Limassol Salt Lake

Limassol Salt Lake
Limassol Salt Lake
Coordinates34°37′N 32°58′E / 34.617°N 32.967°E / 34.617; 32.967
Basin countries[]
Surface area10.65 km2 (4.11 sq mi)
Max. depth1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Surface elevationsea level
SettlementsLimassol
Official nameAkrotiri
Designated20 March 2003
Reference no.1375

Limassol Salt Lake (Greek: Αλυκή Λεμεσού; also known as Akrotiri Salt Lake, Greek: Αλυκή Ακρωτηρίου) is the largest inland body of water on the island of Cyprus. It is located in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, administered as a Sovereign Base Area; specifically in the Western Sovereign Base Area.

It lies due south-west of the sprawling city of Limassol and measures 10.65 km2 (4.11 sq mi). According to a BirdLife (Cyprus) booklet, its lowest point is 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) below sea level, and at its deepest point the water depth measures about one meter. A study mentions that the maximum depth of the salt lake reaches 2.8 m below mean sea level in the winter. A BirdLife International entry for an area including the lake gives the minimum elevation of that area as 0 m. Geologists hypothesize the lake was formed over the gradual joining of an offshore islet off the southern coast of Cyprus.

The lake dries out in the summer.