GENEVA

French Genve, German GenfItalian Ginevra city, capital of Genve canton, in the far southwestern corner of Switzerland that juts into France. One of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities, Geneva has served as a model for republican government and owes its preeminence to the triumph of human, rather than geographic, factors. It developed its unique character from the 16th century, when, as the centre of the Calvinist Reformation, it became the Protestant Rome. The canton of Geneva has a total area of 109 square miles (282 square kilometres), of which seven square miles constitute the city proper. Territorial isolation has been a basic feature of this region, which did not establish its definitive frontiers until 1815. Cut off politically and culturally after the Reformation from its natural geographic surroundings in Roman Catholic France and Savoy, Geneva was forced to establish an attenuated but powerful network of intellectual and economic relationships with the rest of Europe and with nations overseas. A city-state transformed after many vicissitudes into a democratic Swiss canton, Geneva has functioned primarily as a centre of commerce, in contact with both Germanic and Mediterranean countries. Contemporary Geneva is, above all, a service metropolis, retaining its financial importance and housing the headquarters of many public and private international organizations. city, Ontario county, west-central New York, U.S. It lies at the northern end of Seneca Lake, in the Finger Lakes region, 48 miles (77 km) southeast of Rochester. The site, once part of the Pulteney Estate, was first settled in 1788 and named (1792) by land promoter Captain Charles Williamson because its lakeside locale reminded him of Geneva, Switzerland. Incorporated as a village in 1806, it developed after the Erie Canal linked Seneca Lake to the Hudson River. It became a city in 1898 and is the home of the paired colleges Hobart (founded 1822; for men) and William Smith (1908; for women). It is a processing centre for fruits and vegetables and has some light manufacturing. Wineries, nurseries, and the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station (maintained by Cornell University) are nearby. Lochland, a school and residential home for handicapped adults, was established there in 1933. Rose Hill Mansion (1839) is a noteworthy example of Greek Revival architecture. The town (township) of Geneva (created 1897), comprising several hamlets, adjoins but does not include the city. Pop. (1990) 14,143; (1998 est.) 13,720. town, Adams county, eastern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Muncie. Platted in 1853, it was called Buffalo until presumably renamed for the Swiss city. A rural community with many Old Order Amish families, it lies in the Limberlost Country, a timber-swampland made famous by the novelist Gene Stratton Porter in such novels as Freckles (1904) and A Girl of the Limberlost (1909). It is now drained and treeless. Pop. (1990) 1,280. French Genve, German Genf, Italian Ginevra, city, capital of Genve canton, southwestern Switzerland. The city, located in the Rhne River valley at the extreme southwestern corner of Lake Geneva (Lac Lman) near the French frontier, was the centre of the Calvinist Reformation. Modern Geneva is a centre of financial activity and the headquarters of many international organizations. Geneva grew on a hill in the centre of a natural basin between the Alps and the Jura Mountains, where the Rhne River exits Lake Geneva. The city exhibits the classic pattern of old European cities, with a concentric arrangement of neighbourhoods around the original nucleus. The climate in and around Geneva is tempered by the presence of Lake Geneva, while the Jura create a barrier that diminishes rainfall. Geneva has functioned primarily as a centre of commerce and finance, important not only in Europe but throughout the world. Its economy emphasizes trade, banking, and insurance. Geneva is a sanctuary for international capital, holding half of all the foreign capital in Switzerland. Geneva's industry, though hampered by lack of space and raw materials, has developed diversified exports that include precision machinery and instruments, watches and jewelry, chemicals, and food. Many international institutions have established headquarters in Geneva. The International Red Cross was founded there in 1864, and the League of Nations was installed in 1919. In 1945 Geneva became the European headquarters of the United Nations and its related organs. The Haute-ville (Upper City), centred on Geneva's original hill site and marked by the Cathedral of St. Peter, is the historic heart and civic centre of Geneva. Suburbs have grown up on the site of the old fortifications, mostly to the south of the Rhne, and beyond them is an irregular belt of working-class residential areas close to the railway stations and the industrial zone. The University of Geneva, founded by the Reformation leader John Calvin in 1559 as Schola Genevensis (later called the Academy), draws a large number of foreign students attracted by its reputation in international studies, botany, and education. The city's modern cultural life is based on its museums, musical events, and international meetings. Of the many roads radiating from Geneva, only a few connect the city to other Swiss towns, with most leading into France. Rail and highway facilities link the city to Swiss and French towns. Geneva's international airport is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the city. Area city, 7 square miles (18 square km); metropolitan area, 80 square miles (208 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) city, 167,167; metropolitan area, 394,783.