   #copyright

Geneva

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

   Coordinates: 46°12′N 6°09′E
              Geneva
      Coat of Arms of Geneva
   Canton       Geneva
   District     n.a.
   Coordinates  46°12′N 6°09′E
   Population   185,526   ( 2004)
   Area         15.86  km²
   Elevation    375  m
   Postal code  1200
   Mayor        André Hediger
   Website      www.ville-ge.ch
   Location on map of Switzerland
   Geneva

   Geneva (pronunciation /dʒənivə/; French: Genève /ʒənɛv/, German: Genf
   /gɛnf/, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in
   Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy
   (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). It is situated where Lake
   Geneva (French Lac Léman) flows into the Rhône River, and is the
   capital of the Canton of Geneva. The population within the city limits
   is 185,526 ( 2004) and that of the metropolitan area — which extends
   into France and Vaud — is about 700,000. Geneva is widely regarded as a
   global city, mainly due to the presence of numerous international
   organizations, including the European headquarters of the United
   Nations. A 2006 survey found Geneva to have the second highest quality
   of living in the world (again, after Zürich).

   See Names of European cities in different languages for a list of the
   name of this city in other languages.

History

   Rue de la Croix-d'Or, one of the main streets of Geneva, part of les
   Rues Basses
   Enlarge
   Rue de la Croix-d'Or, one of the main streets of Geneva, part of les
   Rues Basses

   Geneva was the name of a settlement of the Celtic people of the
   Allobroges. The name of Genava (or Genua) in Latin appeared for the
   first time in the writings of Julius Caesar in De Bello Gallico, his
   comments on the Gallic Wars. Its name may be identical in origin to the
   name of the Ligurian city of Genua (modern Genoa), meaning "knee", that
   is, "angle", referring to its geographical position; though more likely
   is based on the root gen- 'birth' (Genawa is at the birth of the river
   from the womb of the lake; perhaps the name in full means
   'birth-water'). After the Roman conquest it became part of the
   Provincia Romana ( Gallia Narbonensis). In 58 BC, at Geneva, Caesar
   hemmed in the Helvetii on their westward march. In the 9th century it
   became the capital of Burgundy. Though Geneva was contested among
   Burgundians and Franks and the Holy Roman Emperors, in practice it was
   ruled by its Prince-bishops, until the Reformation, when Geneva became
   a republic.
   St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva's Old Town
   Enlarge
   St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva's Old Town

   Due to the work of reformers such as John Calvin, Geneva was sometimes
   dubbed the Protestant Rome. In the 16th century Geneva was the centre
   of Calvinism; the St. Pierre Cathedral in what is now called the Old
   Town was John Calvin's own church. During the time when England was
   ruled by the Catholic Queen Mary I Tudor, who persecuted Protestants, a
   number of Protestant scholars fled to Geneva. Among these scholars was
   William Whittingham who supervised the translation of the Geneva Bible
   in collaboration with Miles Coverdale, Christopher Goodman, Anthony
   Gilby, Thomas Sampson and William Cole.

   One of the most important events in Geneva's history is l'Escalade
   (literally: "the scaling of the wall"). For the people of Geneva,
   l'Escalade is the symbol of their independence. It marked the final
   attempt in a series of assaults mounted throughout the 16th century by
   Savoy, which wanted to annex Geneva as its capital north of the Alps.
   This last assault happened on the night of 11- 12 December 1602 and is
   celebrated yearly in the Old Town with numerous demonstrations and a
   parade of horses, cannons and armed men in period costumes.

   Geneva, or officially the Canton & Republic of Geneva, became a canton
   of Switzerland in 1815. The first of the Geneva Conventions was signed
   in 1864, to protect the sick and wounded in war time.

Geography

   Satellite photo of the Geneva region. The Jura mountains can be seen at
   the top, and the Alps at the bottom.
   Enlarge
   Satellite photo of the Geneva region. The Jura mountains can be seen at
   the top, and the Alps at the bottom.

   Geneva is located at 46°12 North, 6°09' East, at the south-western end
   of Lake Geneva, where the lake flows into the Rhône River. It is
   surrounded by two mountain chains, the Alps and the Jura.

   The city of Geneva has an area of 15.86 km², while the area of the
   Canton of Geneva is 282 km², including the two small enclaves of
   Céligny in Vaud. The part of the Lake that is attached to Geneva has an
   area of 38 km² and is sometimes referred to as Petit lac (small lake).
   The Canton has only a 4.5 km border with the rest of Switzerland; out
   of a total of 107.5 km of borders, the remaining 103 are shared with
   France, with the Départment de l'Ain to the North and the Département
   de la Haute-Savoie to the South.

   The altitude of Geneva is 373.6 m, 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 all surveying in
   Switzerland .

   The second main river of Geneva is the Arve River which flows into the
   Rhône River just west of the city centre.

Demographics

   As of 2004, the population of the Commune (city) of Geneva was 185,526,
   while 438,500 people lived in the Canton of Geneva; around 700,000
   people live in the Geneva urban community, which extends into Vaud
   Canton and neighboring France.

   The population of the Canton is split between 145,200 people originally
   from Geneva (33.1%), 123,400 Swiss from other cantons (28.2%) and
   169,000 foreigners (38.7%), from 180 different countries. Including
   people holding multiple citizenship, 54.4% of people living in Geneva
   hold a foreign passport.

   While Geneva is usually considered as a Protestant city, there are now
   more Roman Catholics (39.5%) than Protestants (17.4%) living in the
   Canton. 22% of the inhabitants indicate that they are not part of any
   religion, the rest being shared between Islam (4.4%), Judaism (1.1%),
   other religions and people who did not respond. (2000 figures.)

International organizations

   Streets in the Old Town of Geneva
   Enlarge
   Streets in the Old Town of Geneva

   Geneva is the seat of many international organizations, including the
   European headquarters of the United Nations and several other
   international bodies, such as the World Health Organization, the
   International Labour Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner
   for Refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
   the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International
   Telecommunication Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the
   World Trade Organization and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Geneva also
   hosts the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, the
   International Organization for Standardization, the International
   Baccalaureate program, the Airports Council International, the World
   Council of Churches, the World Wide Web Virtual Library, the World
   Economic Forum, World Organization of the Scout Movement, International
   Committee of the Red Cross and the International AIDS Society.

   Geneva was the seat of the League of Nations between 1919 and the
   league's dissolution in 1946. It was first housed in the Palais Wilson,
   and then in the Palais des Nations, which now hosts the United Nations.

Economy

   Geneva's economy is mainly services oriented. The city has an important
   and old finance sector, which is specialized in private banking
   (managing assets of about 1 trillion USD) and financing of
   international trade. It is also an important centre of commodity trade.

   Geneva is the international headquarter of companies like Serono,
   STMicroelectronics, Société Générale de Surveillance, Mediterranean
   Shipping Company and SITA. Many other multinational companies like
   Procter & Gamble, DuPont, INVISTA, Hewlett-Packard, JT International
   (JTI), Electronic Arts and Sun Microsystems have their European
   headquarters in the city too.

   There is a long tradition of Watchmaking ( Rolex, Patek Philippe, Baume
   et Mercier, Franck Muller). Two major international producers of
   flavours and fragrances, Firmenich and Givaudan, have their
   headquarters and main production facilities in Geneva.

   Many people also work in the numerous offices of international
   organizations located in Geneva (about 24000 in 2001).

Infrastructure

Transportation

   Tram in Geneva
   Enlarge
   Tram in Geneva

   The city is served by the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. It is
   connected to both the Swiss railway network SBB-CFF-FFS, and the French
   SNCF network, including direct connections to Paris, Marseille and
   Montpellier by TGV. Geneva is also connected to the motorway systems of
   both Switzerland ( A1 motorway) and France.

   Public transport by bus, trolleybus or tram is provided by Transports
   Publics Genevois (TPG). In addition to an extensive coverage of the
   city centre, the network covers most of the municipalities of the
   Canton, with a few lines extending into France. Public transport by
   boat is provided by the Mouettes Genevoises, which link the two banks
   of the Lake within the city, and by the Compagnie générale de
   navigation (CGN) who serve more distant destinations such as Nyon,
   Yvoire, Thonon, Evian and Lausanne.

   Trains operated by SBB-CFF-FFS connect the airport to the main station
   of Cornavin in a mere 6 minutes, and carry on to towns such as Nyon,
   Lausanne, Montreux, Neuchâtel, Berne, Sion, Sierre, etc. Regional train
   services are being increasingly developed, towards Coppet and
   Bellegarde. At the city limits, two new stations have been created
   since 2002: Genève-Sécheron (close to the UN and the Botanical Gardens)
   and Lancy-Pont-Rouge.

   In 2005, work started on the CEVA (Cornavin - Eaux-Vives - Annemasse)
   project, first planned in 1884, which will connect Cornavin with the
   Cantonal hospital, the Eaux-Vives station and Annemasse, in France. The
   link between the main station and the classification yard of La Praille
   already exists; from there, the line will go mostly underground to the
   Hospital and the Eaux-Vives, where it will link up to the existing line
   to France. Support for this project was obtained from all parties in
   the local parliament.

Utilities

   Water, natural gas and electricity are provided to the municipalities
   of the Canton of Geneva by the state-owned Services Industriels de
   Genève (or SIG). Most of the drinkable water (80%) is extracted from
   the lake; the remaining 20% is provided by groundwater originally
   formed by infiltration from the Arve River. 30% of the Canton's needs
   in electricity are locally produced, mainly by three hydroelectric dams
   on the Rhone River (Seujet, Verbois and Chancy-Pougny). In addition,
   13% of the electricity produced in the Canton is made from the heat
   induced by 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 reactors or 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 providers and large
   enterprises. From 2003 to 2005 "Voisin, voisine" a Fibre to the Home
   pilot project with a Triple play offering was launched to test the
   end-user market in the Charmilles district.

Education

   Geneva is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the
   University of Geneva, founded by John Calvin in 1559. Also, the oldest
   international school in the world is located in Geneva, the
   International School of Geneva, founded in 1924 along with the League
   of Nations.

   The city is also home to one of the most prestigious graduate schools
   of international relations, the Graduate Institute of International
   Studies. Other International schools include Geneva English School and
   Institut International de Lancy (founded in 1903).

   The Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations is a private
   university located on the grounds of the Chateau de Penthes, an old
   manor with a park and view of Lac Leman.

   The Canton of Geneva's public school system has "Ecoles Primaires"
   (4-12), "Cycles D'Orientation" (12-15), and the post-obligatory
   "Collèges" (15-19), the oldest of which is the Collège Calvin. It is
   housed in the ancient buildings of the University of Geneva, and could
   be considered one of the oldest public schools in the world.

Culture

Landmarks and Sights

   The Flower Clock
   Enlarge
   The Flower Clock

   Notable sights in Geneva include the International Museum of the
   Reformation, the Reformation Wall, the Flower Clock, the Art and
   History Museum, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and
   the Palais des Nations, which serves as the European headquarters of
   the United Nations.

   The city's most visited monument is the Saint-Pierre Cathedral, located
   at Cour Saint-Pierre, a noteworthy space of unique spiritual and
   cultural importance. The Cathedral and towers, which both embody the
   high point of the Reformed tradition and explores the origins of
   Christianity in its archaeological site, is now complemented by the
   International Museum of the Reformation, on the ground floor of the
   Maison Mallet. An underground passage, reopened when the Museum was
   created, connects the two buildings and a pass is now available for
   visitors to enjoy all three areas.

   The city's most noted landmark is a fountain: the Jet d'Eau
   (water-jet), situated in Lake Geneva. Its 140-metre-high water column
   is visible from many parts of the city.

Theatre

   Within this multicultural society, English theatre flourishes, the key
   groups include Geneva English Drama Society (GEDS), Geneva Amateur
   Operatic Society (GAOS), Howard Productions and Simply Theatre.

Sport

   The main sport team in Geneva is Servette FC, a football club founded
   in 1890 and named after a borough on the right bank of the Rhône River.
   Servette was the only club to have remained in the top league in
   Switzerland since its creation in the 1930s; however, in 2005,
   management problems caused the bankruptcy of the club's parent company,
   causing the club to be demoted two divisions lower. Geneva is also home
   of the Geneve Servette Hockey Club, which is currently playing in the
   first league.

Communities

   As the Geneva authorities say, the history of the city is closely
   related to that of the foreign communities. Ever since the migration of
   foreigners to Geneva, these communities have found refuge, bringing
   their know-how, their customs and hope of a new life. They have widely
   participated in the international influence of Geneva, to its economic
   prosperity, and also to the spreading of views and of science.

Religious communities

   There are quite many communities in Geneva. Religious communities are
   very diverse. Even if Geneva is supposed to be the Protestant Rome,
   many religions meet in Geneva. Beside the Protestants, the Catholics
   have been more and more numerous thanks to immigration from latin
   countries. The Jewish community is one of the oldest of Switzerland,
   and the more recent Muslim community is emerging in this city which
   respects all communities.

Foreign communities

   Even though Geneva is not a very large metropolis on the world scale,
   foreign communities are extremely diverse and numerous due to the fact
   that many UN agencies and NGOs are based in Geneva. Basically every
   nationality is represented in Geneva. Expatriates, including short-term
   ones, play an important part in the city's social life. The website
   Genevaonline (genevaonline.ch) was set up by expats to improve
   networking among people from different nationalities.

LGBT community

   Many other communities or minorities are also very well represented in
   Geneva, including sexual minorities, with no less than three
   organizations in Geneva. Dialogai, a gay organization, Lestime, a
   lesbian organization, and association 360, a mixed organization.

Trivia

   Since 1818, a particular chestnut tree is 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 impact, the sautier
   issues a formal press release and the local newspaper will usually
   mention the news. In 2006, the first bud appeared on 14 March.

   In 2000, Geneva was awarded the Wakker Prize for the development and
   preservation of its architectural heritage.

Famous Literature involving Geneva

     * Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
     * Geneva Nights by Clint Borgen
     * " Politics and the Arts" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
