Venice is Way Under Water…

ORIGINAL: Open Culture / Al Jazzera / The Atlantic

November 12th, 2012

Venice is made up of 124 islands, 183 canals and 438 bridges, with water constantly flowing in and around it. As the video below explains, the city has historically developed an elaborate way of defending itself against the seas. But occasionally mother nature wins out, and floods take their toll on the city. This year it’s particularly bad. Heavy rains and strong winds have left Venice 70% submerged, with water levels reaching 60 inches. It marks the sixth worst flood recorded in the past 150 years. You can find footage above, and a pretty remarkable photo gallery over at The Atlantic.

NOV 12, 2012 |

Heavy rains and high tides have brought some of the worst flooding to Venice, Italy in years. The "acqua alta", or high water, is common this time of year and Sunday's level of 149 centimeters (4 ft, 10 in) was below the 160 centimeters (5 ft, 2 in) recorded four years ago in the worst flooding in decades. The bad weather and torrential rainfall will continue through Tuesday, forecasters said. Collected here are images from Venice as it endures this recent acqua alta. [ 29 photos]

A man and woman swim in flooded Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) in Venice, Italy, on November 11, 2012. High tides have flooded Venice, leading Venetians and tourists to don high boots and use wooden walkways to cross Piazza San Marco and other areas under water.(AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People walk on bridges set up in front of Palace of Doges during acqua alta on November 1, 2012 in Venice.(Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A worker pushes a wheelbarrow during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Tourists walk on raised platforms above flood waters in Piazza San Marco during high water in Venice, on October 27, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man sits in his shop as tourists walk in a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

A view of Piazza San Marco taken during flooding on October 31, 2012 in Venice. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty mages)

A waiter serves coffees to tourists sat in his bar flooded during an "acqua alta", on October 27, 2012 in Venice.(Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman walks in high water ner the Rialto Bridge in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People sit at a table in a flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

A person carries luggage through a flooded street during a period of high water in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man carries a girl as they leave the flooded Piazza San Marco, on November 1, 2012 in Venice. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

People stand in the flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

Shoes and wellies float in a flooded shop in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

People have coffee in a flooded shop during an "acqua alta" in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman stands on a bench above a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man rows a kayak in front of Piazza San Marco during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

People walk on raised pathways set up near the flooded Piazza San Marco during "acqua alta" in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

People walk in flooded Venice streets on November 1, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A tourist crosses flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

Tourists walk on raised platforms near Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Gondolas float above a flooded Piazza San Marco at night in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Piazza San Marco in Venice, flooded at night, on November 1, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man walks through the flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 31, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks through a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Tourists sit in floodwater covering Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

People wade through high water near the Ponte delle Guglie in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People walk in a flooded street during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Employees push a trolley across a flooded Piazza San Marco as they deliver boxes of food during an "acqua alta" in Venice, on October 15, 2012. (Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images)