Zürich or Zurich (see Etymology below) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in Eastern Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. While the municipality itself has 380,500 inhabitants, the Zürich metropolitan area is an urbanised area of international importance constituted by a population of nearly 2 million inhabitants.[1] Zürich is a mixed hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zürich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.
Permanently settled for around 7,000 years, the history of Zürich goes back to its founding by the Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. During the Middle Ages Zürich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, was the place of origin and center of the Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland, led by Ulrich Zwingli.[2]
Zürich is a leading global city and amongst the world's largest financial centres.[3] The city is home to a large number of financial institutions and banking giants. Also, most of the research and development centers are concentrated in Zürich and the low rate of tax attracts overseas companies to set up their headquarters there. According to several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zürich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe.[4][5][6]
In addition to being Switzerland's main commercial centre, Zürich is sometimes called the Cultural Capital of Switzerland.[7] An impressive number of museums and art galleries can be found in the city, among which the Swiss National Museum and the Kunsthaus.[8] Zürich also hosts one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.[9]
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