Lake Moeris
| Lake Moeris | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Faiyum Governorate, Egypt | ||||||||||
| Primary inflows | Nile River (via the Bahr Yussef) | ||||||||||
| Basin countries | Egypt | ||||||||||
| Surface area | Varies (previously estimated between 1,270 km2 (490 sq mi) and 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi)) | ||||||||||
| Surface elevation | 43 m (141 ft) below sea-level | ||||||||||
| Frozen | No | ||||||||||
| Settlements | Cairo | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Lake Moeris (Ancient Greek: Μοῖρις, genitive Μοίριδος) is an ancient artificially-fed endorheic lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, 80 km (50 mi) southwest of Cairo, Egypt. In prehistory, it was a freshwater lake, with an area estimated to vary between 1,270 km2 (490 sq mi) and 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi).
It persists today as a much smaller saltwater lake called Birket Qarun. The lake's surface is 43 m (141 ft) below sea-level, and covers about 202 square kilometres (78 sq mi). The lake and surrounding area is a protected area and has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2012.
It is a source for tilapia and other fish from the local area.
The prehistoric mammal Moeritherium was found in this area.
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