Lake Balaton

Also known as Platten-See, Balaton

freshwater lake in Hungary

AI overview

Lake Balaton is a large freshwater lake located in Hungary. It is an important natural resource for the region, serving as a major destination for recreation and tourism in Central Europe.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Area: 592
Elevation: 104
Image: Balatonlelle, Balaton, 49.jpg
Width: 15
Length: 78
Perimeter: 236

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Commons category: Balaton
Commons gallery: Lake Balaton
residence time of water: 2
vertical depth: 12.5
volume as quantity: 1900
watershed area: 5181

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Article

Lake Balaton ( Hungarian: [ˈbɒlɒton]) is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and the canalized Sió is the only outflow.

The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region, while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns. Balatonfüred and Hévíz developed early as resorts for the wealthy, but it was not until the late 19th century when landowners, ruined by Phylloxera attacking their grape vines, began building summer homes to rent out to the burgeoning middle class.