Inle lake
| Inle Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Shan State |
| Coordinates | 20°33′N 96°55′E / 20.550°N 96.917°ECoordinates: 20°33′N 96°55′E / 20.550°N 96.917°E |
| Type | Polymictic lake |
| Primary outflows | Nam Pilu |
| Basin countries | Myanmar |
| Surface area | 44.9 sq mi (116 km2) |
| Average depth | 5 ft (1.5 m) (dry season) |
| Max. depth | 12 ft (3.7 m) (dry season; +5 ft in monsoon season) |
| Surface elevation | 2,900 ft (880 m) |
Inle Lake (Burmese: အင်းလေးကန်, pronounced: [ʔɪ́ɴlé kàɴ]), is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).
The watershed area for the lake lies to a large extent to the north and west of the lake. The lake drains through the Nam Pilu or Balu Chaung on its southern end. There is also a hot spring on its northwestern shore.
Although the lake is not large, it contains a number of endemic species. Over twenty species of snails and nine species of fish are found nowhere else in the world. Some of these, like the silver-blue scaleless Sawbwa barb, the crossbanded dwarf danio, and the Lake Inle danio, are of minor commercial importance for the aquarium trade. It hosts approximately 20,000 brown and black head migratory seagulls in November, December and January.
In June 2015, it became Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It was one of 20 places added at the Unesco's 27th Man and the Biosphere (MAB) International Coordinating Council (ICC) meeting.
The people of Inle Lake (called Intha), some 70,000 of them, live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake's shores, and on the lake itself. The entire lake area is in Nyaung Shwe township. The population consists predominantly of Intha, with a mix of other Shan, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar ethnicities. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of wood and woven bamboo on stilts; they are largely self-sufficient farmers.
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