The municipalities surrounding Lake Biwa are roughly classified as Konan (south of the lake), Koto (east of the lake), Kohoku (north of the lake) and Kosai (west of the lake)(and sometimes Koka too, as seen separately from Konan).
琵琶湖を取り巻く各自治体は、大きく湖南・湖東・湖北・湖西に分けられる（湖南から甲賀を分けることもある）。