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Geneva

City in SwitzerlandGeneva lies in the far south-west of Switzerland, where the Rhône River flows out of Lake Geneva. Its canton shares almost its whole border with France.

What it's known for

Geneva is a world centre of diplomacy. It hosts the headquarters of many United Nations agencies and of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Geneva Conventions on the treatment of people in war were signed here, and the city hosted the League of Nations.

Fun facts

  1. Julius Caesar wrote the city's name as Genava, which probably comes from a Celtic word meaning 'mouth'.
  2. The Jet d'Eau, a giant fountain in the lake, began in 1886 as a safety valve for a water-power network and was moved to its lakeside spot in 1891.
  3. In 1541 John Calvin became the spiritual leader of Geneva, and the city became known as the 'Protestant Rome'.

Finding it on the globe

Find Lake Geneva on the border between Switzerland and France: the city sits at the lake's south-western tip, in the corner of Switzerland that reaches into France.

Easy to mix up

Geneva is not the capital of Switzerland. The federal city, where the government sits, is Bern, north-east of Geneva on the Aare River.

Sources: Wikipedia: Geneva, Wikipedia: Jet d'Eau, Wikipedia: Bern