Lake in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
Upper Lake Constance (Obersee ) View over Lake Constance's Obersee from
Winterstaude mountain at dusk
Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Canton of St. Gallen Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Switzerland Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Baden-Württemberg Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Germany Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Austria Upper Lake Constance (Obersee )
Show map of Alps Location Tripoint of Germany, Austria and Switzerland Coordinates 47°37′N 9°26′E / 47.61°N 09.44°E / 47.61; 09.44 Primary inflows Alpine Rhine , Bregenzer Ach , Argen , Alter Rhein (Fußacher Durchstich) , Schussen , Dornbirner Ach , Seefelder Aach , Rotach , Stockacher Aach and smaller streamsPrimary outflows Seerhein Max. length 63 kilometres (39 mi)[ 1] Max. width 14 kilometres (8.7 mi)[ 1] Surface area 472 square kilometres (182 sq mi)[ 2] Average depth 101 metres (331 ft)[ 2] Max. depth 251 metres (823 ft)[ 2] Water volume 47.6 cubic kilometres (11.4 cu mi)[ 2] Shore length1 186 kilometres (116 mi)[ 2] Surface elevation 395.33 metres (1,297.0 ft) Islands Lindau , Mainau Settlements Überlingen , Meersburg , Friedrichshafen , Lindau , Bregenz , Rorschach , Konstanz 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure .
The Obersee (English: Upper Lake ), also known as Upper Lake Constance , is the much larger of the two parts of Lake Constance , the other part being the Untersee (English: Lower Lake ). The two parts are separated by the Bodanrück peninsula. The narrow, northwestern branch of Obersee is also called Überlinger See (English: Lake Überlingen ).
Geography
The "Obersee" is the larger, eastern, part of Lake Constance
Sections of the Rhine :
The Obersee has an area of 473 km2 (183 sq mi) in size and extends for 63 km (39 mi) between Bregenz in the Southeast and Bodman-Ludwigshafen in the Northwest. Its maximum width is 14 km (8.7 mi). Its main inflow is the Alpine Rhine , with other tributaries being the Dornbirner Ach , Bregenzer Ach , Leiblach , Argen , Schussen , Rotach , Seefelder Aach , Stockacher Aach and Aach . At Konstanz (Constance), it drains through the Seerhein into the Untersee .
The distinctive, northwestern arm and 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi)-large Lake Überlingen (Standard German of Germany : Überlinger See ), named after Überlingen , is part of the Upper Lake Constance, as well as the Bay of Bregenz , and the Constance Hopper .
The countries that border the lake are Switzerland , with its cantons of Thurgau and St. Gallen , Austria , with its federal state of Vorarlberg , and Germany , with its federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria .
The exact location of the border between the riparian states within the south-eastern part of Obersee have never been jointly agreed upon (see Lake Constance ); only the smaller northwestern water of Lake Überlingen is completely within German territory.
The southeastern end of the lake borders the Alps , the Appenzell Alps of Switzerland and the Allgäu Alps of Austria and Germany. A notable mountain with outlook is the Pfänder above Bregenz.
Origin of the name
The Romans called it Lacus Venetus , Lacus Brigantinus and Lacus Constantinus . In the Middle Ages the dominant term was Lacus Bodamicus , or in German Bodensee .[citation needed ] Gradually, this name began to include the Lower Lake (Lacus Acronius ), so the term "Upper Lake" was introduced for the larger lake.[dubious – discuss ]
See also
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