Ohrid Lake [2] ( Maced. Ohrid Jezero , Alb. Liqeni i Ohrit , the ancient name Lichnitida , Greek. Λυχνιτίδα ) - a lake located on the border of Northern Macedonia and Albania . The deepest and oldest lake in the Balkans . Preserved a unique aquatic ecosystem , represented by more than 200 endemic species of world significance. In 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List .
| Ohrid Lake | |
|---|---|
| Maced. Ohridsko Jezero , Alb. Liqeni i Ohrit | |
 | |
| Morphometry | |
| Absolute height | 694 [1] m |
| Dimensions | 30.4 × 14.8 km |
| Square | 358 km² |
| Volume | 55.4 km³ |
| Coastline | 87.53 km |
| Deepest | 288 m |
| Average depth | 155 m |
| Pool | |
| Pool area | 2600 km² |
| Flowing river | Black drin |
| Location | |
| Country |
|
| Regions | Korcha , Southwest Region |
| Areas | Pogradec , Struga , Debarca , Ohrid |
 World Heritage Site | |
| Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region (Ohrid city and lake - cultural and historical sights and the natural environment) | |
| Link | No. 99 on the World Heritage List |
| Criteria | i, iii, iv, vii |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Turning on | 1979 ( 3rd session ) |
The maximum depth of the lake is 288 m, the average depth is 155 m.
Content
Origin
Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa belong to the group of basins that were formed as a result of the geotectonic deflection that occurred during the Pliocene , about five million years ago on the western side of the Dinar Alps. All over the world there are only a few lakes, the origin of which is similar, the most famous of them are Baikal and Tanganyika . For most other lakes, the life cycle does not exceed 100,000 years, after which they are finally filled with sedimentary rocks . It is assumed that in the case of Lake Ohrid this process was prolonged due to the great depth and low amount of precipitation from the flowing streams. In addition, the Ohrid-Korcha graben from the south of the lake is still tectonically active and can compensate for sedimentation by immersion.
Hydrology
The catchment area of the lake is about 2600 km², the lake is fed primarily from underground sources on the east coast (about 50% of the total watercourse ), in addition, about 25% comes from rivers and precipitation. More than 20% of the water flows into Lake Ohrid from the neighboring Prespa Lake, located 10 km to the southeast, in which the water edge is 150 m higher than in Lake Ohrid. Water from Lake Prespa penetrates through the underground paths in karst . Water leaves Lake Ohrid through evaporation (~ 40%) and through the only outgoing river, Black Drin , which flows northward into Albania and merges with White Drin , forming the Drin River . Due to the direction of the winds and the rotation of the Earth, water on the surface of Lake Ohrid flows mainly counterclockwise along the coast. From the point of view of vertical water exchange, convective mixing prevails in the cold winter period. But even in winter only the upper 150-200 meters of water mix, below this level the layers remain stable in their mineralization. The average water temperature in summer is around +21 ° C.
Fauna
One of the most remarkable qualities of Lake Ohrid is its endemism . As in Baikal and Tanganyika, endemic species of Lake Ohrid occupy the entire food chain , from phytoplankton, plants (2 species; e.g., Chara ohridana), zoo plankton (5 species; e.g., Cyclops ochridanus), cyprinids (8 species; e.g. ., Pachychilon pictus), to predatory fish (2 species of trout : Salmo letnica and Acantholingua ohridana) and, finally, a diverse endemic benthic fauna (176 species; e.g. Ochridagammarus solidus). Especially endemicity is observed in crustaceans , mollusks , sponges and planaria . Eels live in the lake.
See also
- Duvalo
Notes
- ↑ Map sheet K-34-XXVII . Scale: 1: 200 000. Specify the date of issue / state of the area .
- ↑ Geographic Encyclopedic Dictionary: geographical names / Ed. A.F. Trёshnikova . - 2nd ed., Ext. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1989. - S. 360. - 210,000 copies. - ISBN 5-85270-057-6 .