The largest lake in the European Union, a near-inland sea in southern Sweden.
Surface area
5,650 km²
Maximum depth
about 106 m
Elevation
44 m
Continent
Europe
Countries
Sweden
Did you know?
Vänern is the third-largest lake in Europe and so big it has its own archipelago of thousands of islands.
Little-known fact
It is linked to both the Baltic and the North Sea by the historic Göta Canal, letting boats cross Sweden.
Highlights
- Largest lake in the EU
- Has its own island archipelago
- Linked sea to sea by canal
Life in the Lake Vänern
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Atlantic salmon
The “king of fish” — it is born in a river, grows at sea, then fights its way back upstream to spawn where it hatched.
Northern pike
A long, torpedo-shaped ambush predator that lurks among weeds across the cool rivers and lakes of the north.
Waterbirds
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.
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