Lake Geneva or Lake Léman (French: Lac Léman, Léman) is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % (345.31 km²) of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland (cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais), and 40.47% (234.71 km²) under France (Haute-Savoie). The average level of water of 372 m is controlled by the Seujet Dam near Geneva.
Lake Geneva, formed by a withdrawing glacier, has a crescent shape that narrows around Yvoire on the southern shore. It can thus be divided figuratively into the "Grand Lac" (Large Lake) to the east and the "Petit Lac" (Small Lake) to the west. The Chablais Alps border its southern shore, the western Bernese Alps lie over its eastern side. The high summits of Grand Combin and Mont Blanc are visible from some places.
The first recorded name of the lake is Lacus Lemanus from Roman times; it became Lacus Lausonius, although this name was also used for a town or district on the lake, Lacus Losanetes and then the Lac de Lausanne in the Middle Ages. Following the rise of Geneva it became Lac de Genève (translated into English as Lake Geneva. In the 18th century, Lac Léman was revived in French. It is often called Lac de Genève in Geneva and Lac Léman elsewhere but the customary name in French is now Lac Léman or even le Léman. Certain maps name the lake the Lac d'Ouchy (after the port located on the Lausanne lake shore. In contemporary English, the name Lake Geneva is predominant.
The lake lies on the course of the Rhone. The river has its source at the Rhone Glacier near the Grimsel Pass to the east of the lake and flows down through the Canton of Valais, entering the lake between Villeneuve and Le Bouveret, before flowing slowly towards its egress at Geneva. Other tributaries are La Dranse, L'Aubonne, La Morges, La Venoge, and La Veveyse.
View of the lake and the Chablais Alps from CauxLake Geneva is the largest body of water in Switzerland, and greatly exceeds in size all others that are connected with the main valleys of the Alps. It is in the shape of a crescent, with the horns pointing south, the northern shore being 95 km., the southern shore 72 km. in length. The crescent form was more regular in a recent geological period, when the lake extended to Bex, about 18 km. south of Villeneuve. The detritus of the Rhone 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. beyond the present eastern margin of the lake. The greatest depth of the lake, in the broad portion between Evian and Lausanne, where it is just 13 km. in width, has been measured as 310 metres, making the bottom of the lake 62 metres higher than the level of the sea. The lake's surface is the lowest point of the cantons of Valais and Vaud.
The snowy peaks of the Mont Blanc are shut out from the western end of the lake by the ridge of the Voirons, and from its eastern end by the bolder summits of the Grammont, Cornettes de Bise and Dent d'Oche, but are seen from Geneva, and between Nyon and Morges. 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 of St. Maurice, cleft to a depth of nearly 9,000 ft. between the opposite peaks of the Dents du Midi and the Dent de Morcles.
The shore between Nyon and Lausanne is called La Côte because it is "flatter". Between Lausanne and Vevey it is called Lavaux and is famous for its hilly vineyards.
Yacht racing or sailing is a popular sport and high-performance catamarans have been developed specifically for the lake. The design of Alinghi 5, the defender of the 2010 America's Cup, was influenced by those racing catamarans. The best-known event, the "Bol d'Or" (not to be confused with other events having the same name) runs from Geneva to the end of the lake and back.
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