Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
's second largest lake, with an area of in the dry season which expands to in the rainy season. The lake is long and has an average width of . The
Couffo River
The Couffo or Kouffo is a river in West Africa. It rises in Togo but runs for much of its course through Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to ...
drains into the swampy north end of the lake, while the 10 km-long Aho Channel connects the lake's southern end to the
Grand-Popo
Grand-Popo is a town, Arrondissements of Benin, arrondissement, and Communes of Benin, commune in the Mono Department of south-western Benin. The commune covers an area of 289 square kilometres and as at the 2013 Census had a population of 57,636 ...
Lagoon on the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
coast. This channel flows south during the wet season but reverses direction in the dry season, which causes the salinity of the lake's southern end to increase.
The Pedah and the Ayizo are the two main ethnic groups living on the shores of Lake Ahémé. Fishing and agriculture are the main economic activities in the area. In the lake, 71 species of fish have been recorded.
The comprising the marshes of the lower Couffo, Lake Ahémé, the Aho Channel and the adjoining coastal lagoon have been designated as a
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)
**
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...