Lake Tana
From space (April 1991). North is to the right.
Location	Ethiopia
Coordinates	12°0′N 37°15′ECoordinates: 12°0′N 37°15′E
Primary sources	Reb River, Gumara River
Primary outflows	Blue Nile
Max-length	84 km
Max-width	66 km
Surface area	2,156 km²
Max-depth	14 m
Surface elevation	1788 m
Islands	? (Tana Qirqos, Daga Island, Dek Island, Meshralia)
Settlements	Bahir Dar

Lake Tana (also spelled T'ana, Amharic: ጣና ሐይቅ Ṭānā Hāyḳ,"Lake Tana," originally "Tsana," Ge'ez ጻና Ṣānā; sometimes called "Dembiya" after the region to the north of the lake) is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia. It is approximately 84 kilometers long and 66 kilometers wide, and is located in the country's north-west highlands at 12°0′N 37°15′E. The lake's greatest depth is 15 meters, at an elevation of 1840 meters. The lake is fed by the Reb River and Gumara River and its surface area ranges from 3,000 to 3,500 km² depending on season and rainfall. The Lake level has been regulated since the construction of the control weir where the lake discharges into the Blue Nile. This regulates the flow to the Tis Abay falls and hydro-power station. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (639x639, 150 KB)Lake Tana, Ethiopia - April 1991 image description here File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of the Blue Nile (in Spanish) The Blue Nile (Amharic: ዓባይ; transliterated: abay; Arabic: النيل الأزرق; transliterated: an-NÄ«l al-Ä€zraq) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. ... Tana Qirqos (variantly spelled Tana Kirkos; also called Tana Chirqos or Tana Chirkos, etc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bahir Dar is a city in north western Ethiopia and the capital of the Amhara Administrative Region (kilil). ... Amharic (አማርኛ āmariññā) is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Dembiya (Geez ደምቢያ dembÄ«yā; also Dembea, Dambya, Dembya, Dambiya, etc. ... Map of the Blue Nile (in Spanish) The Blue Nile (Amharic: ዓባይ; transliterated: abay; Arabic: النيل الأزرق; transliterated: an-NÄ«l al-Ä€zraq) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size surrounded by land. ... The bridge and weir mechanism at Sturminster Newton on the River Stour, Dorset. ... Map of the Blue Nile (in Spanish) The Blue Nile (Amharic: ዓባይ; transliterated: abay; Arabic: النيل الأزرق; transliterated: an-NÄ«l al-Ä€zraq) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. ...

The lake has a number of islands, whose numbers vary depending on the level of the lake; it has fallen about 6 feet in the last 400 years. According to Manoel de Almeida (who was a Portuguese missionary in the early 17th century), there were 21 islands, seven to eight of which had monasteries on them "formerly large, but now much diminished." When James Bruce visited the area in the later 18th century, he noted that the locals counted 45 inhabited islands, but stated he believed that "the number may be about eleven." A more modern geographer named 37 islands, of which he believed 19 have or had monasteries or churches on them.¹ Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2848x2136, 1669 KB) Lake Tana, Ethiopia http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2848x2136, 1669 KB) Lake Tana, Ethiopia http://www. ... Manuel de Almeida (1560—1646) was a native of Viseu, who entered at an early age into the Society of Jesus, and went out as a missionary to India. ... James Bruce (December 14, 1730 – April 27, 1794) was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Abyssinia (Ethiopia) where he traced the Blue Nile. ...

Remains of ancient Ethiopian emperors and treasures of the church are kept in the isolated island monasteries. On the island of Tana Qirqos is a rock shown to Paul B. Henze, on which he was told the Virgin Mary had rested on her journey back from Egypt; he was also told that Frumentius, who introduced Christianity to Ethiopia, is "allegedly buried on Tana Cherqos."² The body of Yekuno Amlak is interred in the monastery of St. Stephen on Daga Island; other Emperors whose tombs are on Daga include Dawit I, Zara Yaqob, Za Dengel and Fasilides. Other important islands in Lake Tana include Dek Island and Meshralia. Tana Qirqos (variantly spelled Tana Kirkos; also called Tana Chirqos or Tana Chirkos, etc. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... Frumentius (Geez ፍሬምንጦስ /freminÅ¥os/) (died ca. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth and his life, death, resurrection, and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... Yekuno Amlak (throne name Tasfa Iyasus) was negus (1270 - 1285) of Ethiopia and founder of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Dawit I was negus (1382 - 1413) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Zara Yaqob (throne name Kuestantinos I or Constantine I) (1399 - 1468) was negus (1434 - 1468) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Za Dengel was negus (throne name Asnaf Sagad II) (1603 - 1604) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... Fasilides or Basilides (throne name `Alam Sagad), b at Magazaz, Shewa, in 1603 before 10 November, was (1632 - October 18, 1667) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The monasteries are believed to rest on earlier religious sites and include the fourteenth century Debre Maryam, the eighteenth century Narga Selassie, Tana Qirqos (said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant before it was moved to Axum), and Ura Kidane Mecet, known for its regalia. A ferry service links Bahir Dar with Gorgora via Dek Island and various lakeshore villages. (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Tana Qirqos (variantly spelled Tana Kirkos; also called Tana Chirqos or Tana Chirkos, etc. ... A late 19th-century artists conception of the Ark of the Covenant, employing a Renaissance cassone for the Ark and cherubim as latter-day Christian angels The Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית in Hebrew: aron habrit) is described in the Hebrew Bible as a sacred container, wherein rested the stone... Axum, properly Aksum, is a city in northern Ethiopia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Pride of Rotterdam, One of the P&O Ferriess Flagships operating the Hull-Rotterdam Route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... Bahir Dar is a city in north western Ethiopia and the capital of the Amhara Administrative Region (kilil). ... Gorgora is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, lying south of Gondar on the north shore of Lake Tana. ...

References

1. C.F. Beckham and G.W.B. Huntingford, Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593-1646, (series 2, no. 107; London: Hakluyt Society, 1954), p. 35 and note.
2. Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p.73.

The Hakluyt Society is a society named after Richard Hakluyt. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lake Tana

• Lake Tana
• Photographs of the lake
• Unesco plan for Lake T'ana
• LakeNet Profile