Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva (French: le Léman [lə lemɑ̃], lac Léman [lak lemɑ̃], rarely lac de Genève [lak də ʒ(ə)nɛv]; Italian: Lago Lemano; German: Genfersee [ˈɡɛnfərˌzeː]; Romansh: Lai da Genevra) is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty per cent (345.31 km2 or 133.32 sq mi) of the lake belongs to Switzerland (the cantons of Vaud, Geneva and Valais) and forty per cent (234.71 km2 or 90.62 sq mi) to France (the department of Haute-Savoie).
| Lake Geneva | |
|---|---|
Satellite image | |
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva Lake Geneva Lake Geneva Lake Geneva Lake Geneva | |
| Location | Switzerland, France |
| Coordinates | 46°27′N 6°33′E |
| Lake type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | Rhône, Dranse |
| Primary outflows | Rhône |
| Catchment area | 7,975 square kilometres (3,079 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Switzerland, France |
| Max. length | 73 km (45 mi) |
| Max. width | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 580.03 km2 (224 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 153.4 metres (503 feet) |
| Max. depth | 310 metres (1,020 feet) |
| Water volume | 89 km3 (72 million acre⋅ft; 21 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 11.4 years |
| Shore length1 | 156 km (97 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 372 m (1,220 ft) |
| Islands | Île de Peilz, Château de Chillon, Île de Salagnon, Île de la Harpe, Île Rousseau, Île de Choisi |
| Settlements | Geneva (CH), Lausanne (CH), Évian (F), Montreux (CH), Thonon (F), Vevey (CH) (see list) |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Les Grangettes |
| Designated | 11 September 1990 |
| Reference no. | 504 |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Rives du Lac Léman |
| Designated | 8 April 1991 |
| Reference no. | 519 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
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