Lakes of Ounianga
The Lakes of Ounianga (French: Lacs d'Ounianga, Arabic: بحيرات أونيانجا, romanized: Buḥayrāt ʾUniyāngā) are a series of lakes in the Sahara Desert, in North-Eastern Chad, occupying a basin in the mountains of West Tibesti and Ennedi East. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
Ounianga Sérir | |
| Location | Ennedi Region, Chad |
| Criteria | Natural: (vii) |
| Reference | 1400 |
| Inscription | 2012 (36th Session) |
| Area | 628.08 km2 (155,200 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 48.69 km2 (12,030 acres) |
| Coordinates | 19°03′18″N 20°30′20″E |
Location of Lakes of Ounianga in Chad | |
According to the UNESCO description, the lakes are in a hot and hyperarid desert that features a rainfall of less than 2 millimetres (0.1 in) a year. The lakes exhibit a variety of sizes, depths, chemical compositions and colorations.
There is a total of 18 lakes in groups as follows:
- Ounianga Kébir group: Lake Yoa, Lake Katam, Lake Oma (or Ouma), Lake Béver, Lake Midji, Lake Forodom;
- Lake Motro, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Ounianga Kébir;
- Ounianga Sérir group about 45 to 60 kilometres (28 to 37 mi) southeast of Ounianga Kébir: Lake Melekui, Lake Dirke, Lake Ardjou, Lake Téli, Lake Obrom, Lake Élimé, Lake Hogo, Lake Djiara, Lake Ahoita, Lake Daléyala, and Lake Boukkou.
The total surface area of the lakes is about 20 square kilometres (8 sq mi). The largest of the lakes, Lake Yoa, has about a 3.5-square-kilometre (1 sq mi) area and attains 20 metres (66 ft) in depth.
The names of the lake groups are derived from the name of a village nearby (literally, Ounianga Kebìr = "the great Ounianga" and Ounianga Sehrìr = "little Ounianga").