Limassol Salt Lake (also known as Akrotiri Salt Lake) is the largest inland body of water on the island of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, in

Akrotiri and Dhekelia Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory o ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, an

overseas territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

. It lies due south-west of the sprawling city of

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

and measures 10.65 km². Its lowest point is 2.7 meters below sea level and at its deepest point the water depth measures about one meter. Geologists hypothesize the lake was formed over the gradual joining of an offshore islet off the southern coast of

. The lake itself is considered to be one of the eastern

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

’s most important wetlands. The shallowness of the lake (more than half of the lake is less than deep) attracts thousands of wading birds to use it as a stopover during the migration seasons between Africa and Europe. BirdLife International estimates that between 2,000 and 20,000

greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe. Taxonomy The greater flamingo was desc ...

s (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') spend the winter months on the lake. This salt lake lies within

, a

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

on the island of

, administered as a

Sovereign Base Area Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory o ...

. It is located in the

Western Sovereign Base Area Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory ...

. In 2003 the British Ministry of Defence caused some controversy by constructing two gigantic antennas as part of its radio listening post network in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Local and European environmentalists are concerned that the proximity of the listening posts to this ecosystem could have a significant impact on the wildlife.''Ramsar mission report, Akrotiri Wetland Complex, Cyprus, 17–21 June 2002 ''

Gallery

File:Limassol Salt Lake 1.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 2.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 3.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 4.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 5.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 6.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 7.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 8.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 9.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 10.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 11.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 12.JPG File:Limassol Salt Lake 13.JPG

References

{{commons category, Limassol Salt Lake Geography of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Lakes of Cyprus Ramsar sites in Cyprus Endorheic lakes of Europe