Established as a Roman settlement in 58 BC, it is thought the first recorded use of the name 'Genua’ was by Julius Caesar himself. Geneva soon grew into an important trading town at the heart of Europe, but its strategic location meant the city was conquered and reconquered before finally managing to establish itself as an independent republic in 1535. Full independence was gained in 1602 when the Genevois famously repelled an attempted invasion by the Savoyards. Geneva joined the Confederation of Switzerland on the 12th September 1814 and soon developed into a banking hub. A humanitarian aspect was added to the city when, in 1864, Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross, setting the scene for more international organisations to follow. The League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1946 are just two of some 200 organisations housed in Geneva.

POLITICS

The republic of Geneva successfully applied for entry into the Swiss Confederation in 1815. A revolution in 1846 led by James Fazy then overthrew the government of the Restoration and established the constitution that is still in force in the canton (state) today, although it has been amended since then. Nowadays the government of the canton has seven members who serve four-year terms on the State Council. The legislative Great Council has 100 seats and deputies are elected for four years at a time. The canton is further divided into communes, or municipalities, which have their own assemblies and a mayor.

RELIGION

Following the repeal of the Edict of Nantes in the mid 1600s, Geneva became a major refuge for persecuted Protestants throughout Europe, who were attracted by the teachings of John Calvin, John Knox and Theodore de Beze. As a result, Geneva’s refugee population exploded and the city became known as the 'Protestant Rome’. Today, despite being known as Calvin’s city, Geneva is predominantly Catholic, but there are significant Protestant, Muslim and Jewish communities.

ECONOMY

The 18th century was a period of enormous prosperity for Geneva and this is when industries—horology (watch-making) is the best known—business and banking flourished. Today the major contributors to Geneva’s economy are services (banking and tourism, for example), manufacturing, particularly of precision machinery, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It is a centre of commerce, trade and finance, with a large number of Swiss banks located in Geneva, particularly in the area of private banking. Geneva is also home to numerous international corporations as well as international governmental and non-governmental organisations.

It may come as a surprise, but 50% of the canton of Geneva is devoted to agriculture, including vineyards. In fact, the canton of Geneva is Switzerland’s third-largest wine producer.

POPULATION

Geneva was the most heavily populated of the Swiss towns until 1870, when it was overtaken by Zürich. Today the city of Geneva has around 185,000 residents while the canton of Geneva as a whole has close to 440,000. Geneva is renowned for being an international city with a multicultural population and the statistics certainly bear that out—45% of the population is not from Geneva itself, with 180 different nationalities represented in this mix. Although Geneva is officially a French-speaking city, with the large international presence English comes a close second.