Ichkeul National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Tunisia |
Nearest city | Mateur |
Coordinates | 37°10′0″N 9°40′0″E / 37.16667°N 9.66667°E |
Area | 126 km2 |
Established | 1980 |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | x |
Designated | 1980 (4th session) |
Reference no. | 8 |
Region | Africa |
Endangered | 1996–2006 |
Official name | Ichkeul |
Designated | 24 November 1980 |
Reference no. | 213[1] |
Lake Ichkeul (Arabic: بحيرة اشكل, romanized: Buḥayra ʾIshkul) is a lake in northern Tunisia, located 20 kilometres (12 miles) to Bizerte, the northernmost city in Africa on the Mediterranean Sea. The lake and wetlands of Ichkeul National Park are an important stopping-over point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds each year. Among the lake's visitors are ducks, geese, storks, and pink flamingoes. Dam construction on the lake's feeder rivers has produced major changes to the ecological balance of the lake and wetlands.