Lanao lake
| Lanao lake | ||
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| Satellite image of Lake Lanao | ||
| Geographical location | Lanao del Sur Province , Mindanao , Philippines | |
| Drain | Agus | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 7 ° 53 ' N , 124 ° 15' E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 701.35 m | |
| surface | 354.6 km² | |
| length | 33 km | |
| width | 20 km | |
| volume | 21.28 km³ | |
| scope | 115 km | |
| Maximum depth | 112 m | |
| Middle deep | 60.3 m | |
| Catchment area | 1,678.3 km² | |
Lake Lanao (in Maranao : Ranao or Ranaw ) is one of the largest lakes in the Philippines and is located in the center of the province of Lanao del Sur on the island of Mindanao .
The lake is 701.35 m above sea level, has an area of 354.6 km² and a circumference of 115 km. At its widest point it measures 20 km, with a length of 33 km.
It is the second largest lake in the Philippines and the largest lake in Mindanao.
The largest city on its shore is Marawi City , the capital of the Lanao del Sur Province .
Geographic information
Lake Lanao is nestled between two mountain ranges and a collapsed volcano . It is one of the 15 oldest lakes on earth. Its age is estimated to be over two million years.
In the basin formed from this formation, the lake accumulated up to its present extent. The deepest point measures 112 m, while the lake has an average depth of 60.3 m.
In its northern regions, the lake basin is rather shallow and steadily increasing in depth towards the south.
The lake is fed by four rivers. The only outflow is the agus , which flows north-westerly through two canals into Iligan Bay . One of the two channels flows over the María Cristina waterfall , the other over the Linamon waterfalls .
A hydropower plant on Lake Lanao and the Agus River ( Agus IV ) produces much of the electrical energy for the people of Mindanao. The capacity covers about 70% of the island's electricity needs. To the southwest of the lake is Dapao Lake .
Biological information
The lake is home to 18 species of freshwater fish, mostly carp fish of the genus Barbodes (formerly Puntius ), which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, as well as large numbers of water birds.
In October 2006, a study by Mindanao State University discovered a massive spread of algae in Lake Lanao. According to the study, the spread of algae is due to the ongoing discharge of wastewater and agricultural mismanagement.
According to official statements by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Office for Fisheries and Water Conservation, soil erosion through arbitrary deforestation and excessive agriculture are the triggering factors for the massive spread of algae in the lake.
mythology
A myth of the Marano people, who settle around the lake, describes the creation of Lake Lanao as follows:
A long time ago, when Lake Lanao did not exist, a powerful sultanate called Mantapoli flourished in this area. The inhabitants of the sultanate were numerous and multiplied very quickly.
The world was divided into two regions at that time. Sebangan called the eastern, Sedpan the western part. Due to the excessive expansion of the people from Mantapoli, which was part of the eastern region, the world had become unbalanced.
This was noticed by the Archangel Diabarail (for the Christians the Archangel Gabriel ). In consultation with Allah he gathered a crowd of angels and used the darkness of a solar eclipse created by Allah to make the people of Mantapoli disappear with their houses, their cattle and their fields and to send them to the center of the earth.
The trough left by this action slowly filled with water and became Lake Lanao.
When the water level did not stop rising, the angel Diabarail contacted his God again. He ordered the four winds of the world to be brought in so that they could use their power to drain the lake. With tremendous effort and after many attempts, the winds finally succeeded in forming an outflow on the northern bank, the agus.