Zurich is the most populous city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It's situated in the central region of Switzerland. Zurich is one of the most affluent cities in the world and one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan. It is the country's economic, transportation, and cultural centre. Since the Middle Ages, Zurich has been renowned for its influence on the global banking industry. It is famous for its astounding medieval buildings and modern structures that stand side by side to complement each other. Some of the places that make it famous include the amazing medieval buildings, the Grossmünster, Bahnhofstrasse, Art Galleries, the Zurich Opera House, Lake Zurich and the Old Town.

• Census in Switzerland is done after every 10 years and 2020 was the last time that it was conducted. The next census is scheduled for 2030 in Switzerland. According to the 2020 census, Zurich had a population of 434,335. Compared to other cities in Switzerland, Zurich is considered to be more diverse. According to the census, 31.9% of the population is foreign nationals based in Zurich. When it comes to religious beliefs, Zurich is known to be diverse with most people identifying themselves as Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. According to the data collected during the 2020 census, 44% people in Zurich identified themselves as Christian, 5% as Muslim, 1% Hindu, 0.2% Jewish, 0.1% Buddhist and 25% Other religions. On the other hand, 25% of respondents declared that they followed no religion. Zurich is home to over 400,000 residents, who collectively speak many languages, including German, Italian, French, English and many more. Zurich is home to an official timekeeper. The Zytglogge, a landmark medieval clock tower, has been keeping time for the city since the early 13th century.

There are two tiers under local government in Zurich. They are cantonal and municipal. The Cantonal administration is coordinated by the Cantonal Council, while local administration is carried out by the City Council. The Cantonal Council consists of seven members, who have executive powers, and the Cantonal Parliament, who scrutinize the Council's decisions and can accept or reject their budget proposals each year. The Cantonal Council is responsible for strategic planning, policing, the fire service, most aspects of transport and economic development. On the other hand, the City Council is responsible for local services not overseen by the Cantonal Council, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection. The City of Zurich has a council made up from representatives from political parties and single issue organizations elected every four years by local residents.

Zurich has always been a commercial city and today enjoys the status of having one of the most powerful city economies in the world. The city thrives in trade and commerce and has a vibrant culture seeped in commerce. It has a GDP of over CHF 112 billion, which is about 20 percent of Switzerland's total GDP. The size of its economy is larger than that of several European nations. Zurich is a leading global city and among the world's largest financial centres despite having a relatively small population.

Zurich has a comprehensive infrastructure plan. The city of Zurich took a big step forward in planning for growth with the publication of the Zurich Infrastructure Plan. It identifies a range of infrastructure priorities for Zurich, from new energy, water and sewerage infrastructure, to enhanced digital connectivity and new public transportation schemes. Some of the investment is provided by the private sector, through the privatized utilities. This has generally worked well in Zurich, although business is particularly concerned at the lack of capacity in digital infrastructure. The take-up of high speed broadband by business is high compared to other world cities; and there are very few premises that cannot access superfast broadband in the first place.