Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia, Eurasia
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest fresh-water high-altitude lakes in the world. Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2, the lake itself is 940 km2, and the volume is 34.0 bln cubic metres. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is drained by the Hrazdan (Razdan) river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Before human intervention dramatically changed the Lake Sevan ecosystem, the lake was 95 metres deep, covered an area of 1,360 km² (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58 km³ and a perimeter of 260 km. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m above sea level. Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan was considered one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Seas of Armenia; it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. The Sevanavank peninsula (formerly an island) is the historic area of the lake at its northern shores. During the past decades, the ecological condition of Lake Sevan has undergone tangible changes and vast degradation due to the following reasons: a) reduced water level, b) increased eutrophication c) detrimental impact of human activity on the biological diversity of the lake. Lowering of the water level had a variety of negative consequences. The biological mass of macrophyte plants fell, resulting in lack of adaptability of the plants changes, namely the weeding and pollution of the water in the newly emerged waterless area of the shore, as a result of growing erosion of this area. Dangerous reduction of Hypolimnion is another problem. Hypolimnion is the internal section of Sevan, in which the organic substances alochtone and autochtone mineralize. If this section is well developed (for example, in Lake Geneva it is 85% of the whole mass) then mineralization process is active, without discarding the oxygen, dissolved in water. There are numerous beaches along the entire lake shore. The most popular of them is a 2.5 kilometre stretch on the northern shore, extending northwest from the peninsula. Resorts include Harsnaqar Hotel, Best Western Bohemian Resort, and numerous smaller facilities. Activities include swimming, sunbathing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and sailing. The area also includes numerous campgrounds and picnic areas for daytime use. A less developed beach destination stretches along the eastern shore from Tsovagyugh to Shorzha, with numerous small cabins at Shorzha. The Avan Marak Tsapatagh Hotel, a Tufenkian Heritage Hotel, is a luxury resort on the undeveloped southeastern shore of the lake near Tsapatagh. The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery near the town of Sevan at the northwestern shore. Initially the monastery was located on an island, but the fall of the water level turned it into a peninsula. Another monastery at the western shore is Hayravank Monastery, and further south, in the village of Noraduz, there is a field of khachkars, a cemetery with approximately 900 khachkars of different styles. Additional khachkars are found at Nerk'in Getashen on the south coast. When the water level fell, many archaeological artifacts were found, 2000 years of age and older (some as old as the early Bronze Age). Most of them are now displayed in Yerevan. The lake is an important breeding ground for the Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) with about 4,000--5,000 pairs. Other birds which visit the lake include Bewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus), lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) and great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus). The mouflon are suffering a great population decline due to poaching and habitat loss. The Sevan trout, which made up thirty percent of the fish in Lake Sevan, have virtually disappeared. Another endangered visitor to the lake is the Armenian leopard or panther (Panthera pardus tullianus). In 1910 Soukias Manasserian, one of the civil engineers behind the interventions that caused the Aral Sea disaster, published a study Evaporating billions and stagnation of the Russian Capital, which suggested the lowering of the lake's surface to 45 metres and the use of the water for irrigation and hydroelectricity. In Joseph Stalin's era the plan was slightly modified: the water level would be reduced by 55 metres (5 metres more than suggested by Manasserian), the perimeter would shrink to 80 km and the volume to only 5 km³. Nut and oak trees would be planted on newly acquired land, and introducing some trout species into the remainder of the lake would increase fishery production tenfold.
Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia, Eurasia
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest fresh-water high-altitude lakes in the world. Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2, the lake itself is 940 km2, and the volume is 34.0 bln cubic metres. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is drained by the Hrazdan (Razdan) river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Before human intervention dramatically changed the Lake Sevan ecosystem, the lake was 95 metres deep, covered an area of 1,360 km² (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58 km³ and a perimeter of 260 km. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m above sea level. Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan was considered one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Seas of Armenia; it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. The Sevanavank peninsula (formerly an island) is the historic area of the lake at its northern shores. During the past decades, the ecological condition of Lake Sevan has undergone tangible changes and vast degradation due to the following reasons: a) reduced water level, b) increased eutrophication c) detrimental impact of human activity on the biological diversity of the lake. Lowering of the water level had a variety of negative consequences. The biological mass of macrophyte plants fell, resulting in lack of adaptability of the plants changes, namely the weeding and pollution of the water in the newly emerged waterless area of the shore, as a result of growing erosion of this area. Dangerous reduction of Hypolimnion is another problem. Hypolimnion is the internal section of Sevan, in which the organic substances alochtone and autochtone mineralize. If this section is well developed (for example, in Lake Geneva it is 85% of the whole mass) then mineralization process is active, without discarding the oxygen, dissolved in water. There are numerous beaches along the entire lake shore. The most popular of them is a 2.5 kilometre stretch on the northern shore, extending northwest from the peninsula. Resorts include Harsnaqar Hotel, Best Western Bohemian Resort, and numerous smaller facilities. Activities include swimming, sunbathing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and sailing. The area also includes numerous campgrounds and picnic areas for daytime use. A less developed beach destination stretches along the eastern shore from Tsovagyugh to Shorzha, with numerous small cabins at Shorzha. The Avan Marak Tsapatagh Hotel, a Tufenkian Heritage Hotel, is a luxury resort on the undeveloped southeastern shore of the lake near Tsapatagh. The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery near the town of Sevan at the northwestern shore. Initially the monastery was located on an island, but the fall of the water level turned it into a peninsula. Another monastery at the western shore is Hayravank Monastery, and further south, in the village of Noraduz, there is a field of khachkars, a cemetery with approximately 900 khachkars of different styles. Additional khachkars are found at Nerk'in Getashen on the south coast. When the water level fell, many archaeological artifacts were found, 2000 years of age and older (some as old as the early Bronze Age). Most of them are now displayed in Yerevan. The lake is an important breeding ground for the Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) with about 4,000-5,000 pairs. Other birds which visit the lake include Bewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus), lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) and great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus). The mouflon are suffering a great population decline due to poaching and habitat loss. The Sevan trout, which made up thirty percent of the fish in Lake Sevan, have virtually disappeared. Another endangered visitor to the lake is the Armenian leopard or panther (Panthera pardus tullianus). In 1910 Soukias Manasserian, one of the civil engineers behind the interventions that caused the Aral Sea disaster, published a study Evaporating billions and stagnation of the Russian Capital, which suggested the lowering of the lake's surface to 45 metres and the use of the water for irrigation and hydroelectricity. In Joseph Stalin's era the plan was slightly modified: the water level would be reduced by 55 metres (5 metres more than suggested by Manasserian), the perimeter would shrink to 80 km and the volume to only 5 km³. Nut and oak trees would be planted on newly acquired land, and introducing some trout species into the remainder of the lake would increase fishery production tenfold.
Sevan lake from Sevanavank monastery, Armenia
Lake Sevan (Armenian: Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich), is the largest body of water in both modern day Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. Lake Sevan is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of 1,900 m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2, which makes up 1⁄6 of Armenia's territory. Lake Sevan itself is 1,242 km2, and the volume is 32.8 km3. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the incoming water is drained by the Hrazdan River, while the remaining 90% evaporates.
Lake Sevan provides some 90% of the fish and 80% of the crayfish catch of Armenia. Sevan has significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Its sole major island (now a peninsula) is home to a medieval monastery.
Lake Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the Ararat plain and hydroelectric power generation during the Soviet period. Consequently, its water level decreased by around 20 m and its volume reduced by more than 40%. Later two tunnels were built to divert water from highland rivers, which halted its decline and its level began rising. Before human intervention dramatically changed the lake's ecosystem, Lake Sevan was 95 m deep, covered an area of 1,416 km2 (5% of Armenia's entire area), and had a volume of 58.5 km3. Lake Sevan's surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m above sea level.
Scholars believe that Sevan originated from the Urartian word su(i)n(i)a, usually translated as lake. The word is found on an 8th-century BC cuneiform inscription by the Urartian king Rusa I, found in Odzaberd, on the southern shore of the lake. Per folk etymology, Sevan is either a combination of sev (black) + Van (i.e., Lake Van) or sev (black) and vank’ (monastery). Russian and European sources of the 19th and early 20th century sometimes referred to the Lake Sevan as Sevanga or Sevang which are likely the Russified version of the Armenian phrase sev vank’ (black monastery) or, possibly, the Armenian phrase սա է վանքը sa ē vank'ə (this is the monastery).
The historical Armenian name of the lake Sevan, attested in early medieval texts, is Sea of Gegham (classical Armenian: ծով Գեղամայ, tsov Geghamay). In classical antiquity, the Lake Sevan was known as Lychnitis (Ancient Greek: Λυχνῖτις). The historic Georgian name of the lake is Gelakuni (გელაქუნი), which is essentially the Georgian transcription of Armenian Gegkarkuni.
John Chardin, who visited the lake in 1673, called it the Lake of Erivan and wrote that it was by the Persians call'd Deria-Shirin, or the Sweet Lake; by the Armenians Kiagar-couni-sou, which signifies the same thing.
The name Gokcha (Turkish: Gökçe, Azerbaijani: Göyçə, blue water) often appeared in Russian and European sources from the 17th century on.
Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Lake Sevan is considered one of the three great seas of historic Armenia. It is the only one within the boundaries of present-day Republic of Armenia, while the other two are located in Turkey and Iran, respectively. Lake Sevan is considered the jewel of Armenia and is recognized as a national treasure in the country. The 2001 Law on Lake Sevan defines the Lake Sevan as a strategic ecosystem valuable for its environmental, economical, social, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, medical, climatic, recreational, and spiritual value.
Chardin in 1673 noted the extraordinary sweetness of the Water, the small Island in the middle of it; where stands a Monastery built about 600 years ago, of which the Prior is an Archbishop, and nine sorts of fish which are there taken; the fairest trouts and carps which are eaten at Erivan being caught in this Lake.[
Naturalist and traveler Friedrich Parrot, best known for ascending Mount Ararat in 1829 for the first time in history, wrote that,
It is important for the Armenian economy: being the main source of irrigation water, Lake Sevan provides low-cost electricity, fish, recreation, and tourism
Lake Sevan originated during the early Quaternary when a Palaeo-Sevan, ten times larger than the present lake, came into existence by tectonic formation. The current Lake Sevan was formed some 25 to 30 thousand years ago.
Lake Sevan was recognized as being a major potential water resource in the 19th century. Its high attitude location relative to the fertile Ararat plain and limited energy resources attracted engineers to explore ways of usage of the Lake Sevan's water. In his 1910 book, Armenian engineer Sukias Manasserian proposed to use lake Sevan's water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. He proposed draining the lake by 50 m.
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Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia, Eurasia
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest fresh-water high-altitude lakes in the world. Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2, the lake itself is 940 km2, and the volume is 34.0 bln cubic metres. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is drained by the Hrazdan (Razdan) river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Before human intervention dramatically changed the Lake Sevan ecosystem, the lake was 95 metres deep, covered an area of 1,360 km² (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58 km³ and a perimeter of 260 km. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m above sea level. Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan was considered one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Seas of Armenia; it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. The Sevanavank peninsula (formerly an island) is the historic area of the lake at its northern shores. During the past decades, the ecological condition of Lake Sevan has undergone tangible changes and vast degradation due to the following reasons: a) reduced water level, b) increased eutrophication c) detrimental impact of human activity on the biological diversity of the lake. Lowering of the water level had a variety of negative consequences. The biological mass of macrophyte plants fell, resulting in lack of adaptability of the plants changes, namely the weeding and pollution of the water in the newly emerged waterless area of the shore, as a result of growing erosion of this area. Dangerous reduction of Hypolimnion is another problem. Hypolimnion is the internal section of Sevan, in which the organic substances alochtone and autochtone mineralize. If this section is well developed (for example, in Lake Geneva it is 85% of the whole mass) then mineralization process is active, without discarding the oxygen, dissolved in water. There are numerous beaches along the entire lake shore. The most popular of them is a 2.5 kilometre stretch on the northern shore, extending northwest from the peninsula. Resorts include Harsnaqar Hotel, Best Western Bohemian Resort, and numerous smaller facilities. Activities include swimming, sunbathing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and sailing. The area also includes numerous campgrounds and picnic areas for daytime use. A less developed beach destination stretches along the eastern shore from Tsovagyugh to Shorzha, with numerous small cabins at Shorzha. The Avan Marak Tsapatagh Hotel, a Tufenkian Heritage Hotel, is a luxury resort on the undeveloped southeastern shore of the lake near Tsapatagh. The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery near the town of Sevan at the northwestern shore. Initially the monastery was located on an island, but the fall of the water level turned it into a peninsula. Another monastery at the western shore is Hayravank Monastery, and further south, in the village of Noraduz, there is a field of khachkars, a cemetery with approximately 900 khachkars of different styles. Additional khachkars are found at Nerk'in Getashen on the south coast. When the water level fell, many archaeological artifacts were found, 2000 years of age and older (some as old as the early Bronze Age). Most of them are now displayed in Yerevan. The lake is an important breeding ground for the Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) with about 4,000--5,000 pairs. Other birds which visit the lake include Bewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus), lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) and great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus). The mouflon are suffering a great population decline due to poaching and habitat loss. The Sevan trout, which made up thirty percent of the fish in Lake Sevan, have virtually disappeared. Another endangered visitor to the lake is the Armenian leopard or panther (Panthera pardus tullianus). In 1910 Soukias Manasserian, one of the civil engineers behind the interventions that caused the Aral Sea disaster, published a study Evaporating billions and stagnation of the Russian Capital, which suggested the lowering of the lake's surface to 45 metres and the use of the water for irrigation and hydroelectricity. In Joseph Stalin's era the plan was slightly modified: the water level would be reduced by 55 metres (5 metres more than suggested by Manasserian), the perimeter would shrink to 80 km and the volume to only 5 km³. Nut and oak trees would be planted on newly acquired land, and introducing some trout species into the remainder of the lake would increase fishery production tenfold.