Lake Karla
| Lake Karla Λίμνη Κάρλα |
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Lake Karla after its recreation in 2010.
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| Location | Thessaly, Greece |
| Coordinates | 39°32′N 22°42′E / 39.533°N 22.700°ECoordinates: 39°32′N 22°42′E / 39.533°N 22.700°E |
| Lake type | Drained Lake |
| Primary inflows | 1 river and 7 tributaries |
| Primary outflows | Pinios River, evaporation |
| Catchment area | 37,000 km2 (14,000 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Greece |
| Max. length | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Max. width | 46 km (29 mi) |
| Surface area | 37 km2 (14 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Max. depth | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 60–80 m (200–260 ft) |
| Islands | 3+ islands See article |
| Settlements | Volos |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Karla (Greek: Λίμνη Κάρλα) is a former lake that sits at 60 to 80 m (200 to 260 ft) above sea level making it the only one in the plain of Thessaly. The lake is located at the northern end of the Magnesia regional unit in the Pineios basin, adjacent to Pelion and Maurovouni mountains. On the eastern part of the lake the lies the town of Kanalia.
Its first name was Voivis (Ancient Greek: Βοιβηίς) and was taken from the nearby ancient city of Voivis which today is located at Kanalia
Lake Karla, some 300 km (190 mi) north of Athens, was an 180 km2 lake that was completely drained in 1962 to gain land for agriculture. The lake was part of the ancient Greek mythology (the god Apollo was married on its shores). Before its drainage, it was the site of a unique fishermen culture, with the fishermen spending some nine months of the year in reed huts that they built on the lake. The lake fisheries were an important tradition and to some extent a significant economic activity.
For these reasons, and because agriculture was never successful in the saline soils of the former lake bed, the local population supports an ambitious project to restore the lake. The restoration will reflood only 50 of the original 180 km2 of the former lake. The project represents a 100 million ECU investment that would be financed with the support of the European Commission. Some technical aspects still require further elaboration in order to ensure that it is environmentally sound, but the project has so much popular and political support that most likely it will go ahead. If so, it would represent one of the most ambitious wetland restoration projects and a good case study for the Ramsar Convention.
The site includes Mavrovouni mountain, two water reservoirs in former Lake Karla and the spring Kefalovryso in Velestino. Mavrovouni (390 km2 or 96,000 acres, max elevation 1,054 m or 3,458 ft) extends between Ossa and Pilio mountains and is today restored totally in Magnesia. It mainly consists of schist and, in less extent, of limestone. The marine area covers 2% of the site, the terrestrial area covers 96% and the reservoirs cover 2%
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Wikipedia