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Lake Geneva[note 1] is a deeplake on the north side of theAlps, shared betweenSwitzerland andFrance. It is one of thelargest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of theRhône. Sixty percent (345.31 km2 or 133.32 sq mi) of the lake belongs to Switzerland (the cantons ofVaud,Geneva andValais) and forty percent (234.71 km2 or 90.62 sq mi) to France (the department ofHaute-Savoie).
While the exact origins of the name are unknown, the nameLacus Lemanus was in use during the time ofJulius Caesar.[4]Lemannus comes fromAncient GreekLiménos Límnē (Λιμένος Λίμνη) meaning "port's lake".[citation needed] InMedieval Latin it was known asLacus Lausonius, although this name was also used fora town or district on the lake, orLacus Losanetes; the equivalent inOld French wasLac de Lausanne.[citation needed] Following the rise of Geneva it becameLac de Genève[5] (translated into English asLake Geneva), butLe Léman was the common name on all local maps[6][7] and is the customary name in the French language. In contemporaryEnglish, the nameLake Geneva has become predominant.[4]
Lake Geneva is divided into three parts because of its different types of formation (sedimentation, tectonic folding, glacial erosion):[3]
Haut Lac ('Upper Lake'), the eastern part from the Rhône estuary to the line ofMeillerie–Rivaz
Grand Lac ('Large Lake'), the largest and deepest basin with the lake's largest width
Petit Lac ('Small Lake'), the most south-west, narrower, and less-deep part fromYvoire–Promenthoux next Prangins to the exit in Geneva
According to the Swiss Federal Office of Topography,Swisstopo,Lac de Genève designates that part of thePetit Lac which lies within the cantonal borders of Geneva (excluding the cantonal exclaveCéligny), so about fromVersoix–Hermance to the Rhône outflow in Geneva.[8]
The lake lies on the course of theRhône. The river has its source at theRhône Glacier near theGrimsel Pass to the east of the lake and flows down through thecanton of Valais, entering the lake betweenVilleneuve andLe Bouveret, before flowing slowly towards its egress atGeneva. Other tributaries are La Dranse, L'Aubonne, La Morges,La Venoge, La Vuachère, and La Veveyse.
Lake Geneva is the largest body of water in Switzerland, and greatly exceeds in size all others that are connected with the main valleys of theAlps. It is in the shape of a crescent, with the horns pointing south, the northern shore being 95 km (59 mi) and the southern shore 72 km (45 mi) in length. The crescent form was more regular in a recent geological period, when the lake extended toBex, about 18 km (11 mi) south of Villeneuve. The detritus of the Rhône has filled up this portion of the bed of the lake, and it appears that within the historical period, the waters extended about 2 km (1.2 mi) beyond the present eastern margin of the lake. The greatest depth of the lake, in the broad portion betweenÉvian-les-Bains andLausanne, where it is just 13 km (8.1 mi) in width, has been measured as 310 m (1,020 ft), putting the bottom of the lake at 62 m (203 ft)above sea level. The lake's surface is thelowest point of the cantons of Valais and Vaud.[9] The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin isMonte Rosa at 4,634 metres above sea level.[10]
CGN paddle steamer in 1926 near Vevey with the Dents du Midi in background
The beauty of the shores of the lake and of the sites of many of the places near its banks has long been celebrated. However, it is only from the eastern end of the lake, between Vevey and Villeneuve, that the scenery assumes anAlpine character. On the south side, the mountains of Savoy and Valais are for the most part rugged and sombre, while those of the northern shore fall in gentle vine-covered slopes, thickly set with villages and castles.[9]
The snowy peaks of theMont Blanc Massif are shut out from the western end of the lake by the Voirons mountain, and from its eastern end by the bolder summits of theGrammont,Cornettes de Bise, andDent d'Oche, but are seen from Geneva, and betweenNyon andMorges. From Vevey to Bex, where the lake originally extended, the shores are enclosed by comparatively high and bold mountains, and the vista terminates in the grand portal of the defile ofSt. Maurice, cleft to a depth of nearly 2,700 m (8,900 ft) between the opposite peaks of theDents du Midi and theDent de Morcles.[9]
The shore betweenNyon andLausanne is calledLa Côte because it is flatter. Between Lausanne and Vevey it is calledLavaux and is famous for its hilly vineyards.[11][12]
Due toclimate change, the average temperature of deep water (more than 300 metres or 980 feet deep) increased from 4.4 °C (39.9 °F) in 1963 to 5.5 °C (41.9 °F) in 2016 (an increase of 1.1 °C or 2.0 °F in 53 years), while the average temperature of surface water (five metres or 16 feet deep) increased from 10.9 °C (51.6 °F) in 1970 to 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) in 2016 (up 2 °C or 3.6 °F in 46 years).[14]
Climate data for Genève–Cointrin (Reference period 1981–2010), Records (1901–2015)
Lake Geneva (and particularly the lakeside parts of the city of Geneva) can be affected by the coldBise, a northeasterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter.[19] The strength of the Bise wind can be determined by the difference in air pressure between Geneva andGüttingen incanton of Thurgau. The Bise arises when the air pressure in Güttingen is higher than in Geneva.[20]
In 563, according to the writings ofGregory of Tours andMarius Aventicensis, atsunami wave swept along the lake, destroying the fort of Tauredunum and other settlements, and causing numerous deaths in Geneva. Simulations indicate that thisTauredunum event was most likely caused by a massivelandslide near theRhône delta, which caused a wave eight metres (26 ft) high to reach Geneva within 70 minutes.[21][22][23] In 888, the town was part of the newKingdom of Burgundy, and, with it, was absorbed into theHoly Roman Empire in 1033.
In the late 1960s, pollution made it dangerous to swim at some beaches of the lake; indeed, visibility underwater was near zero.[24][25] By the 1980s, intense environmental pollution (eutrophication) had almost wiped out all the fish. Endemic whitefish speciesCoregonus fera was last recorded in the lake in 1920 and is now extinct. Although the namefera is still used for the only coregonid present in the lake, this is not the original species but the introducedC. palaea. Today, pollution levels have been dramatically cut back, and it is again considered safe to swim in the lake.[26][27] Major leisure activities practiced include sailing, wind surfing, boating (including water skiing and wake-boarding), rowing, scuba diving, and bathing.
A total of four submarines have plied the depths of Lake Geneva.[28] In 1964,Jacques Piccard launched a tourist-oriented submarine, theAuguste Piccard (named forhis explorer father), for the Swiss National Exhibition, meant to honor theExpo 64 theme of accomplishments by Swiss engineers and industry.[29] After operating through to 1965 in Lake Geneva, Piccard used the vessel for scientific exploration in other parts of the world.[29] Piccard later built theF.-A. Forel, launched in Lake Geneva in 1978 and used primarily for scientific research until it was retired in 2005.[29] In 2011, in a collaborative operation led byÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, twoMir submersibles were used for ten weeks to conduct extensive scientific research in Lake Geneva.[28]
On a scientific footnote, in 1827, Lake Geneva was the site for the first measurement of the speed of sound in (fresh) water.[30] French mathematician Jacques Charles François Sturm and Swiss physicist Daniel Collodon used two moored boats, separated by a measured distance, as the transmitting and receiving platforms for the sounds of exploding gunpowder. The loud airborne sound coupled into the lake, establishing a loud underwater sound that could be measured at a distance. The flash of the exploding gunpowder provided the visual starting cue for the timepiece, and the underwater explosion sound striking a bell provided the finish cue.
The lake is rich in wildlife, especially birds: both thecommon buzzard and thered kite breed here in considerable numbers.
Yacht racing is a popular sport, and high-performancecatamarans have been developed specifically for the lake.[31] The design of theAlinghi 5, the defender of the2010 America's Cup, was influenced by those racing catamarans.[31] The best-known event, theBol d'or [fr] (not to be confused with other events having the same name) runs from Geneva to the end of the lake and back.[32]
TheTour du Lac rowing event also takes place on Lake Geneva. Competitors row once around the entire lake, making this 160-kilometre (99 mi) event the longest non-stop rowing regatta in the world.
Several competitions for swimmers are organised yearly, the longest of which spans the length of the lake from Chillon Castle to Geneva (70km) and is known asThe Signature.[33] Other events include the crossing of the lake from Lausanne to Evian (13km),[34] from Montreux to Clarens (1.8 km),[35] in Geneva (1.8 km),[36] all in summer, and theCoupe de Noël, 125m in Geneva in December.[37]
Edmund Ludlow, famous as one who had signed the death warrant of EnglishKing Charles I, was granted on 16 April 1662 protection in and continued to live atVevey until his death in 1692.[38]Mary andPercy Shelley andLord Byron holidayed by the lake and wrote ghost stories, one of which became the basis for the novelFrankenstein.[39] TheEmpress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) was stabbed to death on the quayside in Geneva in September 1898.Vladimir Lenin rented a little "chalet" at theFrench bank, near Geneva.[40] ActorCharlie Chaplin spent his final years and died in Vevey (there is a memorial statue of him along the promenade; his home at Corsier-sur-Vevey is now a museum of his life and career). ActorsNoël Coward,James Mason, SirPeter Ustinov,Richard Burton, andAudrey Hepburn all lived in villages on the shores of or in view of the lake.David Bowie moved to a chalet to the north of Lake Geneva in 1976, which inspired him to take up painting and informed the first stages of the "Berlin Trilogy". Pop singerPhil Collins lives in a home overlooking the lake.[41] Rock bandQueen owned and operated Mountain Recording Studios (which is still in use today) inMontreux, and a statue of lead singerFreddie Mercury, who also owned a second home in Montreux, stands on the northern shore of the lake. WriterVladimir Nabokov also took residence in Montreux, where he died in 1977. Former Formula 1 driverMichael Schumacher lives with his family in a home overlooking the lake.
^ab"03 - Suisse sud-ouest". Swiss National Map 1:200 000 - Switzerland on four sheets. Federal Office of Topography, swisstopo, Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. 2009. Archived fromthe original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved12 November 2013.
^ab"270 - Genève". Swiss National Map 1:50 000 - Switzerland on 78 maps. Federal Office of Topography, swisstopo, Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. 2011. Archived fromthe original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved12 November 2013.
^"Baisse du Phosphore dans le Léman"(PDF) (in French). Commission Internationale pour la Protection du Léman (CIPEL). 9 May 2007. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 5 January 2009. Retrieved26 June 2009.
