Geneva Info

Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland, situated where Lake Geneva (known in French as Lac Léman) flows into the Rhône River. It is the capital of the Canton of Geneva. The population within the city limits is 185,526 (2004) and that of the city and its suburbs — which extend all the way into France — is 645,000 (2000).

Geneva is the seat of many international organizations, including the European headquarters of the United Nations and several United Nations organizations, 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 World Council of Churches, the World Wide Web Virtual Library, the World Economic Forum, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International AIDS Society.

Notable sights in Geneva include the Flower Clock, the Art and History Museum and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum.

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.