Loch Ness

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This page is about the body of water in Scotland. For the movie, see Loch Ness (film).

Loch Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis) is a large, deep freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands (57°18′N 4°27′W) extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. The Loch's surface is 15.8 metres above sea level.

Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie"), although it is scenic in its own right. Boat cruises operate from various locations along its shores giving tourists the chance to look for the monster.

Loch Ness is the largest body of water on the geologic fault known as the Great Glen, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. The Caledonian Canal, which links the sea at either end of the Great Glen, uses Loch Ness for part of its route.

The loch is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland. Quite large, Loch Ness has exceptionally low water visibility due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. It is the second deepest loch in Scotland, and the UK.

Image:LochNessUrquhart.jpg

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi) but due to its extreme depth is the largest by volume. The loch contains more fresh water than all that in England and Wales combined. At its deepest part, 226 m (740 feet), London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 feet) would be completely submerged.

Locks on Caledonian Canal in Fort Augustus, Loch Ness in the background

It also acts as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind in Britain. The turbines were originally used to provide power for a nearby mill, but now electricity is generated and supplied to the National Grid.

At its southwestern end, near Fort Augustus, one can see the only island on Loch Ness. Cherry Island is an example of a Crannog (artificial islands generally from the Iron Age).

At Drumnadrochit there is a Loch Ness Monster exhibition centre, which contains information on the legendary creature.