Lake Afambo
Encyclopedia
Lake Afambo is one of a chain of lakes into which the Awash River
empties its waters. It is located at the eastern end of the Afar Region
of Ethiopia
, at 11°25′N 41°41′E.
from a channel at its northern point, and has its outflow in the swamps on its southwest shores where it empties into Lake Bario
.
The first European to visit Lake Afambo was Wilfred Thesiger
, who explored the course of the Awash to its ultimate ending point in 1935. Thesiger led his party along the eastern and southern sides of this lake. This area did not see another visitor from outside Ethiopia until Pele Thompson retraced Thesiger's steps in May and June 2001. There had been a bridge over the channel between lakes Gummare and Afambo at Ebobe, it had "collapsed some time ago." Further, while Lake Afambo had been a fresh-water lake when Thesiger visited in, it has since become very saline due to the amount of water diverted upstream for irrigation purposes.
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
empties its waters. It is located at the eastern end of the Afar Region
Afar Region
Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, at 11°25′N 41°41′E.
Overview
The lake lies on a roughly north-south axis, 13 kilometers long by two wide, having 1760 hectares of open water. Afambo receives its inflow from Lake GummareLake Gummare
Lake Gummare is one of a chain of lakes into which the Awash River empties its waters. It is located at the eastern end of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, at .-Overview:...
from a channel at its northern point, and has its outflow in the swamps on its southwest shores where it empties into Lake Bario
Lake Bario
Lake Bario is one of a chain of lakes into which the Awash River empties its waters. It is located at the eastern end of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, at ....
.
The first European to visit Lake Afambo was Wilfred Thesiger
Wilfred Thesiger
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, CBE, DSO, FRAS, FRGS was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.-Family:...
, who explored the course of the Awash to its ultimate ending point in 1935. Thesiger led his party along the eastern and southern sides of this lake. This area did not see another visitor from outside Ethiopia until Pele Thompson retraced Thesiger's steps in May and June 2001. There had been a bridge over the channel between lakes Gummare and Afambo at Ebobe, it had "collapsed some time ago." Further, while Lake Afambo had been a fresh-water lake when Thesiger visited in, it has since become very saline due to the amount of water diverted upstream for irrigation purposes.