NEUCHTEL, LAKE

French Lac De Neuchtel, German Neuenburgersee, Latin Lacus Eburodunensis, largest lake wholly in Switzerland; its area of 84 square miles (218 square km) is divided among the cantons of Neuchtel, Vaud, Fribourg, and Bern. Lakes Neuchtel, Biel (Bienne), and Morat, connected by canals, are survivors of a former glacial lake in the lower Aare valley, at the base of the Jura Mountains. Lake Neuchtel is about 23.5 miles (38 km) long and from 3.75 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) wide; it lies at an elevation of 1,407 feet (429 m), and its greatest depth is 502 feet (153 m). The Thile River enters at its southwestern end and issues from it at its northeastern end. The lake also receives the Areuse and Broye rivers. The northwestern shore (Neuchtel canton) is the most thickly settled, and the slopes are covered with vineyards. On the north shore is La Tne, famous for prehistoric finds, which gives its name to the late Iron Age culture.