Lake Geneva#Notable residents

While the exact origins of the name are unknown, the name {{lang|la|Lacus Lemanus}} was in use during the time of Julius Caesar.{{Cite web |date=2016-11-28 |title=What you call Lake Geneva really does matter, according to a poll |url=https://lenews.ch/2016/11/28/what-you-call-lake-geneva-really-does-matter-according-to-a-poll/ |access-date=2020-10-28 |website=Le News |language=en-US}} {{lang|la|Lemannus}} comes from Ancient Greek {{lang|grc-Latn|Liménos Límnē}} ({{lang|grc|Λιμένος Λίμνη}}) meaning "port's lake".{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} In Medieval Latin it was known as {{lang|la|Lacus Lausonius}}, although this name was also used for a town or district on the lake, or {{lang|la|Lacus Losanetes}}; the equivalent in Old French was {{lang|fro|Lac de Lausanne}}.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Following the rise of Geneva it became {{lang|fr|Lac de Genève}}{{cite book |language=fr |title=Voyage pittoresque au lac de Genève ou Léman |editor=Orell, Fussli et compagnie |date=1820 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bRcHrbK4O-sC&q=limn%C3%A9+l%C3%A9man&pg=PA9 |access-date=2019-07-28}} (translated into English as Lake Geneva), but {{lang|fr|Le Léman}} was the common name on all local maps{{cite web |url=https://s.geo.admin.ch/69c91109a1 |title=Le Léman |website=map.geo.admin.ch |publisher=Swisstopo |access-date=13 October 2021 |lang=fr}}{{cite web |url=https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/carte?c=6.501484414375893,46.39422296273631&z=11&l0=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.PLANIGNV2::GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&l1=STATIONSVERTES::GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMS(1)&permalink=yes |title=Le Léman |website=Géoportail |publisher=Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière |language=French |access-date=13 October 2021}} and is the customary name in the French language. In contemporary English, the name Lake Geneva has become predominant.

Lake Geneva is divided into three parts because of its different types of formation (tectonic folding, glacial erosion, sedimentation):

1. {{lang|fr|Haut Lac}} ({{gloss|Upper Lake}}), the eastern part from the Rhône estuary to the line of Meillerie–Rivaz
2. {{lang|fr|Grand Lac}} ({{gloss|Large Lake}}), the largest and deepest basin with the lake's largest width
3. {{lang|fr|Petit Lac}} ({{gloss|Small Lake}}), the most south-west, narrower, and less-deep part from Yvoire–Promenthoux next Prangins to the exit in Geneva

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Swisstopo, {{lang|fr|Lac de Genève}} designates that part of the {{lang|fr|Petit Lac}} which lies within the cantonal borders of Geneva (excluding the cantonal exclave Céligny), so about from Versoix–Hermance to the Rhône outflow in Geneva.{{cite web |url=http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/internet/swisstopo/en/home/products/maps/national/50.html |title=270 - Genève |publisher=Federal Office of Topography, swisstopo, Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport |series=Swiss National Map 1:50 000 - Switzerland on 78 maps |year=2011 |access-date=12 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112214941/http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/internet/swisstopo/en/home/products/maps/national/50.html |archive-date=12 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}

File:Lac Léman entre Glion et Caux.JPG in front, Lausanne in the back behind Mont Pèlerin (CH) on the right and Évian-les-Bains (F) on the left, shot from a place between Caux and Glion above Montreux]]

The Chablais Alps border is its southern shore, and the western Bernese Alps lie over its eastern side. The high summits of Grand Combin and Mont Blanc are visible from some places.

The lake lies on the course of the Rhône. The river has its source at the Rhône 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, La Vuachère, and La Veveyse.

File:View over Lake Geneva 1.jpg]]

Lake 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 {{cvt|95|km|mi}} and the southern shore {{cvt|72|km|mi}} in length. The crescent form was more regular in a recent geological period, when the lake extended to Bex, about {{cvt|18|km|mi}} south of Villeneuve. The detritus of the Rhône has filled up this portion of the bed of the lake, and it appears that within the historical period, the waters extended about {{cvt|2|km|mi}} beyond the present eastern margin of the lake. The greatest depth of the lake, in the broad portion between Évian-les-Bains and Lausanne, where it is just {{cvt|13|km|mi}} in width, has been measured as {{cvt|310|m|ft}}, putting the bottom of the lake at {{cvt|62|m|ft}} above sea level. The lake's surface is the lowest point of the cantons of Valais and Vaud.John Ball, A Guide to the Western Alps, p. 254 The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is Monte Rosa at 4,634 metres above sea level.{{cite map |publisher=Swisstopo |title=1:25,000 topographic map |url=http://s.geo.admin.ch/5d2b881ee |access-date=27 July 2014}}

File:CGN-Helvétie-1926.jpg paddle steamer in 1926 near Vevey with the Dents du Midi in background]]

The beauty of the shores of the lake and of the sites of many of the places near its banks has long been celebrated. However, it is only from the eastern end of the lake, between Vevey and Villeneuve, that the scenery assumes an Alpine character. On the south side, the mountains of Savoy and Valais are for the most part rugged and sombre, while those of the northern shore fall in gentle vine-covered slopes, thickly set with villages and castles.

The snowy peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif are shut out from the western end of the lake by the Voirons mountain, 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 {{cvt|2700|m|ft}} between the opposite peaks of the Dents du Midi and the Dent de Morcles.

The shore between Nyon and Lausanne is called {{lang|fr|La Côte}} because it is flatter. Between Lausanne and Vevey it is called Lavaux and is famous for its hilly vineyards.{{cite news |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Corporate_Dossier/Switzerland_mastering_the_art_of_wine_making/articleshow/2491742.cms |title=Switzerland mastering the art of wine making |last=Cuckoo |first=Paul |date=26 October 2007 |publisher=India Times |access-date=24 June 2009 |newspaper=The Economic Times}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/short-breaks/european-breaks-three-suns-one-grape-a-lot-of-flavour-462211.html |title=European Breaks: Three suns, one grape, a lot of flavour |last=Mourby |first=Adrian |date=19 August 2007 |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=24 June 2009}}

The average surface elevation of {{cvt|372|m|ft}} above sea level is controlled by the {{ill|Seujet Dam|fr|Barrage du Seujet}} in Geneva.[http://www.rhone-geneve.ch/sousindicateur.php?ID_indicateur=9&ID_domaine=2&ID_sousindicateur=40&typecat= Seujet / Lac Léman] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707001919/http://www.rhone-geneve.ch/sousindicateur.php?ID_indicateur=9&ID_domaine=2&ID_sousindicateur=40&typecat= |date=7 July 2011 }} rhone-geneve.ch. Retrieved on 20 July 2009

Due to climate change, the average temperature of deep water (more than {{convert|300|m|||disp=or}} deep) increased from {{convert|4.4|C|||}} in 1963 to {{convert|5.5|C|||}} in 2016 (an increase of {{convert|1.1|C-change|||disp=or|}} in 53 years), while the average temperature of surface water ({{convert|5|m||spell=in|disp=or}} deep) increased from {{convert|10.9|C|||}} in 1970 to {{convert|12.9|C|||}} in 2016 (up {{convert|2|C-change||||disp=or}} in 46 years).[http://www.cipel.org/publications/lettre-leman-lecture/ La lettre du Léman], bulletin of the Commission internationale pour la protection des eaux du Léman, number 54, June 2017, page 3.

{{Weather box

|location = Genève–Cointrin (Reference period 1981–2010), Records (1901–2015)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 17.3

|Feb record high C = 20.6

|Mar record high C = 24.9

|Apr record high C = 27.5

|May record high C = 33.8

|Jun record high C = 36.5

|Jul record high C = 39.7

|Aug record high C = 37.6

|Sep record high C = 34.8

|Oct record high C = 27.3

|Nov record high C = 23.2

|Dec record high C = 20.8

|Jan high C = 4.5

|Feb high C = 6.3

|Mar high C = 11.2

|Apr high C = 14.9

|May high C = 19.7

|Jun high C = 23.5

|Jul high C = 26.5

|Aug high C = 25.8

|Sep high C = 20.9

|Oct high C = 15.4

|Nov high C = 8.8

|Dec high C = 5.3

|year high C = 15.2

|Jan mean C = 1.5

|Feb mean C = 2.5

|Mar mean C = 6.2

|Apr mean C = 9.7

|May mean C = 14.2

|Jun mean C = 17.7

|Jul mean C = 20.2

|Aug mean C = 19.5

|Sep mean C = 15.4

|Oct mean C = 11.1

|Nov mean C = 5.5

|Dec mean C = 2.8

|year mean C = 10.5

|Jan low C = −1.3

|Feb low C = −1.0

|Mar low C = 1.6

|Apr low C = 4.8

|May low C = 9.1

|Jun low C = 12.3

|Jul low C = 14.4

|Aug low C = 14.0

|Sep low C = 10.8

|Oct low C = 7.4

|Nov low C = 2.4

|Dec low C = 0.1

|year low C = 6.2

|Jan record low C = -19.9

|Feb record low C = -20.0

|Mar record low C = -13.3

|Apr record low C = -5.2

|May record low C = -2.2

|Jun record low C = 1.3

|Jul record low C = 3.0

|Aug record low C = 4.9

|Sep record low C = 0.2

|Oct record low C = -4.7

|Nov record low C = -10.9

|Dec record low C = -17.0

|year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 76

|Feb precipitation mm = 68

|Mar precipitation mm = 70

|Apr precipitation mm = 72

|May precipitation mm = 84

|Jun precipitation mm = 92

|Jul precipitation mm = 79

|Aug precipitation mm = 82

|Sep precipitation mm = 100

|Oct precipitation mm = 105

|Nov precipitation mm = 88

|Dec precipitation mm = 90

|year precipitation mm = 1005

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 9.5

|Feb precipitation days = 8.1

|Mar precipitation days = 9.0

|Apr precipitation days = 8.9

|May precipitation days = 10.6

|Jun precipitation days = 9.3

|Jul precipitation days = 7.6

|Aug precipitation days = 7.9

|Sep precipitation days = 8.1

|Oct precipitation days = 10.1

|Nov precipitation days = 9.9

|Dec precipitation days = 10.0

|year precipitation days = 109.0

|Jan snow cm = 10.8

|Feb snow cm = 8.1

|Mar snow cm = 2.8

|Apr snow cm = 0.2

|May snow cm = 0.0

|Jun snow cm = 0.0

|Jul snow cm = 0.0

|Aug snow cm = 0.0

|Sep snow cm = 0.0

|Oct snow cm = 0.0

|Nov snow cm = 2.8

|Dec snow cm = 7.4

|year snow cm = 32.1

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 2.5

|Feb snow days = 2.0

|Mar snow days = 0.9

|Apr snow days = 0.1

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.7

|Dec snow days = 2.0

|year snow days = 8.2

|Jan humidity = 81

|Feb humidity = 76

|Mar humidity = 69

|Apr humidity = 67

|May humidity = 69

|Jun humidity = 66

|Jul humidity = 64

|Aug humidity = 67

|Sep humidity = 73

|Oct humidity = 79

|Nov humidity = 81

|Dec humidity = 81

|year humidity = 73

|Jan sun = 59

|Feb sun = 88

|Mar sun = 154

|Apr sun = 177

|May sun = 197

|Jun sun = 235

|Jul sun = 263

|Aug sun = 237

|Sep sun = 185

|Oct sun = 117

|Nov sun = 66

|Dec sun = 49

|year sun = 1828

|Jan percentsun = 23

|Feb percentsun = 33

|Mar percentsun = 45

|Apr percentsun = 46

|May percentsun = 45

|Jun percentsun = 53

|Jul percentsun = 58

|Aug percentsun = 58

|Sep percentsun = 53

|Oct percentsun = 38

|Nov percentsun = 26

|Dec percentsun = 20

|year percentsun = 44

|source 1 = MeteoSwiss{{cite web |url=http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/GVE/climsheet_GVE_np8110_e.pdf |title=Climate normals Genève–Cointrin (Reference period 1981–2010) |publisher=Swiss Federal Office of Metreology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss |location=Zürich-Airport, Switzerland |date=2 July 2014 |access-date=2015-04-05}}

|source 2 = KNMI{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/indicesextremes/customquerytimeseriesplots.php?optionSelected=season&processtext1=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait...&countryselect=SWITZERLAND%7Cch&stationselect=GENEVE+COINTRIN%5Bch%5D%7C240&categoryselect=All+categories%7C**&indexselect=All+indices%7C**&seasonselect=Jan%7C7&processtext2=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait... |title=Genève–Cointrin extreme values |access-date=8 November 2011 |publisher=KNMI}}

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Pully (Lausanne) (1981–2010), Extremes (1981–2010)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 14.9

|Feb record high C = 15.8

|Mar record high C = 22.6

|Apr record high C = 25.5

|May record high C = 31.3

|Jun record high C = 33.6

|Jul record high C = 35.2

|Aug record high C = 37.1

|Sep record high C = 28.6

|Oct record high C = 25.4

|Nov record high C = 19.8

|Dec record high C = 17.7

|Jan high C = 4.4

|Feb high C = 5.6

|Mar high C = 10.1

|Apr high C = 14.0

|May high C = 18.7

|Jun high C = 22.4

|Jul high C = 25.0

|Aug high C = 24.4

|Sep high C = 19.8

|Oct high C = 14.6

|Nov high C = 8.6

|Dec high C = 5.3

|year high C = 14.4

|Jan mean C = 1.2

|Feb mean C = 3.0

|Mar mean C = 6.6

|Apr mean C = 10.0

|May mean C = 14.4

|Jun mean C = 17.8

|Jul mean C = 20.3

|Aug mean C = 19.7

|Sep mean C = 15.8

|Oct mean C = 11.6

|Nov mean C = 6.1

|Dec mean C = 3.2

|year mean C = 10.9

|Jan low C = 0.3

|Feb low C = 0.7

|Mar low C = 3.5

|Apr low C = 6.4

|May low C = 10.7

|Jun low C = 13.8

|Jul low C = 16.1

|Aug low C = 15.9

|Sep low C = 12.6

|Oct low C = 9.1

|Nov low C = 4.2

|Dec low C = 1.4

|year low C = 7.9

|Jan record low C = -16.7

|Feb record low C = -12.7

|Mar record low C = -9.1

|Apr record low C = -2.9

|May record low C = 2.1

|Jun record low C = 5.2

|Jul record low C = 9

|Aug record low C = 8.2

|Sep record low C = 4.4

|Oct record low C = -1.2

|Nov record low C = -6.2

|Dec record low C = -10.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 77

|Feb precipitation mm = 67

|Mar precipitation mm = 78

|Apr precipitation mm = 87

|May precipitation mm = 117

|Jun precipitation mm = 112

|Jul precipitation mm = 92

|Aug precipitation mm = 110

|Sep precipitation mm = 114

|Oct precipitation mm = 113

|Nov precipitation mm = 93

|Dec precipitation mm = 92

|year precipitation mm = 1153

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 10.1

|Feb precipitation days = 8.8

|Mar precipitation days = 10.2

|Apr precipitation days = 9.8

|May precipitation days = 12.1

|Jun precipitation days = 10.4

|Jul precipitation days = 9.0

|Aug precipitation days = 9.5

|Sep precipitation days = 8.8

|Oct precipitation days = 10.1

|Nov precipitation days = 10.2

|Dec precipitation days = 10.7

|year precipitation days = 119.7

|Jan snow cm = 10.9

|Feb snow cm = 14.3

|Mar snow cm = 1.6

|Apr snow cm = 0.2

|May snow cm = 0.0

|Jun snow cm = 0.0

|Jul snow cm = 0.0

|Aug snow cm = 0.0

|Sep snow cm = 0.0

|Oct snow cm = 0.0

|Nov snow cm = 1.1

|Dec snow cm = 7.0

|year snow cm = 35.1

|Jan humidity= 78

|Feb humidity= 73

|Mar humidity= 68

|Apr humidity= 66

|May humidity= 67

|Jun humidity= 66

|Jul humidity= 65

|Aug humidity= 68

|Sep humidity= 73

|Oct humidity= 78

|Nov humidity= 78

|Dec humidity= 78

|year humidity = 72

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 2.9

|Feb snow days = 2.8

|Mar snow days = 1.3

|Apr snow days = 0.1

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.8

|Dec snow days = 1.9

|year snow days = 9.8

|Jan sun = 72

|Feb sun = 97

|Mar sun = 159

|Apr sun = 179

|May sun = 201

|Jun sun = 229

|Jul sun = 252

|Aug sun = 234

|Sep sun = 183

|Oct sun = 128

|Nov sun = 79

|Dec sun = 58

|year sun = 1872

|Jan percentsun= 29

|Feb percentsun= 37

|Mar percentsun= 46

|Apr percentsun= 47

|May percentsun= 48

|Jun percentsun= 54

|Jul percentsun= 59

|Aug percentsun= 58

|Sep percentsun= 52

|Oct percentsun= 42

|Nov percentsun= 32

|Dec percentsun= 26

|year percentsun= 46

|source 1 = MeteoSwiss{{cite web |url=http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/PUY/climsheet_PUY_np8110_e.pdf |title=Climate normals Pully (Reference period 1981−2010) |publisher=Swiss Federal Office of Metreology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss |location=Zurich Airport, Switzerland |date=2 July 2014 |access-date=2015-04-03 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111123953/https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/product/output/climate-data/climate-diagrams-normal-values-station-processing/PUY/climsheet_PUY_np8110_e.pdf |url-status=dead}}

|source 2 = StatistiqueVaud{{in lang|fr}} http://www.scris.vd.ch/Default.aspx?DocID=8033&DomId=1961.

|date=July 2014

}}

Lake Geneva (and particularly the lakeside parts of the city of Geneva) can be affected by the cold Bise, a northeasterly wind. This can lead to severe icing in winter.{{cite news |url=https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/8314926-la-bise-va-se-calmer-apres-une-journee-chaotique-mais-plusieurs-ecoles-vont-rester-fermees.html |title=La bise va se calmer après une journée chaotique, mais plusieurs écoles vont rester fermées |publisher=RTS Radio Télévision Suisse |date=17 January 2017 |location=Geneva |language=fr |access-date=2018-02-25}} The strength of the Bise wind can be determined by the difference in air pressure between Geneva and Güttingen in canton of Thurgau. The Bise arises when the air pressure in Güttingen is higher than in Geneva.{{cite web |url=http://www.meteocentrale.ch/en/weather/foehn-and-bise/bise.html |title=Bisendiagramm |publisher=MeteoGroup Schweiz AG |location=Appenzell, Switzerland |access-date=2018-02-25}}

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| width = 220

| footer =

| image1 = Private home backing up to Lake Geneva in Vaud Canton, 1968.png

| alt1 =

| caption1 = Bath house of a private home on the lake, in canton of Vaud, 1968

| image2 = People bathing in Lake Geneva, Vaud Canton, with Jura Mountains in background, 1968.png

| alt2 =

| caption2 = Swimming in the lake

| image3 = Lake Geneva with Vineyards in Lavaux.jpg

| alt3 =

| caption3 = Lavaux vineyards on Lake Geneva

}}

Image:Ile de Peilz.jpg]]

In 563, according to the writings of Gregory of Tours and Marius Aventicensis, a tsunami wave swept along the lake, destroying the fort of Tauredunum and other settlements, and causing numerous deaths in Geneva. Simulations indicate that this Tauredunum event was most likely caused by a massive landslide near the Rhône delta, which caused a wave {{convert|8|m|spell=in||}} high to reach Geneva within 70 minutes.{{Cite journal |last1=Kremer |first1=K. |last2=Simpson |first2=G. |last3=Girardclos |first3=S. P. |doi=10.1038/ngeo1618 |title=Giant Lake Geneva tsunami in AD 563 |journal=Nature Geoscience |volume=5 |issue=11 |pages=756–757 |year=2012 |bibcode=2012NatGe...5..756K}}{{cite news |title=Tsunamis on Lake Geneva: Lake monsters |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/10/tsunamis-lake-geneva |access-date=29 October 2012 |newspaper=The Economist |date=28 October 2012}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-tsunami-devastated-lake-geneva-shoreline-1.11670 |title=Ancient tsunami devastated Lake Geneva shoreline |date=28 October 2012 |journal=Nature |access-date=5 November 2012 |doi=10.1038/nature.2012.11670 |last1=Marshall |first1=Jessica |s2cid=130238584|url-access=subscription }} In 888, the town was part of the new Kingdom of Burgundy, and, with it, was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033.

In the late 1960s, pollution made it dangerous to swim at some beaches of the lake; indeed, visibility underwater was near zero.{{cite web |url=http://untreaty.un.org/unts/60001_120000/7/25/00013243.pdf |title=Convention concerning protection of the waters of Lake Geneva against pollution. |date=16 November 1962 |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |access-date=24 June 2009}}{{cite book |last=Bergier |first=Jean-François |title=Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse |publisher=Editions Gilles Attinger, Hauterive |year=2008 |volume=7 |isbn=978-2-88256-197-8 |url=http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/f/F8657-1-1.php |language=fr |access-date=25 June 2009 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328172322/http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/f/F8657.php |url-status=dead}} By the 1980s, intense environmental pollution (eutrophication) had almost wiped out all the fish. Endemic whitefish species Coregonus fera was last recorded in the lake in 1920 and is now extinct. Although the name fera is still used for the only coregonid present in the lake, this is not the original species but the introduced C. palaea. Today, pollution levels have been dramatically cut back, and it is again considered safe to swim in the lake.{{cite web |url=http://www.cipel.org/sp/IMG/pdf/Phosphore-2007.pdf |title=Baisse du Phosphore dans le Léman |date=9 May 2007 |publisher=Commission Internationale pour la Protection du Léman (CIPEL) |language=fr |access-date=26 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105220206/http://www.cipel.org/sp/IMG/pdf/Phosphore-2007.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{cite journal |last=Monna |first=F. |author2=Domnik J. |author3=Loiseau J.-L. |author4=Pardos M. |author5=Arpagaus P. |year=1999 |title=Origin and evolution of Pb in sediments of Lake Geneva (Switzerland-France). Establishing a stable Pb record |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |publisher=American Chemical Society |location=Washington, DC |volume=33 |issue=17 |pages=2850–2857 |issn=0013-936X |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1943833 |doi=10.1021/es9902468 |bibcode=1999EnST...33.2850M|url-access=subscription }} Major leisure activities practiced include sailing, wind surfing, boating (including water skiing and wake-boarding), rowing, scuba diving, and bathing.

A total of four submarines have plied the depths of Lake Geneva.{{cite news |url=http://www.letemps.ch/Page/Uuid/dfb2b432-92da-11e0-a33b-988245c5cb3c/A_la_d%C3%A9couverte_du_L%C3%A9man |title=A la découverte du Léman |last=Dubuis |first=Etienne |work=Le Temps |language=fr |date=10 June 2011 |access-date=1 November 2014}} In 1964, Jacques Piccard launched a tourist-oriented submarine, the Auguste Piccard (named for his explorer father), for the Swiss National Exhibition, meant to honor the Expo 64 theme of accomplishments by Swiss engineers and industry.{{cite news |url=https://www.letemps.ch/sciences/submersibles-ont-plonge-leman |title=Ces submersibles qui ont plongé dans le Léman |last=Dubuis |first=Etienne |work=Le Temps |language=fr |date=10 June 2011 |access-date=18 April 2019}} After operating through to 1965 in Lake Geneva, Piccard used the vessel for scientific exploration in other parts of the world. Piccard later built the F.-A. Forel, launched in Lake Geneva in 1978 and used primarily for scientific research until it was retired in 2005. In 2011, in a collaborative operation led by {{Lang|fr|École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne|italic=no}}, two Mir submersibles were used for ten weeks to conduct extensive scientific research in Lake Geneva.

On a scientific footnote, in 1827, Lake Geneva was the site for the first measurement of the speed of sound in (fresh) water.{{cite book |last=Guichonnet |first=Paul |title=Nature et histoire du Léman: le guide du Léman |publisher=Editions Cabedita |location=Divonne-Les-Bains |year=2002 |pages=235 |isbn=9782882951205 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C2cyTH8ydD4C&q=histoire+du+lac+léman |language=fr}} French mathematician Jacques Charles François Sturm and Swiss physicist Daniel Collodon used two moored boats, separated by a measured distance, as the transmitting and receiving platforms for the sounds of exploding gunpowder. The loud airborne sound coupled into the lake, establishing a loud underwater sound that could be measured at a distance. The flash of the exploding gunpowder provided the visual starting cue for the timepiece, and the underwater explosion sound striking a bell provided the finish cue.

The lake is rich in wildlife, especially birds: both the common buzzard and the red kite breed here in considerable numbers.

Yacht racing is a popular sport, and high-performance catamarans have been developed specifically for the lake.{{Cite web |url=http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=21208 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208154714/http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200 |url-status=dead |title=alinghi.com |archive-date=8 February 2010}} The design of the Alinghi 5, the defender of the 2010 America's Cup, was influenced by those racing catamarans. The best-known event, the {{Interlanguage link|Bol d'or (regatta)|fr|Bol d'or (voile)|lt=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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.boldor.ch/boldor/ch/FR-CH/index.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616030525/http://boldor.ch/boldor/ch/FR-CH/index.cfm |url-status=dead |title=boldor.ch |archive-date=16 June 2012}}

The {{lang|fr|Tour du Lac}} rowing event also takes place on Lake Geneva. Competitors row once around the entire lake, making this {{convert|160|km|adj=on}} event the longest non-stop rowing regatta in the world.

Several competitions for swimmers are organised yearly, the longest of which spans the length of the lake from Chillon Castle to Geneva (70km) and is known as The Signature.{{Cite web |url=https://www.lakegenevaswimmingassociation.com/signature |title=LGSA Signature swim |website=www.lakegenevaswimmingassociation.com}} Other events include the crossing of the lake from Lausanne to Evian (13km),{{Cite web |url=https://rcf.fr/la-matinale/13-km-la-nage-sur-le-leman-entre-lausanne-et-evian |title=13 km à la nage sur le Léman, entre Lausanne et Evian ! |website=rcf.fr}} from Montreux to Clarens (1.8 km),{{Cite web |url=https://www.montreux.ch/agenda/agenda-detail/article/traversee-a-la-nage-montreux-clarens-1/ |title=Commune de Montreux - Traversée à la nage Montreux-Clarens |website=www.montreux.ch |access-date=13 January 2020 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001062539/https://www.montreux.ch/agenda/agenda-detail/article/traversee-a-la-nage-montreux-clarens-1/ |url-status=dead}} in Geneva (1.8 km),{{Cite news |url=https://www.tdg.ch/geneve/actu-genevoise/traversee-lac-nage-reussit-premiere-edition/story/16644949 |title=La traversée du lac à la nage réussit sa première édition |first=Thierry |last=Mertenat |date=31 July 2016 |via=www.tdg.ch |newspaper=TDG}} all in summer, and the {{lang|fr|Coupe de Noël}}, 125m in Geneva in December.{{Cite news |url=https://www.tdg.ch/geneve/2500-courageux-coupe-noel/story/17378954 |title=Près de 2500 courageux à la Coupe de Noël |date=15 December 2019 |newspaper=Tribune de Genève}}

The largest metropolitan areas along Lake Geneva, along with their populations, are:{{cn|date=May 2025}}

1. Geneva (190,000 city, 1 million metro area)
2. Lausanne (130,000 city, 420,000 metro area)
3. Thonon-les-Bains (32,000 town population)
4. Montreux (25,000 town, 85,000 metro area)

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Edmund Ludlow, famous as one who had signed the death warrant of English King Charles I, was granted on 16 April 1662 protection in and continued to live at Vevey until his death in 1692.Macaulay, History of England, Vol 1, Page 400, J H Dent 1953. Mary and Percy Shelley and Lord Byron holidayed by the lake and wrote ghost stories, one of which became the basis for the novel Frankenstein.{{cite book |last=Sunstein |first=Emily W. |title=Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |year=1989 |edition=1991 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/maryshelleyroman00suns/page/478 478] |isbn=0-8018-4218-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/maryshelleyroman00suns/page/478}} The Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) was stabbed to death on the quayside in Geneva in September 1898. Vladimir Lenin rented a little "chalet" at the French bank, near Geneva.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/19/world/summit-russians-make-their-entrance-reporter-s-notebook-lenin-haven-welcomes-his.html?ref=vladimirlenin |title=The summit: The Russians make their entrance |newspaper=The NY Times |date=19 November 1985 |access-date=30 May 2011}} Actor Charlie Chaplin spent his final years and died in Vevey (there is a memorial statue of him along the promenade; his home at Corsier-sur-Vevey is now a museum of his life and career). Actors Noël Coward, James Mason, Sir Peter Ustinov, Richard Burton, and Audrey Hepburn all lived in villages on the shores of or in view of the lake. David Bowie moved to a chalet to the north of Lake Geneva in 1976, which inspired him to take up painting and informed the first stages of the "Berlin Trilogy". Pop singer Phil Collins lives in a home overlooking the lake.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1543808/Fed-up-Swiss-taxpayers-call-time-on-concessions-for-wealthy-foreigners.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1543808/Fed-up-Swiss-taxpayers-call-time-on-concessions-for-wealthy-foreigners.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Fed-up Swiss taxpayers call time on concessions for wealthy foreigners |last=Michner |first=Joerg |date=25 February 2007 |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |access-date=24 June 2009}}{{cbignore}} Rock band Queen owned and operated Mountain Recording Studios (which is still in use today) in Montreux, and a statue of lead singer Freddie Mercury, who also owned a second home in Montreux, stands on the northern shore of the lake. Writer Vladimir Nabokov also took residence in Montreux, where he died in 1977. Former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher lives with his family in a home overlooking the lake.

• Lake Geneva region

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons|Lake Geneva}}

{{Wiktionary|Geneva}}

• [http://www.lake-geneva-region.ch Lake Geneva Region]
• [http://www.cipel.org International Commission for the Protection of Lake Geneva (CIPEL)]
• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Geneva, Lake of | volume= 11 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge| page = 593 |short= 1}}
• {{HDS|8657}}

{{Lakes of Switzerland}}

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Geneva

Geneva

Geneva

Category:Ramsar sites in Switzerland

Category:Ramsar sites in Metropolitan France

Geneva

Category:Tourism in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Geneva

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Category:France–Switzerland border

Geneva

Category:Tourist attractions in the canton of Geneva

Category:Valais–Vaud border