Geneva (in French Genève; in German Genf), the city of Calvin and the center of the Reformation, lies in the extreme western tip of Switzerland at the southwest end of Lake Geneva (in French Lac Léman). The town is built on moraine hills of varying height on either side of the swiftly flowing Rhône,
which here flows out of the lake and is joined on the southwest side of the town by its tributary the Arve, coming down from the Savoy Alps. Lying between the Jura to the northwest and the limestone ridges of Mont Salève and the Voirons to the southeast, Geneva enjoys a magnificent situation on the largest of the Alpine lakes, within sight of the majestic peak of Mont-Blanc. As a hub of European cultural life in which French savoir-vivre and Swiss solidity are happily combined, the venue of international meetings on the highest level, as well as conventions and exhibitions of all kinds, and not least as a major financial, commercial and industrial city, Geneva has a lively and cosmopolitan atmosphere which makes it perhaps the most attractive town in Switzerland and the one that attracts the greatest number of visitors. Evidence of its dynamic growth during the last few decades is provided by the large amount of new building in the city itself and in the surrounding area, where a number of residential suburbs and satellite towns of considerable importance have grown up.
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