Dek Island

Dek Island

The source of the Blue Nile, the Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia. About 84 kilometers long and 66 kilometers wide, with a maximum depth of 15 meters and an altitude of 1,788 meters, it is located in the Amhara region on the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands. The surface area of Lake Tana, which varies between 3,000 and 3,500 square kilometers depending on the season and rainfall, is fed by the Gilgel Abay, Reb and Gumara rivers. Since the construction of the regulating dam where the lake flows into the Blue Nile, the water level of the lake has been regulated. This dam regulates the flow of water to the Blue Nile Falls and to the hydroelectric power plant. In recognition of its national and international natural and cultural importance, the Lake Tana region was nominated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2015. The lake has a very distinctive aquatic fauna, generally related to species of the Nile Basin, because there are no tributaries connecting the lake to other major watercourses and the main outlet, the Blue Nile, is blocked by the Blue Nile Falls. Lake Tana has 27 fish species, 20 of which are endemic. Approximately 230 species of birds, among them more than 80 wetland birds like the Great White Pelican, the African Darter, the hamerkop, the stork, the African Spoonbill, the ibis, the duck, the kingfisher and the African Fish Eagle are recorded from Lake Tana. It is a major resting and feeding ground for a large number of Palearctic migratory waterbirds. There are no crocodiles in the area of the lake, however the African Softshell Turtle, the Nile Monitor and hippopotamuses have been reported near the outflow of the Blue Nile from the lake.