Loch Ness
| Loch Ness | |
|---|---|
With Urquhart Castle in the foreground | |
| Location | Scottish Highlands |
| Coordinates | 57°18′N 4°27′W / 57.300°N 4.450°W |
| Type | freshwater loch, oligotrophic, dimictic |
| Primary inflows | River Oich/Caledonian Canal, River Moriston, River Foyers, River Enrick, River Coiltie |
| Primary outflows | River Ness/Caledonian Canal |
| Catchment area | 1,770 km2 (685 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Max. length | 36.2 km (22.5 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 56 km2 (21.8 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 132 m (433 ft) |
| Max. depth | 226.96 m (124.10 fathoms; 744.6 ft) |
| Water volume | 7.5 km3 (1.8 cu mi) |
| Surface elevation | 15.8 m (52 ft) |
| Islands | 1 (Cherry Island) |
| Settlements | Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, Abriachan, Lochend; Whitebridge, Foyers, Inverfarigaig, Dores. |
Loch Ness (/ˌlɒx ˈnɛs/; Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis [l̪ˠɔx ˈniʃ]) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie" (Scottish Gaelic: Niseag).
Loch Ness lies along the Great Glen Fault, which forms a line of weakness in the rocks which has been excavated by glacial erosion, forming the Great Glen and the basins of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness. These lochs form part of the Caledonian Canal, linking the Moray Firth and the North Sea to Loch Linnhe on the west coast.
The northern end of Loch Ness is around 10 km (6 miles) south-west of Inverness, with Fort Augustus located at the other end. The main A82 road between Inverness and Fort William, roughly follows the western shore, passing through the villages of Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston.
Loch Ness is one of the largest in Scotland, and the whole of Great Britain. It has the greatest volume, and is the second-deepest and second-largest by surface area.