Lake Rara
Rara Lake (Nepali: राराताल raratal) is the biggest natural lake of Nepal. It is in Rara Village Development Committee, Mugu District, Karnali Zone in the Mid-Western region.
| Lake Rara राराताल | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Mugu District |
| Coordinates | 29°31′33″N 82°05′25″E / 29.525721°N 82.090211°ECoordinates: 29°31′33″N 82°05′25″E / 29.525721°N 82.090211°E |
| Lake type | Natural, oligotrophic |
| Primary inflows | Many small streams |
| Primary outflows | Nijar khola → Karnali River |
| Basin countries | Nepal |
| Max. length | 5.1 km (3.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 9.8 km2 (3.8 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Max. depth | 167 m (548 ft) |
| Water volume | 0.98 km3 (0.24 cu mi)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 2,990 m (9,810 ft) |
| Frozen | never |
| Islands | none |
| Settlements | none |
The lake has a slightly oval shape and is entirely in the Rara National Park, about 300 km (190 mi) north-west of the capital, Kathmandu.
Features
Lake Rara is at an altitude of 2,990 metres (9,810 ft) above sea level covering an area of 9.8 km2 (3.8 sq mi).[2] The lake has a length of 5.1 kilometres (3.2 mi) and a width of 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) with a maximum depth of 167 metres (548 ft). It flows into the Karnali river via the Nijar river (Nijar Khola).[3]
The lake was classified as oligotrophic (an environment that offers little to sustain life) in limnological terms, meaning that is very slightly polluted.[2]
Climate
The climate of the Rara National Park, where the Lake Rara is, is a temperate climate with temperatures between 27 °C (81 °F) in summer and −4 °C (25 °F) in winter.[4]
Animal life
In the Lake Rara there are three endemic fish species (Schizothorax macrophthalmus, S. nepalensis and S. raraensis),[5] and one endemic frog (Paa rarica).[6]
Many waterfowl spend the winter months in Lake Rara; some of them are gadwall, mallard, northern shoveler, Eurasian teal, tufted duck, common goldeneye, goosander, Eurasian coot and solitary snipe.[2]
Lake Rara Media
Rara lake view from top of Murma mountain
Fish in clear water of Rara
Talcha Airport (Rara Airport) in Mugu District, Nepal
Rara from Murma
Rara Lake from the south side of the lake.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lake Rara". World Lake Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundacion - ILEC. Retrieved 6 July 2016.[dead link]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Khadka, Madhukar. "Study of Himalayan Lakes in Nepal" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ↑ Upadhyay, S., Chalise, L., Paudel, R. P. (2009). "High Altitude Ramsar Sites of Nepal". The Initiation: 135–148. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) - ↑ "Rara National Park". HKH Conservation Portal. ICIMOD. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ↑ Terashima, Akira (1984). "Three new species of the Cyprinid genus Schizothorax from Lake Rara, Northwestern Nepal" (PDF). Japanese Journal of Ichthyology. 31 (2): 122–135. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ↑ Ohler, A., Dutta, S., Shrestha, T. K. (2004). "Nanorana rarica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)