Great Bitter Lake
Encyclopedia
The Great Bitter Lake ' onMouseout='HidePop("85481")' href="/topics/Arabic_transliteration">transliterated
: al-Buhayrah al-Murra al-Kubra) is a salt water lake between the north and south part of the Suez Canal
. It is adjoined by the Small Bitter Lake (Arabic: البحيرة المرة الصغرى; transliterated: al-Buhayrah al-Murra as-Sughra). Before the Canal was built, their site was occupied by dry salt valleys. Together, the Bitter Lakes now have a surface area of about 250 km². To the north, the canal also runs through Lake Manzala
and Lake Timsah
.
As the canal has no locks, sea water flows freely into the lake from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
. In general, north of the lakes the current reverses seasonally, being north-going in winter and south-going in summer. South of the lakes, the current is tidal, reversing with the tides in the Red Sea. Fish can migrate, generally in a northerly direction, through the canal and lakes in what is known as a Lessepsian migration. By this means some Red Sea species have come to colonize the eastern Mediterranean.
In the later part of World War II
, the lake was used to intern Italian warships which had surrendered to the Allies, including the battleships Vittorio Veneto
and the Italia
.
On February 14, 1945, on the Great Bitter Lake, U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
, having flown directly from the Yalta Conference with Winston Churchill
and Joseph Stalin
, met on board the naval cruiser USS Quincy
with Saudi Arabia's King Abdul Aziz. President Roosevelt's interpreter was U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Bill Eddy
who recorded the men's conversation in his book FDR Meets Ibn Saud.
During the Six-Day War
in 1967, the canal was closed, leaving 14 ships trapped in the lake until 1975. These ships became known as the "Yellow Fleet
", because of the desert sands which soon covered their decks. A number of local postage stamp
s (or rather, decorative labels, since they had no postal validity) were created by the crews, which are sought after by collectors.
Arabic transliteration
Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English or other European...
: al-Buhayrah al-Murra al-Kubra) is a salt water lake between the north and south part of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. It is adjoined by the Small Bitter Lake (Arabic: البحيرة المرة الصغرى; transliterated: al-Buhayrah al-Murra as-Sughra). Before the Canal was built, their site was occupied by dry salt valleys. Together, the Bitter Lakes now have a surface area of about 250 km². To the north, the canal also runs through Lake Manzala
Lake Manzala
Lake Manzala is a brackish lake, sometimes called a lagoon, in northeastern Egypt on the Nile Delta near Port Said and a few miles from the ancient ruins at Tanis. It is the largest of the northern deltaic lakes of Egypt. As of 2008 it is 47km long and 30km wide.-Geography:Lake Manzala is long but...
and Lake Timsah
Lake Timsah
Lake Timsah, also known as Crocodile Lake, is a lake in Egypt on the Nile delta. It lies in a basin developed along a fault extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez through the Bitter Lakes region. In 1800, a flood filled the Wadi Tumilat, which caused Timsah's banks to overflow and...
.
As the canal has no locks, sea water flows freely into the lake from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. In general, north of the lakes the current reverses seasonally, being north-going in winter and south-going in summer. South of the lakes, the current is tidal, reversing with the tides in the Red Sea. Fish can migrate, generally in a northerly direction, through the canal and lakes in what is known as a Lessepsian migration. By this means some Red Sea species have come to colonize the eastern Mediterranean.
In the later part of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the lake was used to intern Italian warships which had surrendered to the Allies, including the battleships Vittorio Veneto
Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto
Vittorio Veneto was the lead ship of her class of battleships that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Italian victory at Vittorio Veneto, during World War I.-Construction:...
and the Italia
Italian battleship Littorio
|-External links:...
.
On February 14, 1945, on the Great Bitter Lake, U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, having flown directly from the Yalta Conference with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, met on board the naval cruiser USS Quincy
USS Quincy (CA-71)
USS Quincy , a Baltimore class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the third ship to carry the name.Quincy was authorized on 17 June 1940; laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Company, Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts as St...
with Saudi Arabia's King Abdul Aziz. President Roosevelt's interpreter was U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Bill Eddy
William A. Eddy
William Alfred "Bill" Eddy was a U.S. minister to Saudi Arabia , university professor and college president , and United States Marine Corps officer—serving in World War I and World War II, and U.S...
who recorded the men's conversation in his book FDR Meets Ibn Saud.
During the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in 1967, the canal was closed, leaving 14 ships trapped in the lake until 1975. These ships became known as the "Yellow Fleet
Yellow Fleet
The Yellow Fleet was the name given to a group of fifteen ships trapped in the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975 as a result of the Six-Day War. Both sides of the canal had been blocked by ships scuttled by the Egyptians. The name Yellow Fleet derived from their yellow appearance as they were...
", because of the desert sands which soon covered their decks. A number of local postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s (or rather, decorative labels, since they had no postal validity) were created by the crews, which are sought after by collectors.