Switzerland – a little piece of paradise

Anyone looking for paradise for paradise on earth might be tempted by such destinations as Tahiti, the Seychelles or the Caribbean. But, in terms of somewhere to live, Switzerland is the place, according to a new survey. According to The Guardian newspaper, researchers from Mercer Human Resource Consulting ranked cities in 215 countries around the world, based on 39 different criteria including “political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services”. Zurich was found to be the best city in the world, with Geneva in second place and Bern, capital of Switzerland, in fifth-equal. In terms of health and sanitation, Calgary in Canada was top scorer, ahead of Honolulu, Helsinki and Ottowa. London was ranked 35th – up four places from last year – while, perhaps unsurprisingly, Baghdad was voted the least desireable place in the world. The top 11 cities are as follows: