Saône–Rhône axis, of routes to the Mediterranean.
Bisected by the lower lake basin and the river, Geneva exhibits the classic pattern of old European cities, with neighbourhoods lying in belts around the original nucleus. The Haute-ville, or upper city, centred on the city’s original hill site at the Plateau des Tranchées and dominated by the Cathedral of St. Peter, is the historic heart of Geneva. The typical medieval and Renaissance houses are crowded together along narrow streets. This neighbourhood has undergone relative depopulation as housing has given way to government buildings and art, antiques, and interior furnishings businesses.
International agencies such as the Red Cross and the World Health Organization are found on the old patrician properties north of the Rhône. In this section, too, is the Palais des Nations, now the European home of the United Nations. At the lake’s edge the Jet d’Eau—reputedly the world’s tallest fountain, with a jet of water rising 476 feet (145 metres)—provides a familiar symbol of the city.
Manufacturing is handicapped by lack of space and raw materials, but Geneva, as one of the oldest banking centres in Europe, has profited from an early start in capital accumulation. It benefits from a skilled labour force and managers who are international in outlook. Certain older activities, such as cotton textile manufacture, have disappeared, but watchmaking has a continuing tradition of precision and quality. Industrial production is diversified and is, above all, designed for export. The largest industry is the manufacture of instruments and precision machinery.
The chemical industry is the second largest in Switzerland, after that of Basel. It supplies luxury items—such as fragrances and bases for perfume—as well as medicines. The food-processing industry is important. Agriculture supplies such commodities as wheat, rapeseed, dairy products, and wine. Only about 1 percent of the canton’s people are employed in farming.
ervice industries employ more than two-thirds of the population. Wholesale and retail trade, banking, tourism, and insurance are among the principal employers. Although nationally Geneva is second to Zürich in total volume of financial transactions, it has retained a position of worldwide significance. Geneva is one of the world’s leading sanctuaries for capital, and it has been estimated that its banks hold more than half the total amount of foreign capital in Switzerland. It is Switzerland’s centre of private banking. A wide variety of international institutions have also found a home in the city as a result of its geographic location at a crossroads of Europe and the security brought by Swiss political neutrality.
Geneva has an ancient cultural tradition. A scholarly elite long cultivated theology, philosophy, literature, and, especially since the 17th century, the natural and applied sciences. Numerous scientific organizations are based in Geneva, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), a leader in subnuclear physics research, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The Geneva City Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a major botanical research centre. In 1872 the Academy, in existence since the 16th century, became a university, and it has acquired an outstanding reputation.
Other aspects of Geneva’s active cultural life revolve around its museums (including the Natural History Museum, the Geneva Museum of Art and History, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, and the Ariana Museum), the Grand Théâtre (the city’s opera house), and the proceedings of international meetings held there. The music conservatory and international performance competitions attract large numbers of musicians, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is renowned worldwide. There are a number of distinguished small publishing houses in Geneva, and the city contributes substantially to the French-language services of the Swiss television and radio system, which is supplemented by broadcasts from France. The Journal de Genève, long the city’s leading French-language newspaper and one of the premier papers in the world, merged with Le Nouveau Quotidien to become Le Temps in 1998.
The lake provides many recreational opportunities for swimming, sailing, and fishing. Winter sports such as skiing and skating are popular, and rock climbing and mountaineering are pursued for both science and sport.
A city-state transformed after many vicissitudes into a democratic Swiss canton, Genève has functioned primarily as a centre of commerce, in contact with both Germanic and Mediterranean countries. The contemporary city of Geneva is, above all, a service metropolis, retaining its financial importance and housing the headquarters of many public and private international organizations. Pop. (2010) city, 187,470; urban agglom., 544,772.
Bisected by the lower lake basin and the river, Geneva exhibits the classic pattern of old European cities, with neighbourhoods lying in belts around the original nucleus. The Haute-ville, or upper city, centred on the city’s original hill site at the Plateau des Tranchées and dominated by the Cathedral of St. Peter, is the historic heart of Geneva. The typical medieval and Renaissance houses are crowded together along narrow streets. This neighbourhood has undergone relative depopulation as housing has given way to government buildings and art, antiques, and interior furnishings businesses.
International agencies such as the Red Cross and the World Health Organization are found on the old patrician properties north of the Rhône. In this section, too, is the Palais des Nations, now the European home of the United Nations. At the lake’s edge the Jet d’Eau—reputedly the world’s tallest fountain, with a jet of water rising 476 feet (145 metres)—provides a familiar symbol of the city.
Manufacturing is handicapped by lack of space and raw materials, but Geneva, as one of the oldest banking centres in Europe, has profited from an early start in capital accumulation. It benefits from a skilled labour force and managers who are international in outlook. Certain older activities, such as cotton textile manufacture, have disappeared, but watchmaking has a continuing tradition of precision and quality. Industrial production is diversified and is, above all, designed for export. The largest industry is the manufacture of instruments and precision machinery.
The chemical industry is the second largest in Switzerland, after that of Basel. It supplies luxury items—such as fragrances and bases for perfume—as well as medicines. The food-processing industry is important. Agriculture supplies such commodities as wheat, rapeseed, dairy products, and wine. Only about 1 percent of the canton’s people are employed in farming.
ervice industries employ more than two-thirds of the population. Wholesale and retail trade, banking, tourism, and insurance are among the principal employers. Although nationally Geneva is second to Zürich in total volume of financial transactions, it has retained a position of worldwide significance. Geneva is one of the world’s leading sanctuaries for capital, and it has been estimated that its banks hold more than half the total amount of foreign capital in Switzerland. It is Switzerland’s centre of private banking. A wide variety of international institutions have also found a home in the city as a result of its geographic location at a crossroads of Europe and the security brought by Swiss political neutrality.
Geneva has an ancient cultural tradition. A scholarly elite long cultivated theology, philosophy, literature, and, especially since the 17th century, the natural and applied sciences. Numerous scientific organizations are based in Geneva, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), a leader in subnuclear physics research, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The Geneva City Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a major botanical research centre. In 1872 the Academy, in existence since the 16th century, became a university, and it has acquired an outstanding reputation.
Other aspects of Geneva’s active cultural life revolve around its museums (including the Natural History Museum, the Geneva Museum of Art and History, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, and the Ariana Museum), the Grand Théâtre (the city’s opera house), and the proceedings of international meetings held there. The music conservatory and international performance competitions attract large numbers of musicians, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is renowned worldwide. There are a number of distinguished small publishing houses in Geneva, and the city contributes substantially to the French-language services of the Swiss television and radio system, which is supplemented by broadcasts from France. The Journal de Genève, long the city’s leading French-language newspaper and one of the premier papers in the world, merged with Le Nouveau Quotidien to become Le Temps in 1998.
The lake provides many recreational opportunities for swimming, sailing, and fishing. Winter sports such as skiing and skating are popular, and rock climbing and mountaineering are pursued for both science and sport.
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