Ethiopia - Lake Tana Island Monasteries and its Adjacent Wetland Natural and Cultural Heritages

 The Blue Nile and the Lake Tana, located in the North West highlands of Ethiopia in the Amara Regional State, have been a passion that has driven many explorers since historic times. In ancient Greece, the source of the Nile was considered as one of the earth’s most compelling mysteries. A Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote about the Nile extensively in 460 BC. He believed the river sprang from between two massive mountains. Likewise, Emperor Nero ordered his explorers to follow the Nile in search of its source. References to the Blue Nile can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible as the River Gihon, which “flows around the whole land of Cush” (as Ethiopia was known to the Hebrews).

This Crater Lake situated at 1800m ASL, is believed to have originated during the Pliocene due to the volcanic blocking of the Blue Nile River. It is categorized as Oligotrophic that covers 3000-36000km2 areas with a maximum depth 15m, 84km long and 64km wide.