Lake St. Lucia

Lake St Lucia (Lake Saint Lucia) is an estuarine lake system in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the largest estuarine lake in Southern Africa, covering an area of approximately 350 square kilometres (140 sq mi), and falls within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a World Heritage Site).

Lake St. Lucia
Lake Saint Lucia
False Bay, Lake St Lucia
Lake St. Lucia
LocationSouth Africa
Coordinates27°59′S 32°27′E
Typeestuarine lake

The lake was named Santa Lucia by Manuel Perestrello on 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy.[1] It was later renamed to St. Lucia.

Hippos in Lake St Lucia

Flora and fauna

More than 2,180 species of flowering plants have been documented in the St Lucia lake system.[2]

St Lucia Lake harbours rich fauna, including crocodiles, hippopotami, various birds and invertebrates.[3][4]

References

  1. Santa Lucia: http://www.santalucia.co.za/history.php Archived 2015-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 8 August 2015
  2. Thieme, Michele; Abell, Robin; Burgess, Neil; Lehner, Bernhard; Dinerstein, Eric; Olsen, David (2005). Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press. p. 331.
  3. Nel, H.A., Perissinotto, R. & Taylor, R.H. 2012. Diversity of bivalve molluscs in the St Lucia Estuary, with an annotated and illustrated checklist. African Invertebrates 53 (2): 503-525."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2012-11-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Perissinotto, R., Taylor, R.H., Carrasco, N.K. & Fox, C. 2013. Observations on the bloom-forming jellyfish Crambionella stuhlmanni (Chun, 1896) in the St Lucia Estuary, South Africa. African Invertebrates 54 (1): 161–170."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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