'''Bern''' (;  ) or '''Berne''' (;  ;  ;  ) is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their "federal city" (in , , and ). With a population of about 144,000 (as of 2020), Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000.