List of lakes of Switzerland

rdf:langString List of lakes of Switzerland

rdf:langString This article contains a sortable table listing all major lakes of Switzerland. The table includes all still water bodies, natural or artificial, that have a surface area of at least 30 hectares (74 acres), regardless of water volume, maximum depth or other metric. These lakes are ranked by area, the table including also the elevation above sea level and maximum depth. They are either natural (type N), natural but used as reservoirs (NR) or fully artificial (A). For a list of artificial lakes only, see List of dams and reservoirs in Switzerland. For a list of lakes above 800 metres (2,600 ft) that includes smaller water bodies, see List of mountain lakes of Switzerland. Along with the mountains, lakes constitute a major natural feature of Switzerland, with over 1,000 km (620 mi) of shores within the country. Lakes, large and small, can be found in almost all cantons and provide an important source of water as well as leisure opportunities. The two most extensive, Lake Geneva and Lake Constance, are amongst the largest in Europe and mark the border of the Swiss Plateau, along with the Alps and the Jura Mountains. The largest wholly Swiss lake is Lake Neuchâtel. The remaining lakes over 100 km2 (39 sq mi) are Lake Maggiore and Lake Lucerne. In total 103 lakes exist that are more than 30 ha (74 acres) in surface area, and a considerable number of smaller lakes. All these lakes are found in the four major river basins of Switzerland: Rhine, Rhone, Po and Danube, at almost all elevations below the permanent snow line.