Geneva

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.”

The canton of Genève has a total area of 109 square miles (282 square kilometres), of which seven square miles constitute the city proper. Territorial isolation has been a basic feature of this region, which did not establish its definitive frontiers until 1815. Cut off politically and culturally after the Reformation from its natural geographic surroundings in Roman Catholic France and Savoy, Geneva was forced to establish an attenuated but powerful network of intellectual and economic relationships with the rest of Europe and with nations overseas.

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. (2007 est.) city, 178,603; urban agglom., 497,386.

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Geneva - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Once known as the "Protestant Rome," Geneva still wields influence disproportionate to its size. Located at the western tip of Switzerland, almost surrounded by French territory, Geneva is a world city, housing many international institutions and often hosting international meetings. The city is also capital of its own canton (state) in the Swiss Confederation. Most of the city’s residents are French-speaking and know their city as Geneve. Genf is the city’s German name.