Lake Como | |
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Panoramic view of Lake Como with Grigna Mountains and Bellagio
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Location | Lombardy, Italy |
Coordinates | 46°00′N 9°16′E / 46.000°N 9.267°ECoordinates: 46°00′N 9°16′E / 46.000°N 9.267°E |
Primary inflows | Adda River, Mera River |
Primary outflows | Adda River |
Catchment area | 4,509 km2 (1,741 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Italy, Switzerland |
Max. length | 46 km (29 mi) |
Max. width | 4.5 km (2.8 mi) |
Surface area | 146 km2 (56 sq mi) |
Average depth | 154 m (505 ft) |
Max. depth | 425 m (1,394 ft) |
Water volume | 22.5 km3 (18,200,000 acre·ft) |
Residence time | 5.5 years |
Shore length1 | 160 km (99 mi) |
Surface elevation | 198 m (650 ft) |
Islands | Isola Comacina |
Settlements | Como, Lecco (see section) |
References | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Como (Lago di Como [ˈlaːɡo di ˈkɔːmo] or locally [ˈlaːɡo di ˈkoːmo] in Italian, also known as Lario [ˈlaːrjo], after the Latin name of the lake; Lagh de Comm [ˈlaːk de ˈkɔm] in Lombard; Latin: Larius Lacus) is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 square kilometres (56 sq mi), making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 metres (1,300 feet) deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, and the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres (660 ft) below sea level.
Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces (such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni, and Villa Carlotta). Many famous people have or have had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as Matthew Bellamy, John Kerry, Madonna, George Clooney,Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho, Sylvester Stallone, Julian Lennon, Richard Branson, Ben Spies, and Pierina Legnani.