Lake Tana

Highest lake of Africa, the largest of Ethiopia

The Lake Tana ( Amharic ጣና ሐይቅ t'ana häyq ), also called Tsanasee or Dembeasee, located in the highlands of Abyssinia in Ethiopia ( East Africa). It is Africa 's highest and largest lake in Ethiopia.

Geography

Location and size of the lake

He is surrounded by a hilly landscape in a tank-shaped large basin about 370 km north- west of Addis Ababa and about 70 km south of Gondar at an altitude of about 1,786 m above sea level. It is about 70 km long and up to 65 km wide and has an area of ​​more than 3,000 km ². Its depth averages 8 m, a maximum of only about 14 m. The lake level fluctuated originally according to the rainfall by about 1.6 m, the peak was reached in August with a rainfall of 500 mm ( month). This larger areas foreshore were flooded, which contributed to the fertility of the fields.

At the southern tip of the lake is Bahir Dar, the capital of the province of Amhara and the third largest city of Ethiopia. In the lake there are numerous islands, the number of which varies depending on the water level. Recent counts are based on about 30 islands.

Catchment inflows

The Lake Tana has a catchment area of ​​15,054 km ². according to other sources of 15,340 km ². The annual rainfall is between 1450 mm and 1050 mm in Bahir Dar Gondar. The rainy season in the south of the catchment area from April / May to October / November in the northern areas it is slightly shorter.

The lake has more than 30 tributaries, the largest being the Gilgel Abay ( Small Abbai ), the Gumara and the Rib. Also worth mentioning is the Small Angereb where the Angereb reservoir was built to supply drinking water to the city of Gonder.

Outflows

The natural outlet of the lake is the Abbai (English Abay or Abbay ), such as the Blue Nile is called in Ethiopia, in Bahir Dar. The drain is since 1996 by the 3 m high Chara - Chara weir regulates the water level of the lake between 1784 m and (including an overflow of 0.5 m) maximum of 1787.5 m above sea level can be regulated.

The Chara Chara weir was built to compensate the strong fluctuations of the water level due to the rainy season and ensure sufficient water for about 30 km downstream standing Tis Abay - power plants in the dry season.

Since the commissioning of the Tana Beles - power plant in 2010, the Lake Tana another drain by this power plant in the Beles, which flows into the Blue Nile just before the Sudanese border.

Use

The catchment area of Lake Tana consists of little (yet) a wooded mountain land that is managed by the increasing population up to higher altitudes for personal use on mostly less than half a hectare per family. In the field about 3 million people who mostly live in extremely modest circumstances of agriculture and fishing live.

After the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2002, a total of 1,454 tons of fish were landed in Bahir Dar; while if it were only about 15 % of the amount sustainably available. Others point out how easy the fish population may be at risk.

Tourism to the monasteries and the waterfalls is playing an increasing economic role.

On the lake operate 12 ships of state Lake Tana Transport Enterprise, the people and cargo transport (as of 2008 ). Four of the ships date from the time of Italian East Africa, which were sunk in 1941 by the retreating Italians and then lifted by Ethiopian initiative and repaired again. For 40 years they were the only boat company.

In addition, made ​​of papyrus boats of different sizes, ranging from one-man canoe to barge the traditional tankwas be used.

Special

The Lake Tana is an important factor regulating the dry season, it controls in the dry season, 25 % of the water of the Abbay to the Sudanese border at. However, due to its shallow depth, it is vulnerable to events that would not have otherwise similar effects. During the 2003 drought, the water level of the lake fell by 2 m, partially also due to the needs of the Tis Abay - power plants. Its surface was reduced by 35 km ², the shipping had to be suspended for three months. During the flood in 2006, when over 15,000 ha were flooded, 10,000 people have been displaced and 2,500 pets swept away. The increasing erosion accelerates the sedimentation of the lake.

After the Tana Beles power plant has created additional demand for water run-off, the future of Lake Tana and its inhabitants should significantly depend on the proper control of the Chara - Chara weir.

Monasteries

In 20 of the 30 islands of Lake Tana are monasteries that were founded partly in the 14th century. You are among others on the islands Birgida Maryam, Daga ( name of the monastery: Dega Estefanos ), Dek, Narga, Tana Cherkos, Mitsele Fasilidas, Kebran and Debre Maryam. Also on the peninsulas Gorgora, Mandaba and Zeghe churches and monasteries were built.

Gallery

View over the Lake Tana

Priest close to the Orthodox monasteries on the lake at Bahir Dar

The bed is manufactured from papyrus Tankwa

761341
de