Abaya

Lake Abaya
Coordinates	6°20′N 37°50′ECoordinates: 6°20′N 37°50′E
Primary sources	Bilate River
Basin countries	Ethiopia
Max length	60 km
Max width	20 km
Surface area	1160 km²
Max depth	13 m
Surface elevation	1268 m
Settlements	Arba Minch

Lake Abaya as seen from a Dorze village. On the far right Arba Minch and Lake Chamo can be seen. Between the two lakes is the Nechisar National Park.

For the Muslim garment, see Abaya.

Lake Abaya (Abaya Hayk in Amharic) is a lake in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. It was named Lake Margherita by the Italian explorer Vittorio Bottego, the first European to visit the lake, to honor the wife of king Umberto I of Italy, Queen Margherita. This name appears in older publications, and currently is rarely used.

Lake Abaya is located in the Great Rift Valley, east of the Guge Mountains. It is fed on its northern shore by the Bilate River, which rises on the southern slopes of Mount Gurage. The town of Arba Minch lies on its southwestern shore, and the southern shores are part of the Nechisar National Park. Just to the south is Lake Chamo. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, Lake Abaya is 60 kilometers long and 20 wide, with a surface area of 1160 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 13 meters and is at an elevation of 1268 meters.

The lake is red due to a high load of suspended sediments^[1]. Savanna, known for its wildlife and birdlife surrounds the lake, which is also fished by local people. According to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 412 tonnes of fish are landed each year, which the department estimates is 69% of its sustainable amount.^[2]

See also

• Rift Valley lakes

Notes

1. ^ A. T. Grove; F. A. Street; A. S. Goudie, 1975: "Former Lake Levels and Climatic Change in the Rift Valley of Southern Ethiopia," Geographical Journal 141, 177-194
2. ^ "Information on Fisheries Management in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia" (report dated January, 2003)

External link

• ILEC database entry for Lake Abaya

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