Geography
The canton of Zurich is situated north of the Alps. Its neighbouring cantons are Schaffhausen to the north, Aargau to the west, the cantons of Zug and Schwyz to the south and the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen to the east. Most of the Lake Zurich is located within the canton.
The canton can be roughly divided into the city and lake, the Unterland in the northwest, the Oberland in the southeast, the Weinland and Winterthur in the northeast, and the Knonaueramt southwest of the Albis. Greater Zurich Area extends beyond the cantonal borders.
Zürich has an area, as of 2011, of 1,728.8 square kilometers (667.5 sq mi). Of this area, 43.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 20.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and 5.8% is unproductive land.
The main lakes are the Lake Zurich, the Greifensee and the Pfäffikersee. Smaller lakes are Türlersee, Katzensee, Hüttnersee, Grosser Husemersee, Mettmenhaslisee, Lützelsee, Egelsee and Seeweidsee.
Most of the canton consists of shallow river valleys which drain towards the Rhine to the north of the canton. In the northwest and southeast of the canton there are more mountainous areas. The valley of the river Linth leads into the Lake Zurich and continues as the Limmat river. This valley is the most significant valley of the canton of Zurich. The valley of the Glatt river originates in the Greifensee and is separated from the Limmat by ridges. The valley of the river Töss is gorge-like. It is located in the east of the canton and is separated from the Toggenburg area in the Canton of St. Gallen by a mountainous area. The Hörnli (1133 m) is the highest elevation of this mountain ridge. The valley of the river Sihl is located in the west of the canton. In confluences with the river Limmat in the city of Zurich. The river Sihl is separated from the lake of Zurich by the Albis Range. The Albishorn (915 m) is the highest elevation of this range. The highest elevation in the canton is at the Höhrohnen in the southeast of the canton.
The Uetliberg is part of the Albis Range. This mountain is popular with the population of the city of Zurich for recreation. There is a railway up to the Uetliberg.
Read more about this topic: Canton Of Zurich
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