Venetian Lagoon
The
Venetian Lagoon is a
lagoon off the
Adriatic Sea in which the city of
Venice is situated.
The Venetian Lagoon has a surface area of around 550km². It is around 8% land, including
Venice itself and many smaller islands. About 11% is permanently water, or
canal as the dredged channels are called, while around 80% is
mud flats and
salt marshes.
It is connected to the
Adriatic Sea by three inlets:
Lido Inlet,
Malamocco Inlet and
Chioggia Inlet. Being at the end of a closed sea, the Lagoon is subject to high variations in water level, the most extreme being the
spring tides known as the
acqua alta (Italian for "high waters"), which regularly flood much of Venice.
The Lagoon originally provided the security for Romanised people fleeing invaders from the
sixth century and the conditions for the growth of the
Venetian Republic and its maritime empire. It still provides a base for a
seaport, the
Venetian Arsenal and for
fishing, as well as a limited amount of
hunting and the newer industry of
fish farming.
Originally many of the Lagoon's islands were marshy, but a gradual programme of drainage rendered them habitable. Many of the smaller islands are entirely artificial, while some areas around the seaport of the
Mestre are also reclaimed islands. The remaining islands are essentially dunes, including those of the coastal strip (
Lido,
Pellestrina and
Treporti).
Largest islands by area (excluding coastal reclaimed land and the coastal strip):
*
Venice 5.17km²
*
Sant'Erasmo 3.26km²
*
Borgo San Giovanni 2.36km²
*
Murano 1.17km²
*
Chioggia 0.67km²
*
Giudecca 0.59km²
*
Mazzorbo 0.52km²
*
Torcello 0.44km²
*
Sant'Elena 0.34km²
*
La Certosa 0.24km²
*
Burano 0.21km²
*
Tronchetto 0.18km²
*
Sacca Fisola 0.18km²
*
Isola Di San Michele 0.16km²
*
Sacca Sessola 0.16km²
*
Santa Cristina 0.13km²
Other islands include:
*
Cavallino*
Lazzaretto Nuovo*
Lazzaretto Vecchio*
Lido*
Pellestrina*
Poveglia*
San Clemente*
San Francesco del Deserto*
San Giorgio Maggiore*
San Lazzaro degli Armeni*
Santa Maria della Grazia*
San Pietro di Castello*
San Servolo*
Santo Spirito*
Sottomarina*
Vignole*
MOSE Project*
Lagoon of Venice information*
Satellite image from Google Maps
