File:Aerial_image_of_Lake_Thun_(view_from_the_east).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Lake Thun
Also known as Thunersee
lake in the canton of Bern, Switzerland
Key facts
- Location
- Canton of Bern
- Type
- freshwater fjord , recent regulation
- Primary inflows
- Aare , Kander
- Primary outflows
- Aare
- Catchment area
- 2,500 km (970 sq mi)
- Basin countries
- Switzerland
- Max length
- 17.5 km (10.9 mi)
- Max width
- 3.5 km (2.2 mi)
- Surface area
- 48.3 km (18.6 sq mi)
- Average depth
- 136 m (446 ft)
- Max depth
- 217 m (712 ft)
- Water volume
- 6.5 km (5,300,000 acre⋅ft)
- Residence time
~2 min read
Article
Lake Thun (German: Thunersee, Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈtuːnərˌzeː]) is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland named after the city of Thun, on its northern shore. At 48.3 km (18.6 sq mi) in surface area, it is the largest Swiss lake entirely within a single canton.
The lake was created after the last glacial period. After the 10th century, it split from Lake Brienz, before which the two lakes were combined, as Wendelsee ("Lake Wendel"). The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Finsteraarhorn at 4,274 metres (14,022 ft) above sea level.