Tonle Sap

Common card · No. 216953

Tonle Sap (; Khmer: ទន្លេសាប, Tǒnle Sap [tɔnleː saːp]; lit. 'Fresh River' or commonly translated as 'Great Lake') is a lake in central Cambodia. Belonging to the Mekong river system, Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world. It was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997 due to its high biodiversity. The lake has a large seasonal variation in water depth, with the post-monsoon level sometimes being as much as 10 metres (33 ft) higher than during the monsoons. During the 21st century, the lake and its surrounding ecosystems have come under increasing pressure from deforestation, intensive agriculture and fishery, infrastructure development and climate change.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Deror_avi, CC BY-SA 3.0