Zway (lake)
| Zway | ||
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| Geographical location | Oromia , Ethiopia | |
| Tributaries | Meki, Qatar | |
| Drain | Bulbar // Abijatta | |
| Islands | Debre Sina, Gelila, Tulu Gudo (Debre Tsion), Fundoro, Tsedecha | |
| Places on the shore | Zway | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 8 ° 0 ′ N , 38 ° 49 ′ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 1636 m | |
| surface | 440 km² | |
| length | 31.1 km | |
| width | 19.4 km | |
| Maximum depth | 8.9 m | |
Zway or Ziway ( Amharic ዝዋይ ሐይቅ ) is one of the freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia . It is located about 100 km south of Addis Ababa on the border of the region (or kililoch ) Oromiyaa and the region of the southern nations, nationalities and peoples . The place Zway is on the western shore of the lake .
According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68 , Lake Zway is 25 kilometers long, 20 kilometers wide and has a surface area of 440 square kilometers. At its deepest point, it is about 9 meters deep. It is 1636 meters above sea level. The lake is known for its birds and hippos . A fishing industry is also located here. The lake has five islands including Debre Sina , Galila , Bird Island . On Tullu Gudo there is a monastery in which the Ark of the Covenant is said to have been located around the 9th century .
The shores and islands of the lake are home to the Zay , who are attributed to the Gurage . According to tradition, the Christians of this area took refuge on the island when the Muslim Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi conquered Ethiopia. They were later isolated from the rest of Ethiopia by the Oromo , who settled by the lake. When Menelik II conquered the land around the lake, the lake inhabitants were rediscovered. They had preserved their Christian beliefs as well as a number of ancient manuscripts.