Loch Ness

Loch Ness
With Urquhart Castle in the foreground
Loch Ness
Location	Scottish Highlands
Coordinates	57°18′N 4°27′W / 57.300°N 4.450°W / 57.300; -4.450
Type	freshwater loch, oligotrophic, dimictic[1]
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)[2]
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 extending for approximately 37 kilometres (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. 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). It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to the high peat content of the surrounding soil. The southern end connects to Loch Oich by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal. The northern end connects to Loch Dochfour via the River Ness, which then ultimately leads to the North Sea via the Moray Firth.

At 56 km² (22 sq mi), Loch Ness is the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume in Great Britain. Its deepest point is 230 metres (126 fathoms; 755 feet), making it the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar. It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water in the Great Glen, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. Its surface is 16 metres (52 feet) above sea level. It contains a single, artificial island named Cherry Island (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Muireach) at the southwestern end. There are nine villages around the loch, as well as Urquhart Castle; the village of Drumnadrochit contains a "Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition".