Lake Trichonida

The Trichonida Sea ( Greek: λίμνη Τριχωνίδα spoken Trichonida; ancient Greek λίμην Τριχωνίς spoken Limin Trichonis ) is the largest lake of natural origin in Greece. The lake is located in the eastern part of the prefecture of Aetolia - Acarnania (Greek Αιτωλοακαρνανία ) in the region of Western Greece south-southeast of the city of Agrinio, northwest of the city of Nafpaktos and north-northeast of the city of Missolonghi.

The lake has a maximum extension of 18.2 km in length and is located at an altitude of 15 m above sea level. The neighboring Lysimachia Lake is one meter deep (14 m). The maximum width is 7.5 km, the maximum depth of the lake 57-58 m ( depending on the source ), the average depth is 29 or 30.45 m ( depending on the source ), the water level in the year varies by about 1 m. Thus, the Trichonida Lake is one of the three natural lakes in Greece, which have a water depth of more than 50 m. The coastline of Trichonida lake was calculated at 52.1 km, the area occupied by the lake area is 98.2 km ² (according to other sources, 98.6 km ²). The calculated water volume of the lake Trichonida amounts to 2.868 to 2.990 cubic kilometers; also based on the volume of water, the lake is the largest natural lake in Greece. The Trichonida lake drains an area of 215 or 250 km ² ( depending on the source ).

The average water temperature in Trichonida lake is 15 ° C, maximum 30 ° C. In summer, the lake Trichonida developed a so-called thermal Stratefizierung; are formed layers of water with different water temperatures out what is only the few deeper lakes in Greece reserved. In winter, the lake never freezes up. He belongs to the warm monomiktischen lakes.

Originally, the sea covered large parts of today's level of Aetolia - Acarnania. He was thus, also to the west adjacent today Lysimachia Lake to a lake. By sedimentation processes of Trichonida lake shrank to its present size from 98.2 to 98.6 square kilometers.

In the north and northeast of the lake shore the massif of Panetoliko rises. The shores of the lake are either forested or surrounded by agricultural land. 200 bird species settle on Trichonida lake, 50 of which are considered rare -occurring.