lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...
in
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, after
Ébrié Lagoon
The Ébrié Lagoon lies in Ivory Coast, separated for almost all of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages ...
. As a whole, the lagoon has an area of , a mean depth of , and a volume of . It drains into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
through shallow channels between the Ehotilé Islands that converge at
Assinie-Mafia
Assinie-Mafia is a coastal resort town in south-eastern Ivory Coast. It is a Sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast, sub-prefecture of Adiaké Department in Sud-Comoé Region, Comoé District.
Geography
Assinie-Mafia is located 80 kilometres east of ...
, where Assoindé Lagoon also connects from the west. Assoindé Lagoon connects the Aby Lagoon complex to Ébrié Lagoon through the Assinie Canal.
The Aby Lagoon complex comprises three named sections: from west to east, they are the Aby Lagoon proper, Tendo Lagoon, and Ehy Lagoon. Covering , the main Aby Lagoon is the largest of the three sections, extending north from the mouth of the complex and having a maximum width of and a mean depth of . On its southeastern side, the Tendo Lagoon forms an arm wide that extends east and covers ; it is divided between Ivory Coast in the north and Ghana in the south. Located in Ivory Coast, Ehy Lagoon extends northeast from the eastern end of Tendo Lagoon, covering . A subsidiary lagoon known as Univaye Lagoon is located in Ghana and drains into Tendo Lagoon from the east.
The
Bia River
The Bia is a river that is situated primarily in Ghana and flows through Ghana and Ivory Coast, emptying into Aby Lagoon. A hydroelectric dam was built across the Bia at Ayamé
Ayamé is a town in south-eastern Ivory Coast, near the border of Gh ...
feeds the main Aby Lagoon from the north, while the
Tano River
The Tano or Tanoé River is a river in Ghana. It flows for 400 kilometres from a town called Traa a suburb of Techiman the capital town of Bono East Region of the Republic of Ghana to Ehy Lagoon, Tendo Lagoon and finally Aby Lagoon in Ivory Coast ...
discharges into Tendo Lagoon from the east. These two rivers combine to
drain
Drain may refer to:
Objects and processes
* Drain (plumbing), a fixture that provides an exit-point for waste water or for water that is to be re-circulated on the side of a road
* Drain (surgery), a tube used to remove pus or other fluids from ...
an area of .
The climate in the area features two
rainy season
The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs.
Rainy Season may also refer to:
* ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King
* "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni
* ''T ...
s (May to July; October to November) and two
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
s (August to September; December to April). The annual rainfall is about . Salinity in the lagoon varies with rainfall and peaks in March and April. The southern part of the main Aby Lagoon has the highest salinity, while the areas near the mouths of the Bia and Tano remain fresh throughout the year.
Agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities around the lagoon. ''
Ethmalosa fimbriata
''Ethmalosa fimbriata'', the bonga shad or just bonga, is a shad, a clupeid fish, that occurs along the coasts and in brackish water of coastal lagoons, rivers and lakes of western Africa from Dakhla in Western Sahara to Lobito in Angola. It i ...
'' accounts for 60% to 80% of the fish catch in the lagoon. The main crops in the surrounding area are coconut, oil palm, banana, cocoa and coffee.
The Ehotilé Islands are protected as Îles Ehotilés National Park, established in 1974 on the initiative of the local communities. They also form part of the
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**