Lake Engure

Lake Engure is a lake in the western part of Latvia, in the Talsi District. It is the third largest lake in the country after Lake Lubāns and Lake Rāzna.

Lake Engure
Eastern coast of Lake Engure
Lake Engure
LocationTalsi district
Coordinates57°16′N 23°06′E
Primary outflowsMersraga channel
Catchment area644 km2 (249 sq mi)
Basin countriesLatvia
Max. length17.9 km (11.1 mi)
Max. width4.4 km (2.7 mi)
Surface area40.46 km2 (15.62 sq mi)
Average depth0.4 m (1 ft 4 in)
Max. depth2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Water volume0.0168 km3 (13,600 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation3.2 m (10 ft)
Islands9 (largest: Liela sala, Apalrova, Kazrova)
SettlementsMērsrags
Designated25 July 1995
Reference no.738[1]

Lake Engure is an ancient sea lagoon, divided from the sea by a 1.5 - 2.5 km wide sand bar with dunes. Its outflow is the artificial Mersraga channel, dug in 1842. It is eutrophic, mostly overgrown with reeds, and contains 16 species of fish.

The whole lake and its vicinity have been included in the Lake Engure Nature Park[2] since 1999, although the first natural reserve was established here in 1957. It contains a floating base for ornithologists. The lake was included in Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance in 1995.

References

  1. "Lake Engure". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ""Engures ezers" Nature Park". Retrieved 27 March 2016.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.