Lake Zway
Encyclopedia
Lake Zway or Lake Ziway is one of the freshwater Rift Valley lakes
of Ethiopia
. It is located about 60 miles south of Addis Ababa
, on the border between the Regions
(or kililoch) of Oromia and of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples; the woreda
s holding the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
, Dugda Bora
, and Ziway Dugda
. The town of Ziway
lies on the lake's western shore. The lake is fed primarily by two rivers, the Meki
from the west and the Katar
from the east, and is drained by the Bulbar which empties into Lake Abijatta
. The lake's catchment has an area of 7025 square kilometers.
Lake Zway is 31 kilometers long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 440 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 9 meters and is at an elevation of 1,636 meters. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, Lake Zway is 25 kilometers long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 434 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 4 meters and is at an elevation of 1,846 meters. It has five islands which include Debre Sina, Galila, Bird Island and, perhaps most notably, Tullu Gudo, home to a monastery
said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant
around the ninth century. The early 20th-century explorer, Herbert Weld Blundell
, describes finding that "two distinct terraces of former shores rise some 80 feet above the present level, forming a ring round that nearest to the lake on the north, about 4 miles from the shore, marking a former basin." The northern shores were covered by papyrus
. Weld Blundell includes in his account "a curious tradition, perhaps suggested by the apparent elevated shore," that the lake "was a kingdom 50 miles across, inhabited by seventy-eight chiefs" which disappeared in a single night.
The lake is known for its population of bird
s and hippopotamus
es. Lake Zway supports a fishing
industry; according to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2,454 tonne
s of fish are landed each year, which the department estimates is 83% of its sustainable amount.
The shores and islands of Lake Zway are the home of the Gurage
people. Tradition states that when the Muslim
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi
conquered Ethiopia, the Christians of the area took refuge on its islands. They were later isolated from the rest of Ethiopia by the Oromo
people, who settled around the lake. At the time Menelik II conquered the lands around the lake, the lake-dwellers were rediscovered and found to have preserved both their Christian faith and a number of ancient manuscripts.
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...
of 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 about 60 miles south of Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, on the border between the Regions
Regions of Ethiopia
||Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions and two chartered cities...
(or kililoch) of Oromia and of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples; the woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s holding the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha
Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha is bordered on the south by Arsi Negele with which it shares the shores of Lakes Abijatta and Langano, on the...
, Dugda Bora
Dugda Bora
Dugda Bora is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Dugda Bora is bordered on the southeast by Lake Zway, on the south by Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples...
, and Ziway Dugda
Ziway Dugda
Ziway Dugda is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Ziway Dugda is bordered on the south by Munesa, on the west and north by the Misraq Shewa Zone, on the east by Hitosa, and on the southeast by Tiyo; also on its western...
. The town of Ziway
Ziway
Ziway or Zway is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located on the road connecting Addis Ababa to Nairobi in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, Ziway has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1643 meters above sea level....
lies on the lake's western shore. The lake is fed primarily by two rivers, the Meki
Meki River
The Meki is a river in central Ethiopia. It empties into Lake Zway at the latitude and longitude .O.G.S. Crawford identifies the Meki with a river on a map which was drawn in 1662 to illustrate Manuel de Almeida's history of Ethiopia...
from the west and the Katar
Katar River
Katar River is a river of central Ethiopia. The river arises from the glaciated slopes of Mount Kaka and Mount Badda in the Arsi Zone; its tributaries include the Gonde. The gradient of the river is generally steep, and areas suitable for irrigation are few in number and very limited in extent....
from the east, and is drained by the Bulbar which empties into Lake Abijatta
Lake Abijatta
Lake Abijata lies in Ethiopia south of Addis Ababa, in the Abijatta-Shalla National Park. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the lake is 17 kilometers long and 15 km wide, with a surface area of 205 square kilometers...
. The lake's catchment has an area of 7025 square kilometers.
Lake Zway is 31 kilometers long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 440 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 9 meters and is at an elevation of 1,636 meters. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, Lake Zway is 25 kilometers long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 434 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 4 meters and is at an elevation of 1,846 meters. It has five islands which include Debre Sina, Galila, Bird Island and, perhaps most notably, Tullu Gudo, home to a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
around the ninth century. The early 20th-century explorer, Herbert Weld Blundell
Herbert Weld Blundell
Herbert Joseph Weld Blundell was an English traveller in Africa, archaeologist, philanthropist and yachtsman. He shortened his surname from Weld Blundell to Weld, in 1924.-Life to 1922 :...
, describes finding that "two distinct terraces of former shores rise some 80 feet above the present level, forming a ring round that nearest to the lake on the north, about 4 miles from the shore, marking a former basin." The northern shores were covered by papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
. Weld Blundell includes in his account "a curious tradition, perhaps suggested by the apparent elevated shore," that the lake "was a kingdom 50 miles across, inhabited by seventy-eight chiefs" which disappeared in a single night.
The lake is known for its population of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and 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...
es. Lake Zway supports a fishing
Fishing in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has many lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. However, fishing contributed less than 1 percent of the Gross domestic product in 1987. Further, a study reported that only 15,389 tonnes were actually caught in 2001, 30% of an estimated potential of 51,481 tonnes....
industry; according to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2,454 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of fish are landed each year, which the department estimates is 83% of its sustainable amount.
The shores and islands of Lake Zway are the home of the Gurage
Gurage
Gurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
people. Tradition states that when the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi "the Conqueror" was an Imam and General of Adal who invaded Ethiopia and defeated several Ethiopian emperors, wreaking much damage on that kingdom...
conquered Ethiopia, the Christians of the area took refuge on its islands. They were later isolated from the rest of Ethiopia by the Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
people, who settled around the lake. At the time Menelik II conquered the lands around the lake, the lake-dwellers were rediscovered and found to have preserved both their Christian faith and a number of ancient manuscripts.