Thursday, April 14, 2011

Tonle Sap

Tonle Sap or "the Great Lake" is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. This lake is unique for two reasons. Its flow changes direction twice a year and  expands and shrinks dramatically with the season.From mid May to early October (the wet season) the level of the Mekong rises rapidly  causing the water  to flow into Tonle Sap. During this period the lake swells from 2500 sq km  to 13,000 sq km and its depth increases from 2.2 m to more than 10m. Around the start of October, as the water level in the Mekong begins to fall, the Tonle Sap river reverses its flow into the Mekong thus draining the lake.

 

Deep into the lake lies the floating village. This village moves according to the season

 





 

 



A floating "shopping centre" built for tourists

 

 

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