Lake Chew Bahir
Encyclopedia
Lake Chew Bahir or Lake Istifanos, also called Stefanie, Basso Naebor and Chuwaha, is a lake
in Southern Ethiopia on the boundary between the Oromia
and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regions. When the lake is filled, it stretches into northern Kenya
. Lying at the center of the Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary
, the lake measures some 40 miles (64.4 km) by 15 miles (24.1 km).
This lake is the southernmost and lowest (1,880 ft) of a series of lakes
which lie in the north-easterly continuation of the Great Rift Valley
; its watershed
is separated from the watershed of Lake Turkana
by the Humu Range and the hills south of it. The Kumbi Range rises on its eastern side. Chew Bahir is fed from the north by the Weito River
, and its tributary the Galana Sagan. The Galana Sagan receives the overflow of Lake Chamo
in some years, but no permanent connection exists.
Count Sámuel Teleki
was the first European to visit the lake in 1888, and named it for Princess Stéphanie of Belgium
, the wife of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria
. Following Teleki's visit, Lake Chew Bahir and the neighboring lakes were explored by Arthur Donaldson Smith
, Vittorio Bottego
, M. S. Welby, Oscar Neumann and others. J. J. Harrison in 1899 found the lake quite dried up, and two years later Count Wickenburg found water only in the northern part. In 1960 the lake covered about 2,000 km², but shrank to a swamp over the rest of the 20th century.
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 Southern Ethiopia on the boundary between the Oromia
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regions. When the lake is filled, it stretches into northern Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. Lying at the center of the Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary
Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary
Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area and wildlife sanctuary in Ethiopia....
, the lake measures some 40 miles (64.4 km) by 15 miles (24.1 km).
This lake is the southernmost and lowest (1,880 ft) of a series of lakes
Rift Valley lakes
The Rift Valley lakes are a group of lakes in the Great Rift Valley formed by the East African Rift which runs through the whole eastern side of the African continent from north to south...
which lie in the north-easterly continuation of 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...
; its watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is separated from the watershed of Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana , formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake...
by the Humu Range and the hills south of it. The Kumbi Range rises on its eastern side. Chew Bahir is fed from the north by the Weito River
Weito River
The Weito River is a river in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia...
, and its tributary the Galana Sagan. The Galana Sagan receives the overflow of Lake Chamo
Lake Chamo
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...
in some years, but no permanent connection exists.
Count Sámuel Teleki
Sámuel Teleki
Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék was a Hungarian explorer who led the first expedition to Northern Kenya. He was the first European to see, and name, Lake Rudolf .-Early life:...
was the first European to visit the lake in 1888, and named it for Princess Stéphanie of Belgium
Princess Stéphanie of Belgium
Stéphanie was a Belgium princess by birth, and then made Crown Princess of Austria through her marriage to the heir of the Habsburg dynasty, Archduke Rudolf...
, the wife of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria
Rudolf , archduke of Austria and crown prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, was the son and heir of Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and his wife and empress, Elisabeth...
. Following Teleki's visit, Lake Chew Bahir and the neighboring lakes were explored by Arthur Donaldson Smith
Arthur Donaldson Smith
Dr. Arthur Donaldson Smith was an American explorer of Africa. In the 1890s he made a geological expedition to Lake Rudolph , passing through what was then Somaliland, southern Ethiopia and Kenya.-External links:*...
, Vittorio Bottego
Vittorio Bottego
Vittorio Bottego was an Italian army officer and one of the first Western explorers of Jubaland in the Horn of Africa , where he led two expeditions. Bottego was born in Parma....
, M. S. Welby, Oscar Neumann and others. J. J. Harrison in 1899 found the lake quite dried up, and two years later Count Wickenburg found water only in the northern part. In 1960 the lake covered about 2,000 km², but shrank to a swamp over the rest of the 20th century.