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Sediment-filled Lake Tana, the largest
lake in Ethiopia, is visible in this near-vertical
photograph. Located near the center of the high Ethiopian
Plateau, Lake Tana covers 1400 square miles (3625 square
kilometers). The lake is 47 miles (76 kilometers) long,
44 miles (71 kilometers) wide, and sits at an elevation
of 6000 feet (1830 meters) above sea level. One of the
many small streams feeding the lake is believed to be the
source of the Blue Nile River. Lake Tana drains into the
Blue Nile, which shortly thereafter plunges over the high
Tisisat Falls (not visible in the photograph) south of
the lake and turns southeast into a deep, rugged canyon.
Visible are portions of the Choke Mountains south of the
lake; the rugged Amhara Plateau west of the lake; and the
islands of Dega and Dek, sites of historic monasteries,
in the south-central portion of the lake. |
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E X P L O R A T I O N O F T H E E A R T H A N D M O O N |