Lake St. Lucia

Lake St Lucia (Lake Saint Lucia) is an estuarine lake system in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the largest estuarine lake in Southern Africa, covering an area of approximately 350 km 2, and falls within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a World Heritage Site). The lake was named Santa Lucia by Manuel Perestrerello on 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy.[1] It was later renamed to St. Lucia. St Lucia Lake harbours rich fauna, including crocodiles, hippopotami, various birds and invertebrates.[2][3]

False Bay, Lake St Lucia
Hippos in Lake St Lucia

Flora

More than 2,180 species of flowering plants have been documented in the St Lucia lake system.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Santa Lucia: http://www.santalucia.co.za/history.php, retrieved 8 August 2015
  2. ↑ Nel, H.A., Perissinotto, R. & Taylor, R.H. 2012. Diversity of bivalve molluscs in the St Lucia Estuary, with an annotated and illustrated checklist. African Invertebrates 53 (2): 503-525.
  3. ↑ Perissinotto, R., Taylor, R.H., Carrasco, N.K. & Fox, C. 2013. Observations on the bloom-forming jellyfish Crambionella stuhlmanni (Chun, 1896) in the St Lucia Estuary, South Africa. African Invertebrates 54 (1): 161–170.
  4. ↑ Thieme, Michele; Abell, Robin; Burgess, Neil; Lehner, Bernhard; Dinerstein, Eric; Olsen, David (2005). Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press. p. 331.

Coordinates: 27°59′S 32°27′E / 27.983°S 32.450°E / -27.983; 32.450


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