| Lake Biwa | |
|---|---|
| 琵琶湖 (Japanese) | |
 Lake Biwa from space | |
  Lake Biwa  Lake Biwa | |
| Location | Shiga Prefecture, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°15′18″N 136°04′48″E / 35.25500°N 136.08000°E |
| Type | Ancient lake, tectonic, freshwater |
| Primary inflows | 118 rivers |
| Primary outflows | Seta River |
| Catchment area | 3,174 km2 (1,225 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Japan |
| Max. length | 63.49 km (39.45 mi) |
| Max. width | 22.8 km (14.2 mi) |
| Surface area | 670.3 km2 (258.8 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Max. depth | 104 m (341 ft)[1] |
| Water volume | 27.5 km3 (6.6 cu mi)[1] |
| Residence time | 5.5 years |
| Shore length1 | 235.2 km (146.1 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 85.6 m (281 ft) |
| Islands | Chikubu, Takeshima, Okishima (inhabited) |
| Settlements | Higashiōmi, Hikone, Kusatsu, Maibara, Moriyama, Nagahama, Ōmihachiman, Ōtsu, Takashima, Yasu |
| Official name | Biwa-ko |
| Designated | June 10, 1993 |
| Reference no. | 617[2] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Biwa (琵琶湖, Biwa-ko) is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto.[3] Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old.[1] It is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world.[4] Because of its proximity to the country's historical capital Kyoto, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
Tabata2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Biwa-ko". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "Biwa, Lake". Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias.
- ^ "Ancient lakes of the world". Christopher M. Free. Archived from the original (website) on February 9, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.