- Lake Varna
Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Varna
image_lake =
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =
coords = coord|43|11|25|N|27|49|30|E|type:waterbody
type =
inflow =Devnya andProvadiyska
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = Bulgaria
length =
width =
area = 17 km²
depth =
max-depth =
volume = 165,000,000 m³
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
cities =Lake Varna ( _bg. Варненско езеро, Varnensko ezero) is the largest by volume and deepest liman or lake along the
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast , divided from the sea by a 2 km-wide strip of sand and having an area of 17km² and a volume of 165,000,000m³ .The lake has an elongated shape, its south shores are high, steep and wooded, and the north slant. Lake Varna was formed in a river valley by the raising of sea level near the end of the
Pleistocene . Its bottom is covered by a thickalluvium ofslime andhydrogen sulphide mud in the deepest parts; there are large deposits of medicinalfango (mineral mud). A number of rivers pour into the lake, includingDevnya andProvadiyska that empty near the western shores ofLake Beloslav , which is connected to Lake Varna.Until the 20th century, fresh water from the lake emptied into the
Black Sea through the Devnya River, but following the construction of the modernPort of Varna East and the river's draining, a canal was dug through the strip of sand between the sea and the lake between 1906 and 1909, which led to the lake's level dropping by 1.40 m and the incursion ofsea water into the lake, which becamebrackish .In 1976, when a new 12 m-deep canal crossed by the
Asparuhov most began operating, the lake was dredged along the stream. Another navigable canal to the west lead through the neighboring Lake Beloslav to the Port of Varna West and the Railroad Ferry Terminal. A couple of smaller specialized ports dot Lake Varna's north shore, notably the Port of LesPort and the Port of Varna Thermal Power Plant. Industrialization came at the cost of the lake's reputation of a rich fishing ground that had sustained human settlements since the neolith.The
Varna Necropolis , where the oldest gold treasure in the world was found, is located near the north shore, while the city ofVarna is situated at the lake's eastern extremity. Also along the north shore are the villages of Kazashko and Ezerovo, and the villages of Zvezditsa and Konstantinovo overlook the lake from the southern heights.References
*
External links
* [http://dichev.com/panorama/bulgaria/varna/lake_kazashko/ Panorama photo of Kazashko village on the shores of Lake Varna] , Apple QTVR
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.