Geneva is the second-most populated city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and it is also the most populous city in Romandy, which is the French-speaking portion of Switzerland. Geneva is the capital of the Romandy region. It is the capital of both the Republic of Geneva and the Canton of Geneva, and is located where the Rhône flows into Lake Geneva.
The municipality (ville de Genève) has a population of 203,856 people (as of December 2020), while the canton (which consists mostly of the city and its inner-ring suburbs) has a population of 506,343. According to the most recent census, the compact agglomération du Grand Genève has 946,000 people in 212 towns spread throughout Switzerland and France in 2014. The commuter region known as the "Métropole lémanique" in Switzerland has a population of 1.26 million people and is located inside Swiss territory. This region extends mostly eastward from Geneva into the Riviera region (Vevey, Montreux) and northward from Geneva towards Yverdon-les-Bains, which is located in the neighbouring canton of Vaud.
Because of the presence of many international organisations, including the headquarters of many United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva is known as a global metropolis, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy. Geneva is home to the greatest number of international organisations anywhere on the planet. It was also the site of the signing of the Geneva Conventions, which are primarily concerned with the treatment of non-combatants and prisoners of war during conflict. Along with cities such as New York City (the United Nations' global headquarters), Basel (the Bank for International Settlements), and Strasbourg (the Council of Europe), Geneva is an international organization's headquarters that does not serve as the country's capital. Geneva, like many other major international organisations, is located in the Swiss canton of Vaud.