Biva [6] ( Japanese 琵琶湖 Biva-ko ) [1] [7] , formerly called Omi [8] , also in the Russian-language sources Mizumi [9] , from mizumi ( Japanese 湖 , “lake”) - the largest [10 ] Lake of Japan , located in Shiga Prefecture (central part of Honshu Island), northeast of the former capital of Kyoto . Freshwater, has a tectonic origin [4] [1] [2] . Often mentioned in Japanese literature, as it is close to the ancient capital. There were poems about this lake, and numerous battles were associated with it. According to legend [11] , the name of the lake comes from the musical instrument of biwa [12] due to the similarity of outlines with the shape of this instrument.
| Lake | |
| Biwa | |
|---|---|
| jap. 琵琶湖 | |
 Port of Nagahama on Lake Biwa | |
| Morphometry | |
| Absolute height | 85 [1] [2] m |
| Dimensions | 63.5 [4] × 20 [3] km |
| Square | 670.3 [1] km² |
| Volume | 27.5 [4] km³ |
| Coastline | 241 [1] km |
| Deepest | 103.8 [1] m |
| Average depth | 41 [4] m |
| Hydrology | |
| Type of mineralization | fresh [1] |
| Pool | |
| Pool area | 3174 [4] km² |
| Flowing river | Seta |
| Water system | Yodo → Inland Sea |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Region | Kansai |
| Area | Shiga |
General Description
The lake basin covers 3174 km², the lake is 63.5 km long, the minimum width is 1.35 km, the area is 674 km², the maximum depth is 104 m, the volume is 27.5 km³, the coast is 235 km, the height above sea level is 85.6 m [ 4] .
More than 400 small rivers flow into the lake; the Yodo or Seta River flows from the lake.
There are 4 islands by the lake. Tikubushima ( Jap. 竹 生 О ) , Oxisima ( Jap. 沖 島 ) , Takeshima ( Jap. 多 景 島 ) , Okinoshiroishi ( Jap. 沖 の 白石 ) .
On the lake are the large cities of Hikone and Otsu ( Jap. 大 津市 ) .
Mountains rise above the lake. The lake is a reservoir of fresh water for the city of Kyoto and surrounding cities. A significant amount of fish lives in the lake.
In autumn and spring, during rains and typhoons, the water level can rise by three meters.
Biwa Lake was formed over 4 million years ago and is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Only the lakes Baikal and Tanganyika are inferior in age.
Naturalists recorded about 1,100 species of fauna near the lake, including 58 on the coast. The lake is visited by about 5 thousand waterfowl per year.
In Culture
- It is the scene of the mythological tale of Tavar Tod .
- It is the venue for the Bird Man contest .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 日本 の 主 な 湖沼 (Japanese) . - Information about the largest lakes in Japan on the website of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan : mlit.go.jp (English) (Japanese) . Archived on September 20, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Japan: Geographic map: Scale 1: 2,000,000 . - M .: Roskartografiya, 2005. - (Countries of the world "Asia").
- ↑ Biwa // Japan from A to Z. A popular illustrated encyclopedia. (CD-ROM). - M .: Directmedia Publishing , "Japan Today", 2008. - ISBN 978-5-94865-190-3 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lake Biwa - Information about the reservoir on the website of the World Lake Database International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC WLDB): wldb.ilec.or.jp (English) . Date of treatment December 5, 2017.
- ↑ (unspecified title) - GeoNames .
- ↑ Biwa // Geographic Encyclopedic Dictionary: Geographic Names / Ed. A.F. Treshnikov . - 2nd ed., Ext. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1989. - S. 70. - 210 000 copies. - ISBN 5-85270-057-6 .
- ↑ Map sheet I-53 . Scale: 1: 1,000,000 .
- ↑ The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari): in 4 books (Volume 1) / Translation from Japanese. Sokolova-Delyusina T. L. - Moscow: Nauka, 1991 .-- P. 21.
- ↑ "General Map of the Japanese State" , 1809
- ↑ Biwa (lake) // Big Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 3. - M. , 2005 .-- S. 466.
- ↑ Biwa (musical instrument) // Big Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 3. - M. , 2005 .-- S. 466.
- ↑ Biwa // Musical instruments. Encyclopedia. - M .: Deka-VS, 2008 .-- S. 78 .-- 786 p.