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 | |
| Location | Talsi district |
| Coordinates | 57°16′N 23°06′E |
| Native name | Engures ezers (Latvian) |
| Primary outflows | Mersraga channel |
| Catchment area | 644 km2 (249 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Latvia |
| Max. length | 17.9 km (11.1 mi) |
| Max. width | 4.4 km (2.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 40.46 km2 (15.62 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) |
| Max. depth | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Water volume | 0.0168 km3 (13,600 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Islands | 9 (largest: Liela sala, Apalrova, Kazrova) |
| Settlements | Mērsrags |
| Designated | 25 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.[3] The lake was included in Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance in 1995.
References
- "Lake Engure". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ""Engures ezers" Nature Park". Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Engure lake. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/09/2021.
External links
- (in Latvian) Nature Conservation Plan for Nature Park "Lake Engure"
- (in Latvian) www.ezeri.lv database
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