NORTH ETHIOPIA

Lake Tana

Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia and is the source of the Blue Nile, which flows to Khartoum, Sudan and beyond. There are 37 islands in the lake, upon which some 20 monasteries from the 14th and 17th century exist.

Although it is relatively small in comparison with the three “great lakes” of East Africa Lake Tana is very important to Ethiopia as a permanent source of both water and hydroelectricity. The lake is situated in the northern highlands at an altitude of approximately 1800 meters. Four perennial rivers and numerous seasonal streams feed the lake. Rainfall averages 1315 mm/year, but evaporation is higher, about 1800 mm/year. With a mean depth of 8 only meters, the alternating dry and rainy seasons result in an average difference of 1.5 to 2 meters between the lowest (May-June) and highest (October-November) lake levels.

Lake Tana was formed by a volcanic blockage that reversed the previously north-flowing Blue Nile and created one of Africa’s greatest waterfalls, known as Tis Abay or Tis Isat. The falls isolated the lake, in which 18 species of barbus fish evolved, the only extended cyprinid species flock in Africa and the only intact flock in the world. The only other known flock, in Lake Lanao, in the Philippines, has been decimated by introduced species.Lake Tana is also one of 250 lakes identified by LakeNet as having globally significant biodiversity.

The Lake Tana Basin significantly contributes to the livelihoods of tens of millions of people in the lower Nile River basin. The fish resource potential of the Lake Tana itself is over 10,000 metric tons per year. The lake is also a natural reservoir for the eighty-megawatt runoff power station at Tis Abay.

The largest city on the lake shore, Bahir Dar, has a population of over 200,000, and at least 15,000 people are said to live on the islands in the lake. Bahir Dar is the capital of the Amhara Province and is home to Bahir Dar University (BDU), which was established in the 1990s by the Ministry of Education, by amalgamating agricultural and teacher training institutions.