[lwptoc]
Geneva is the second most populated city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city in Romandy, Switzerland’s French-speaking region. It is the capital of the Republic and the Canton of Geneva, located where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva.
The municipality (ville de Genève) has a population of 197,376 people (as of December 2014), while the canton (which includes the city and its inner-ring suburbs) has a population of 482,545 people. The small agglomération du Grand Genève has 946,000 residents in 2014, spread among 212 municipalities in both Switzerland and France (30 minutes away). The commuter region known as “Métropole lémanique” within Swiss territory has a population of 1.25 million people. This region extends mostly east from Geneva into the Riviera area (Vevey, Montreux) and north-east towards Yverdon-les-Bains in the neighboring canton of Vaud.
Because of the presence of multiple international organizations, notably the headquarters of many United Nations and Red Cross agencies, Geneva is a global metropolis, a financial hub, and a global center for diplomacy. Geneva is the city with the greatest concentration of international organizations in the world. It is also the site of the signing of the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of noncombatants and prisoners of war during battle.
The Global Financial Centres Index classified Geneva as the world’s ninth most significant financial hub for competitiveness, ahead of Frankfurt, and third in Europe after London and Zürich. According to a 2009 Mercer poll, Geneva has the world’s third-highest quality of life (after Vienna and Zürich for expats; it is just outranked by Zürich). The city has been dubbed the “Peace Capital” and the “World’s Most Compact Metropolis.” Geneva was voted the fourth and fifth most expensive cities in the world in 2009 and 2011, respectively.