geo.wikisort.org - Reservoir

Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba Dam at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River.

Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba
Coordinates	16°55′S 28°00′E
Lake type	Hydroelectric reservoir
Catchment area	663,000 km2 (256,000 sq mi)
Basin countries	Zambia, Zimbabwe
Max. length	223 km (139 mi)
Max. width	40 km (25 mi)
Surface area	5,580 km2 (2,150 sq mi)
Average depth	29 m (95 ft)
Max. depth	97 m (318 ft)
Water volume	180 cubic kilometres (43 cu mi)
Surface elevation	479 metres (1,572 ft)
Islands	Chete Island Sekula Chikanka.

The Zimbabwean town of Kariba was built for construction workers on the lake's dam, while some other settlements such as Binga village and Mlibizi in Zimbabwe and Siavonga and Sinazongwe in Zambia have grown up to house people displaced by the rising waters.

Physical characteristics

Lake Kariba is over 223 kilometres (139 miles) long and up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) in width. It covers an area of 5,580 square kilometres (2,150 square miles) and its storage capacity is 185 cubic kilometres (44 cubic miles). The mean depth of the lake is 29 metres (95 feet); the maximum depth is 97 metres (318 feet). It is the world's largest man-made reservoir by volume, four times as large as the Three Gorges Dam.[1] The enormous mass of water (approximately 180,000,000,000,000 kilograms, or 180 petagrams [180 billion tons]) is believed to have caused induced seismicity in the seismically active region, including over 20 earthquakes of greater than 5 magnitude on the Richter scale.[2]

The lake has several islands, including Maaze Island, Mashape Island, Chete Island, Sekula, Sampa Karuma, Fothergill, Spurwing, Snake Island, Antelope Island, Bed Island, and Chikanka.

Ecology

During the filling-up phase of the lake, the water was high in nutrients coming from decomposing, inundated vegetation, creating a thick layer of fertile soil on land that became the lake bed. As a result, the ecology of Lake Kariba is vibrant. A number of fish species have been introduced to the lake, notably the sardine-like kapenta (transported from Lake Tanganyika), which now supports a thriving commercial fishery. Other inhabitants of Lake Kariba include Nile crocodiles and hippopotami.

Gamefish, particularly tigerfish, which was among the indigenous species of the Zambezi river system, now thrive on the kapenta, which in turn encourages tourism. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe are now attempting to develop the tourism industry along their respective coasts of Lake Kariba.

Fish eagles, cormorants and other water birds patrol the shorelines, as do large numbers of elephants and other big game species including lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo and a myriad of smaller plains game species. The southern Matusadona National Park was once a haven for black and white rhinoceros, but recent poaching activity has dramatically reduced their numbers.

Protected areas

The portion of Lake Kariba which falls within Zimbabwe has been designated a Recreational Park within the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Estate.

See also

• Nyaminyami
• Kariba Town
• Kariba Ferries
• Lake Volta, the largest reservoir by surface area in the world

References

External links

• "Lake Kariba". Zambiatourism.com. Retrieved August 11, 2005.
• "Dam Statistics: Africa and the Middle East Regions". World Commission on Dams. Retrieved August 11, 2005.
• "Lake Profile: Kariba". LakeNet. Retrieved August 11, 2005.
• World Lakes Database entry for Lake Kariba
• Media related to Lake Kariba at Wikimedia Commons

На других языках

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- [en] Lake Kariba

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[es] Lago Kariba

El lago Kariba es el lago artificial y embalse más grande del mundo, en volumen. Se encuentra en la garganta de Kariba, en el río Zambeze, a unos 1300 km aguas arriba de la desembocadura en el océano Índico, a lo largo de la frontera entre Zambia y Zimbabue. Nació con la construcción de la presa de Kariba, dirigida por la empresa italiana Torno Internazionale SpA entre el 1955 y 1959. El cierre de la presa tuvo lugar el 2 de diciembre de 1958, la fecha oficial de llenado fue el 22 de enero de 1959. La inauguración fue hecha por la Reina Madre Elizabeth el 17 de mayo de 1960.[cita requerida] El lago tiene 280 km de largo y hasta 40 km de ancho y cubre un área de 5400 km². Su profundidad media es de 31 m y la máxima de 78 m.[1] El lago tiene 190 islas en Zimbabue y 103 en Zambia, todas las islas abarcan una superficie de 147 km² y 604 km de costa.

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[fr] Lac Kariba

Le lac Kariba est un grand lac artificiel, partagé par la Zambie et le Zimbabwe. Il est né avec la construction du barrage de Kariba, conçu par l'ingénieur français André Coyne et réalisé par l'entreprise italienne Torno Internazionale SpA, entre 1955 et 1959. La fermeture des vannes du barrage a eu lieu le 2 décembre 1958, la date officielle du remplissage étant le 22 janvier 1959. L'inauguration a été faite par la reine-mère Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon le 17 mai 1960. Le lac fait 220 km de long et jusqu'à 40 km de large et couvre une surface de 5 400 km2. Sa profondeur est en moyenne de 31 m pour un maxima de 78 m[1]. Le lac comprend 190 îles au Zimbabwe et 103 en Zambie, l'ensemble des îles couvrant une superficie de 147 km2 et 604 km de littoral.

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[it] Lago Kariba

Il lago Kariba è un grande lago artificiale al confine tra lo Zambia e lo Zimbabwe, formatosi tra il 1958 e il 1963 dopo la costruzione della diga di Kariba sul fiume Zambesi. Il lago si trova a circa metà del corso dello Zambesi, a 1.300 chilometri dalla foce del fiume sull'Oceano Indiano. La diga che lo ha formato si trova sulla costa nord-orientale del lago.

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[ru] Кариба

Кари́ба[3] — водохранилище, образованное в 1959 году после строительства плотины ГЭС Кариба на реке Замбези. Это одно из крупнейших искусственных озёр в мире с площадью зеркала 5400 км². ГЭС Кариба обеспечивает электроэнергией большую часть Замбии и Зимбабве.

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