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| Upper Lake Constance (Obersee) | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).JPG) View over Lake Constance's Obersee fromWinterstaude mountain at dusk | |
  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee)  Upper Lake Constance (Obersee) | |
| Location | Tripoint of Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 47°37′N9°26′E / 47.61°N 09.44°E /47.61; 09.44 |
| Primary inflows | Alpine Rhine,Bregenzer Ach,Argen,Alter Rhein (Fußacher Durchstich),Schussen,Dornbirner Ach,Seefelder Aach,Rotach,Stockacher Aach and smaller streams |
| Primary outflows | Seerhein |
| Max. length | 63 kilometres (39 mi)[1] |
| Max. width | 14 kilometres (8.7 mi)[1] |
| Surface area | 472 square kilometres (182 sq mi)[2] |
| Average depth | 101 metres (331 ft)[2] |
| Max. depth | 251 metres (823 ft)[2] |
| Water volume | 47.6 cubic kilometres (11.4 cu mi)[2] |
| Shore length1 | 186 kilometres (116 mi)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 395.33 metres (1,297.0 ft) |
| Islands | Lindau,Mainau |
| Settlements | Überlingen,Meersburg,Friedrichshafen,Lindau,Bregenz,Rorschach,Konstanz |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Upper Lake Constance (Obersee) | |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
TheObersee (German pronunciation:[ˈoːbɐzeː]ⓘ,lit. 'Upper Lake'), also known asUpper Lake Constance, is the much larger of the two parts ofLake Constance, the other part being theUntersee (English:Lower Lake). The two parts are separated by theBodanrück peninsula. The narrow, northwestern branch of Obersee is also calledÜberlinger See (English:Lake Überlingen).
The Obersee has an area of 473 km2 (183 sq mi) in size and extends for 63 km (39 mi) betweenBregenz in the Southeast andBodman-Ludwigshafen in the Northwest. Its maximum width is 14 km (8.7 mi). Its main inflow is theAlpine Rhine, with other tributaries being theDornbirner Ach,Bregenzer Ach,Leiblach,Argen,Schussen,Rotach,Seefelder Aach,Stockacher Aach andAach. AtKonstanz (Constance), it drains through theSeerhein into theUntersee.
The distinctive, northwestern arm and 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi)-largeLake Überlingen (Standard German of Germany:Überlinger See), named afterÜberlingen, is part of the Upper Lake Constance, as well as theBay of Bregenz, and theConstance Hopper.
The countries that border the lake areSwitzerland, with its cantons ofThurgau andSt. Gallen,Austria, with itsfederal state ofVorarlberg, andGermany, with itsfederal states ofBaden-Württemberg andBavaria. The exact location of the border between the riparian states within the south-eastern part of Obersee have never been jointly agreed upon (seeLake Constance); only the smaller northwestern water ofLake Überlingen is completely within German territory.
The southeastern end of the lake borders theAlps, theAppenzell Alps of Switzerland and theAllgäu Alps of Austria and Germany. A notable mountain with outlook is thePfänder above Bregenz.
TheRomans called itLacus Venetus,Lacus Brigantinus andLacus Constantinus. In the Middle Ages the dominant term wasLacus Bodamicus, or in GermanBodensee.[citation needed] Gradually, this name began to include theLower Lake (Lacus Acronius), so the term "Upper Lake" was introduced for the larger lake.[dubious –discuss]
