Switzerland Geneva walk: Explore famous “Rue de Lausanne & Bd James – Fazy St” (10.19.’23: 4K-UHD)

The city of Geneva (ville de Genve) had a population of 203,951 in 2020 (Jan. estimate) within its small municipal territory of 16 km2 (6 sq mi), but the Canton of Geneva (the city and its closest Swiss suburbs and exurbs) had a population of 504,128 (Jan. 2020 estimate) over 246 km2 (95 sq mi), and together with the suburbs and exurbs located in the canton of Vaud and in the French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie the cross-border Geneva metropolitan area as officially defined by Eurostat, which extends over 2,292 km2 (885 sq mi), had a population of 1,044,766 in Jan. 2020 (Swiss estimates and French census).

Since 2013, the Canton of Geneva, the Nyon District (in the canton of Vaud), and the Ple mtropolitain du Genevois franais (literally ‘Metropolitan hub of the French Genevan territory’), this last one a federation of eight French intercommunal councils, have formed Grand Genve (“Greater Geneva”), a Local Grouping of Transnational Cooperation (GLCT in French, a public entity under Swiss law) in charge of organizing cooperation within the cross-border metropolitan area of Geneva (in particular metropolitan transports). The Grand Genve GLCT extends over 1,996 km2 (771 sq mi) and had a population of 1,037,407 in Jan. 2020 (Swiss estimates and French census), 58.4% of them living on Swiss territory, and 41.6% on French territory.

Geneva is a global city, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous international organizations, including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. In the aftermath of World War I, it hosted the League of Nations. Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world. It is also where the Geneva Conventions were signed, which chiefly concern the treatment of wartime non-combatants and prisoners of war. It shares a unique distinction with municipalities such as New York City (global headquarters of the UN), Basel (Bank for International Settlements), and Strasbourg (Council of Europe) as a city which serves as the headquarters of at least one critical international organization without being the capital of a country.

In 2023, Geneva was ranked as the world’s tenth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, second in Europe behind London. In 2019, Geneva was ranked among the ten most liveable cities in the world by Mercer together with Zrich and Basel. The city has been referred to as the world’s most compact metropolis and the “Peace Capital”. In 2019, Mercer ranked Geneva as the thirteenth most expensive city in the world. In a UBS ranking of global cities in 2018, Geneva was ranked first for gross earnings, second most expensive, and fourth in purchasing power.

CLIMATE:
The climate of Geneva is a temperate climate, more specifically an oceanic climate (Kppen climate classification: Cfb). Winters are cool, usually with light frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day. Summers are relatively warm. Precipitation is adequate and is relatively well-distributed throughout the year, although autumn is slightly wetter than other seasons. Ice storms near Lac Lman are normal in the winter: Geneva can be affected by the Bise, a north-easterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter.

In summer, many people swim in the lake and patronise public beaches such as Genve Plage and the Bains des Pquis. The city, in certain years, receives snow during colder months. The nearby mountains are subject to substantial snowfall and are suitable for skiing.

The highest temperature recorded in Genve–Cointrin was 39.7 C (103.5 F) in July 2015, and the lowest temperature recorded was 20.0 C (4.0 F) in February 1956.