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.
In the sixth century, the Lagoon gave security to Romanised people fleeing invaders. Later, it provided 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