Fun and Surprising Facts About Geneva
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and it is one of the financial centers of the country. The major languages that are spoken in Geneva are French, German, English, and Italian. Geneva is known for the numerous international organizations in the world that have their headquarters and branches there. Do you know that taxis in Geneva can refuse to take in a baby or children? Keep reading to uncover more interesting and surprising facts about Geneva.
1. The three official languages of Geneva are French, German, and Italian, although French stands out more than the rest.
2. Geneva is the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements and also the Council of Europe.
3. Geneva is regarded as the astronomy capital in the world because of its contributions to astronomy.
4. According to Mercer together with Zürich and Basel, Geneva is ranked among the ten most liveable cities in the world.
5. Geneva is where the Headquarters of the European United Nations is located and it was the 190th member to join the United Nations.
6. The humanitarian charity organization Red Cross, was founded in Geneva on the 9th of February, 1863.
7. The World Meteorological Organization and the International Labor Organization are located in Geneva.
8. Geneva is known as a worldwide center of diplomacy because of the numerous international organizations that have their headquarters there.
9. According to the Global Financial Centers Index in 2021, Geneva was ranked 9th in the world’s most important financial center for competitiveness.
10. Geneva is also known as the world’s most compact metropolis and also as the Peace capital.
11. Givaudan which is a leading manufacturer of cosmetic ingredients, flavors, and fragrances have their headquarters in Geneva.
12. A lot of international financial companies are found in Geneva and this includes BCGE, BCP, BNP Paribas, BCV, Crédit Agricole, Credit Suisse, ING, Société Générale, and UBS.
13. According to Mercer in 2019, Geneva was the thirteenth most expensive city in the world.
14. Geneva was the second most expensive, fourth in purchasing power, and first for gross earnings in the UBS ranking of global cities in 2018.
15. About 57 percent of the electricity needs of Geneva are met by imports from other cantons in Switzerland and other European countries.
16. The International Telecommunication Union and the International Baccalaureate Organization are located in Geneva.
17. The three main industries that lead in the Geneva financial sector are commodity trading; trade finance, and wealth management.
18. The economy of Geneva is known to be service-driven and is among the world’s financial cities.
19. There are about three hydroelectric dams in Geneva and they include Seujet, Verbois, and Chancy-Pougny.
20. Because of seating legislation, taxis in Geneva can refuse to take in a baby or children.
21. About a third of the world’s free trade on grains, oil, sugar, and oil seeds are traded in Geneva.
22. The Lake Geneva region is where about 22 percent of the world’s cotton is traded.
23. Approximately 80 percent of Geneva’s water comes from the lake while the other 20 percent comes from groundwater.
24. The Mediterranean Shipping Company which is the world’s second-largest shipping company is located in Geneva.
25. There are a lot of international companies in Geneva, this includes Gunvor, BNP Paribas, Mercuria Energy Group, Cargill, Vitol, and Bunge.
26. The most popular sport among other sports in Geneva is ice hockey drawing three times more spectators than the football team in 2017.
27. The basketball team of Geneva is the Lions de Genève which won the Swiss Basketball League in 2013 and 2015.
28. Firmenich, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flavors, fragrances, and active cosmetic ingredients have their headquarters in Geneva.
29. Geneva’s Australian football team is known as the Geneva Jets Australian Football Club and they compete in the AFL Switzerland league from 2019.
30. The body responsible for the provision of public transport by bus, trolleybus, or tram in Geneva is Transports Publics Genevois.
31. The method through which taxis work in Geneva is through advanced booking as it can be difficult to find one at peak hours.
32. Geneva has the largest concentration of foreign-owned banks in Switzerland and this includes JPMorgan Chase, Arab Bank, and HSBC Private Bank.
33. In Geneva, the wealth management industry is controlled and dominated by private banks instead of public banks.
34. Services Industriels de Genève is the commission that is responsible for providing natural gas, water, and electricity in Geneva.
35. About thirty percent of the electricity needs of Geneva are produced locally.
36. Geneva is known to have the highest vineyard density in the whole of Switzerland.
37. Thirteen percent of the electricity that is used in Geneva is produced by burning waste at the waste incineration facility of Les Cheneviers.
38. In Geneva, the electricity that is produced by renewable sources is the only one that can be imported, and not from nuclear fossils.
39. and is known as CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research).
40. The function of the Geneva Environment Network (GEN) is to publish the Geneva Green Guide which is a list of organizations working on environmental protection that are based in Geneva.
41. The watchmaking industry of Geneva is booming and luxury watch firms such as Rolex, Richemont, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, and others have their company here.
42. About two-thirds of the corporate tax paid in Geneva is gotten from the trade finance, wealth management, and watchmaking industry.
43. The world’s largest inspection, verification, testing, and certification services firm SGS is located in Geneva.
44. The total number of full-time equivalent jobs in Geneva as of 2008 was 124,185.
45. The Geneva Motor Show held in Palexpo, is the largest congresses and trade fair in the city.
46. About ten percent of the wine produced in Switzerland comes from Geneva.
47. Gamay, Chasselas, market, chardonnay, and pinot noir are among the largest strains grown in the city.
48. The unemployment rate in Geneva is pretty low compared to other European cities at 3.9 percent.
49. There is virtually no gender inequality in terms of employment in Geneva as women make up about 47.7% of the workforce.
50. The rate of violations of immigration, visa, and work permit laws in Geneva is about 35.7 per thousand residents.
51. In 2008, about 134,429 people were employed in the tertiary industry of Geneva.
52. The major part of the primary industry of Geneva is the agricultural sector.
53. The L’Escalade is celebrated in Geneva on the weekend nearest 12 December which is in honor of the defeat of the surprise attack of troops sent by Charles Emmanuel I in 1602.
54. The main city newspaper in Geneva is the Tribune de Genève which has a daily readership of about 187,000 people.
55. Geneva is known as the main media center for French-speaking Switzerland because it has numerous French-language radio and television networks.
56. According to the Swiss Criminal Code, the rate of drug crimes in Geneva is about 33.6 per thousand residents.
57. The metropolitan area of Geneva is experiencing steady demographic growth of 1.2% every year.
58. As of 2000, about 73 percent of the entire population of Geneva spoke French.
59. There are so many foreigners in Geneva as 48 percent of the population are foreigners.
60. As of 2008, the gender distribution in the city of Geneva was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.
61. As of 2000, children and teenagers between 0 to 19 years make up about 18.2% of the population, 20 to 64 years about 65.8%, and those over 64byears old about 16%.
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