A grand crescent lake in the Alps, shared by Switzerland and France.
Surface area
580 km²
Maximum depth
about 310 m
Elevation
372 m
Continent
Europe
Countries
Switzerland & France
Did you know?
Lake Geneva's Jet d'Eau fountain shoots water 140 m into the air, one of the tallest fountains in the world.
Little-known fact
A summer of storms here in 1816, the 'year without a summer', inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein on its shores.
Highlights
- A grand Alpine lake
- Home of a 140 m fountain
- Birthplace of Frankenstein
Life in the Lake Geneva
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Eurasian otter
A sleek, playful hunter whose return to a river is a sign the water has run clean again.
Waterbirds
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Mute swan
The great white swan of European waters, gliding in pairs that often mate for life.
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Water plants & reeds
Water lily
Rooted in the mud, its round pads and star-like flowers float on the still surface of lakes and backwaters.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here