Lake Nasser
View from Abu Simbel
Map showing the location of the lake
Coordinates	22°25′N 31°45′E / 22.417, 31.75Coordinates: 22°25′N 31°45′E / 22.417, 31.75
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Nile
Primary outflows	Nile
Basin countries	Egypt, Sudan
Max. length	550 km
Max. width	35 km
Surface area	5,250 km²
Average depth	25.2 m
Max. depth	180 m
Water volume	132 km³[1]
Shore length1	7,844 km
Surface elevation	183 m
References	[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Nasser from the International Space Station, 2005

Lake Nasser (Arabic: بحيرة ناصر‎; transliterated: Buhayrat Nasir) is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory (83% of the total), with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water Lake Nubia (Arabic: بحيرة نوبية‎; transliterated: Buhayrat Nubiya).

It was created as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam across the waters of the Nile between 1958 and 1970. The lake is named after President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who initiated the controversial High Dam project.

[edit] Description

The lake is some 550 km long and 35 km across at its widest point, which is near the Tropic of Cancer. It covers a total surface area of 5,250 km² and has a storage capacity of some 157 km³ of water.

[edit] History

When Lake Nasser was being created as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam, across the Nile, between 1958 and 1970, the anticipated rising waters behind the dam required major relocation projects that were carried out during the 1960s. There were 18 ancient temples in the area.

Several important Nubian and Ancient Egyptian archaeological sites were dismantled block by block and moved to higher ground, most notably Abu Simbel. The prior Sudanese river-port and railway terminal of Wadi Halfa was lost beneath the waters, and a new town was built nearby; and Egypt's entire Nubian community from the upper reaches of the Nile – numbering several hundred thousand people – saw their villages disappear and were forced to relocate.

Sunset over Lake Nasser

The Egyptian name is in honor of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was the mastermind behind the controversial High Dam project.

Rising lake levels through the 1990s resulted in what the Egyptians term the spilling over of waters, others claim deliberate leakage, westwards into the Sahara Desert, forming the Toshka Lakes beginning in 1998.

Ferries take passengers and road vehicles between Aswan in Egypt and Wadi Halfa, from where the railway goes to Khartoum, capital of Sudan. Since it is prohibited to cross the Sudan-Egypt border on land, and no paved roads connect the two countries, the ferries are the only alternative to air travel; currently, they constitute a link in the Cairo-Cape Town Highway.

[edit] Sportfishing in the lake

Sportfishing among tourists, especially for Nile Perch, has become increasingly popular, both on the shore and from boats.

[edit] See also

• Aswan Dam

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Data Summary: Lake Nasser

• http://lexicorient.com/e.o/lake_nasser.htm
• Lake Nasser Fishing
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17083
• http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054923/Lake-Nasser
• http://www.alovelyworld.com/webegypt/htmgb/nasser.htm
• http://www.alovelyworld.com/webegypt/htmgb/egy74.htm
• http://www.horus.demon.co.uk/Nile/Nasser.html