Bern, Zurich and the large cities

The largest city in Switzerland is Zurich. About 450'000 people live there. It is followed by Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Bern. Zurich is the most important centre for business and banks. The large cities all lie in the Plateau. Basel is on the Rhine on the border with Germany and France, Geneva on Lake Geneva.

Bern is not the largest city, but it is the city of the government. The Federal Council and Parliament work there in the Federal Palace. That is why Bern is considered the capital of Switzerland. Officially Bern is called the «federal city» (Bundesstadt). International organisations have their seat elsewhere: the UN has its European seat in Geneva, FIFA is in Zurich. The Council of Europe is in Strasbourg in France.

Among the cantons, too, Zurich is number one. More than 1.5 million people live in the canton of Zurich (end of 2025: about 1.63 million). That is almost one in five people in Switzerland. It is followed by the cantons of Bern and Vaud. The fewest people live in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, only about 16'000.

Memory aid: Zurich is the largest, Bern governs.