evidence: Covering an area of 536 sq. km, Lake Constance, also known as Bodensee in German, is a large body of water that is shared by the three European nations of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The lake forms a part of the Rhine River basin and is geographically positioned at the northern foothills of the Alps. Lake Constance is considered Central Europe’s third-largest lake by surface area and also the second largest lake in Europe by water volume. Lake Constance is situated at an elevation of 395m and has a maximum length of 63km and a maximum width of 14km. The lake has an average depth of 90m and reaches a maximum depth of 251m at its deepest point. The shorelines of Lake Constance are shared by the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg; the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, and Thurgau; and the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.