Vänern

Largest lake in Scandinavia

Vänern ( German also Vänern ) is a lake in the southwest of Sweden, situated between the historic provinces of Dalsland, Värmland and Västergötland. With an area of ​​5519.1 km2 it is the largest lake in the country and after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (both located in Russia ) is the third largest lake in Europe. It lies 44 meters above sea level and has an average depth of 27 m; its greatest depth is 106 m. It has a volume of 153 km3 and its coastline is about 2000 km.

The lake is divided by a channel between the peninsula and the island Värmlandsnäs Kållandsö into a western and an eastern part. The western part of Lake Vänern, is also known as Dalbosjön, the larger, eastern part as Värmlandssjön.

The largest islands in the Vänern are Torsö, (61 km2, in Mariestad ) Kållandsö (57 km2, near Lidköping ) and Hammarö (47 km2, at Karlstad ). The lake also has several archipelagos and thus a total of about 22,000 islands.

The Vänern, together with the Trollhättan Canal to Gothenburg and the Gota Canal to Stockholm a waterway across Sweden. About the Gota Canal Vänern is consistent with the Vättern in conjunction.

During the last Ice Age was the Vänern to the sea in conjunction, which until today has an impact on its flora and fauna, such as occurrence of marine species in freshwater. There live 35 species of fish in it. Its topography he owes the postglacial land uplift.