The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Balaton, Lake

BALATON, Lake (Ger. Plattensee), a large lake in S. W. Hungary, in the counties of Zala, Veszprém, and Somogy; length, from S. W. to N. E., about 47 m.; greatest breadth 9 m.; depth from 27 to 36 feet; area, about 450 sq. m. It is fed by the river Szala, and discharges its waters through the Sió, which falls into the Sárviz, an affluent of the Danube. The lake abounds in fish. The fogas, a kind of large perch, is found only in this lake; it frequently weighs 10 to 15 and sometimes 20 pounds. There is also a species of white fish resembling the herring, which appears in large shoals during the winter. Crabs, crayfish, tortoises, and mussels are found. Iron sand occurs on the shores, which exhibits under the microscope grains of garnet, ruby, topaz, amethyst, and other precious stones.