RURAL GOES GLOBAL IN GENEVA
Geneva is a city of contrasts.
by Karen Guthry
 Situated along the shores of the Lac Léman, it is Switzerland's third largest city and capital of the canton Geneva. Almost completely surrounded by French territory, this cross-roads of Western Europe is only an hour by plane from Paris or Milan and two hours from Madrid, Rome and London. Geneva is a global meeting place that boasts a multicultural and multilingual community and, with 51% of its canton dedicated to agriculture and green areas, it successfully mixes the elements of a rural and an international way of life.
The regional and the global merge here, creating a unique cosmopolitan flavor. The city that for centuries distinguished itself as a place of intellectuals and free thinkers such as Voltaire and Jean-Jaques Rousseau, today is the headquarters of over 200 international humanitarian organizations. Of these, the United Nations and the I.C.R.C. (International Committee of the Red Cross), are the most notable. In fact, the I.C.R.C., which was founded by the Genevan Henry Dunant in 1864, was the first of the International organization to have headquartered here.
Thanks to its high precision industry, of which the watch making industry is perhaps the most widely known, Geneva has distinguished itself for its leading-edge technology. Today, the city has become an international center of industry and commerce, attracting many international high-tech and bio-tech companies that decided to set up their headquarters here. Geneva is quickly becoming a global conference center and with such an influx of international organizations, it is not surprising that 40% of the population is foreign, representing about 80 different nationalities.
Geneva is a city that is both Swiss and cosmopolitan, with about 100';000 English-speakers, it comprises a potpourri of people and cultures. The city has developed into a pluri-ethnic society in the true sense of the word with a variety of flavors and many layers that range from the elegant shopping district of rue du Rhône, to the walls of L' Usine - fulcrum of Geneva's alternative cultural scene.
The river Rhône splits the city down the middle dividing it into two distinctive parts commonly known as rive droite (the north bank of the river), and rive gauche (the south bank), where the vieille ville is situated. At the center of the south bank is the Grand-Rue, which is closed to traffic and runs into Place du Bourg-de-Four, the oldest square in Geneva. The city' s most readily recognizable landmark is undoubtedly the distinctive Jet d' eau fountain. Five-hundred liters of water per second are pumped at the speed of 200 kilometers per hour, to create a 140 meter high monument of water.
The rich ethnicity of Geneva is the main ingredient of the vast range of world cuisine available here. With over 1'100 restaurants, the ratio per population is amongst the highest in the world and caters for any palate and taste. Whether exotic or continental, any dish can be enhanced with a glass of locally-produced wine. With 1'500 acres dedicated to wine-growing, Geneva is the third-largest wine center in Switzerland.
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