Lake Chamo
Encyclopedia
Lake Chamo is a lake
in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of southern Ethiopia
. It is located in the Great Rift Valley
at an elevation of 1,110 meters. It is just to the south of Lake Abaya
and the city of Arba Minch
, and east of the Guge Mountains.
The lake's northern end lies in the Nechisar National Park
. According to figures published by the Central Statistical Agency
, Lake Chamo is 32 kilometers long and 13 wide, with a surface area of 317 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 14 meters with a catchment of about 18757 square kilometers in size. Other sources locate it on an elevation of 1,235 meters with a length of 26 km a widths of 22 km an area of 551 square kilometers a chatchment of 2220 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 10 meters. The lake is fringed with beds of Typha
, as well as wetlands. The lake is fed by the Kulfo River
and several small streams, as well as overflow from Lake Abaya
brought to it by the Ualo River. Oscar Neumann
, exploring the area in 1901, found a dry channel connecting Lake Chamo to the Sagan River
, which led him to conclude the lake contributes to the Sagan in years of heavy rainfall.
Wildlife include fish like the catfish Bagrus docmac and Nile perch
, as well as hippopotamus
and Nile crocodile
s.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of southern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is located in the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
at an elevation of 1,110 meters. It is just to the south of Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya 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 commonly thought to visit the lake, to honor the wife of king Umberto I of Italy, Queen Margherita...
and the city of Arba Minch
Arba Minch
Arba Minch is a city in southern Ethiopia; less common names for this city include Ganta Garo and Minghi. Located in the Gamo Gofa Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 500 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285 meters above sea level...
, and east of the Guge Mountains.
The lake's northern end lies in the Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region immediately to the east of Arba Minch, its 514 square kilometers of territory include the "Bridge of God" , and the Nechisar plains east of the lakes...
. According to figures published by the Central Statistical Agency
Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
, Lake Chamo is 32 kilometers long and 13 wide, with a surface area of 317 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 14 meters with a catchment of about 18757 square kilometers in size. Other sources locate it on an elevation of 1,235 meters with a length of 26 km a widths of 22 km an area of 551 square kilometers a chatchment of 2220 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 10 meters. The lake is fringed with beds of Typha
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
, as well as wetlands. The lake is fed by the Kulfo River
Kulfo River
The Kulfo River is a river in southern Ethiopia. It flows through the Nechisar National Park and drains into Lake Chamo. An important bridge over the river was restored in 2006...
and several small streams, as well as overflow from Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya
Lake Abaya 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 commonly thought to visit the lake, to honor the wife of king Umberto I of Italy, Queen Margherita...
brought to it by the Ualo River. Oscar Neumann
Oscar Rudolph Neumann
Oscar Rudolph Neumann was a German ornithologist.Neumann travelled to Africa on several occasions, in particular between 1892 and 1894, and described many new African species...
, exploring the area in 1901, found a dry channel connecting Lake Chamo to the Sagan River
Sagan River
The Sagan River is a seasonal river in southern Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains east of Lake Chamo to flow south then west to join the Weito River at , this river defines part of the boundary between the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and the Oromia Region.Tributaries of the...
, which led him to conclude the lake contributes to the Sagan in years of heavy rainfall.
Wildlife include fish like the catfish Bagrus docmac and Nile perch
Nile perch
The Nile perch is a species of freshwaterfish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout muchof the Afrotropic ecozone, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger, and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of...
, as well as hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
and Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
s.