Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva, largest Alpine lake in Europe (area 224 square miles [581 square km]), lying between southwestern Switzerland and Haute-Savoie département, southeastern France. About 134 square miles (347 square km) of the lake’s area are Swiss, and 90 square miles (234 square km) are French. The lake was called Lacus Lemanus by Classical Latin writers and was known from the 16th century as the Lac de Genève, but the name Lac Léman was revived from the end of the 18th century. Today, Lac Léman is the only official name in French. It is known as Genfersee in German and Lago Lemano or Lago di Ginevra in Italian.

Crescent in shape, the lake is formed by the Rhône River, which enters it at the east end between Villeneuve, Switzerland, and Saint-Gingolph, France, and leaves it at the west end through the city of Geneva. The only important tributaries are the Dranse (south) and the Venoge (north). Lying at an elevation of 1,220 feet (372 meters), the lake is 45 miles (72 km) long, with a maximum width of 8.5 miles (13.5 km) and an average width of 5 miles (8 km). The maximum depth is 1,017 feet (310 meters), the mean depth 262 feet (80 meters).

The strait of Promenthoux, or Nernier, separates the lake into two well-marked divisions, the Grand Lac (east) and the Petit Lac, the special Genevese portion. The water, unusually blue and transparent, is subject to remarkable fluctuations of level known as seiches, in which the whole fluid mass in the lake rhythmically swings from shore to shore. The lake is not as rich in fish as the other Swiss lakes; there are known to be 20 indigenous species and 6 that were introduced in the 19th century.

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Water and its Varying Forms

The area around the lake has a long history of human habitation. Prehistoric lake dwellings have been found on the shores. The lake and its environs belonged to a succession of states—Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, and then the Duchy of Savoy until 1803. In that year, the Vaud region (containing the lake’s northern shores) joined the Swiss Confederation, with Valais and the city of Geneva following suit in 1815.

The north shore forms a fertile wine-producing hinterland rising to the Jura Mountains, whereas the south and east shores are bordered by the Savoy and Valaisan Alps. Geneva and Lausanne are the largest lakeside cities, and there are numerous resorts, including Montreux and Vevey in Switzerland and Thonon-les-Bains and Évian-les-Bains in France.