Geneva
Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich)
and is the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part
of Switzerland. Situated where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is
the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.
Geneva is located at the south-western end of Lake Geneva, where
the lake flows back into the Rhône. It is surrounded by two mountain
chains, the Alps and the Jura.
The municipality (ville de Genève) has a population (as of December
2014) of 197,376, and the canton (which is essentially the city
and its inner-ring suburbs) has 482,545 residents. In 2011, the
compact agglomération franco-valdo-genevoise (Greater Geneva or
Grand Genève) had 915,000 inhabitants in both – Switzerland and
France (< 30mins distance). Within Swiss territory, the commuter
area named "Métropole lémanique" contains a population of 1.25 million.
This area is essentially spread east from Geneva towards the Riviera
area (Vevey, Montreux) and north-east towards Yverdon-les-Bains,
in the neighbouring canton of Vaud (< 60mins distance).
