Beira Lake
Beira Lake (/ˈbeɪrə/; Sinhala: බේරේ වැව, romanized: Bērē væva (IPA: [beːreː ˈʋæʋə]); Tamil: பேரே ஏரி, romanized: Pērē ēri (IPA: [peːɾeː eːɾi])) is a lake in the centre of the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The lake is surrounded by many large businesses in the city. It initially occupied approximately 1.65 km2 (0.64 sq mi) of land 100 years ago and this has since been reduced to 0.65 km2 (0.25 sq mi) today due to various reasons. During the colonial era of the Portuguese, Dutch and the English the lake was used for a wide variety of purposes. It still retains its Portuguese name. It is connected to many intricate canals which provided an easy way of transporting goods within the city and suburban cities.
| Beira Lake | |
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Beira Lake in 2007, with the WTC twin towers in the background. | |
Beira Lake Location in central Colombo | |
| Location | Colombo |
| Coordinates | 6°55′45.9624″N 79°51′15.0552″E |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Kelani River via St. Bastian Canal |
| Primary outflows | Indian Ocean via Mc.Callum Lock Gates at Colombo Harbour (northwest) and via a semicircular spillway (west) |
| Basin countries | Sri Lanka |
| Surface area | 0.654 km2 (0.253 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 5.6 m (18 ft) |
| Max. depth | 5.6 m (18 ft) |
| Water volume | 2,903,000 m3 (102,500,000 cu ft) |
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