Lake partly in Italy, between lakes Maggiore and Como, and partly in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland; area 49 sq km/19 sq mi. Noted for its beautiful scenery, it lies at an altitude of 271 m/890 ft and its greatest depth is 288 m/945 ft.
The ‘Sun of May’ was added in 1818. The blue bands are a shade known as ‘celeste’, said to be the colour of the sky which inspired Argentine revolutionary Manuel Belgrano before battle. Effective date: 16 August 1985.