Lake Abant
Encyclopedia
Lake Abant is a freshwater lake
in Turkey
's Bolu Province
in northwest Anatolia
, formed as a result of a great landslide
. The lake lies at an altitude of 1328 m (4,357 ft) at a distance of 32 km (19.9 mi) from the provincial
seat of Bolu
city. It is a favorite vacation and excursion spot for both Turkish and foreign travellers thanks to the natural beauty of its surroundings, which are covered with dense forests, and easy access by car (it is served by a 21 km (13 mi) road leaving from the İstanbul
-Ankara
motorway or the highway at the level of Mount Bolu, three hours' drive from these two largest cities of Turkey). Lake Abant is a natural park.
The lake covers an area of 1.28 square kilometre and its deepest spot is 18 m (59.1 ft). The lake area has two large hotels in the immediate vicinity of the shores, as well as other amenities and services for visitors, who sometimes alternatively opt for the family guesthouses available in the nearby town of Mudurnu
18 km to the south. To the north of the lake, at a distance of 8 km (5 mi) from Bolu city, is the main campus of Abant Izzet Baysal University
.
European black pine
, Scots pine
, oak
s, ashes
, hornbeam
s, willow
s, juniper
s, tamarisks, hazel
s, common medlar
, and strawberry trees are among the tree species that make up the lake's woodlands, and there are wild boars
, fallow deer
, roe deer
, brown bears
, red foxes
, jackal
s and rabbit
s in the surrounding forests, which makes the lake a prized location for hunters during the season. A brown trout
subspecies Salmo trutta abanticus, endemic to the lake, carries the Turkish
name "Abant alası".
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
's Bolu Province
Bolu Province
Bolu Province is a province in north western in the Black Sea region of Turkey, midpoint between the large cities of Istanbul and Ankara. It covers an area of 7,410 km², and the population is 271,208....
in northwest Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, formed as a result of a great landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
. The lake lies at an altitude of 1328 m (4,357 ft) at a distance of 32 km (19.9 mi) from the provincial
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
seat of Bolu
Bolu
- Places of interest :The countryside around Bolu offers excellent walking and other outdoor pursuits. There are hotels in the town for visitors. Sights near the town include:* The 14th century mosque, Ulu Camii...
city. It is a favorite vacation and excursion spot for both Turkish and foreign travellers thanks to the natural beauty of its surroundings, which are covered with dense forests, and easy access by car (it is served by a 21 km (13 mi) road leaving from the İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
-Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
motorway or the highway at the level of Mount Bolu, three hours' drive from these two largest cities of Turkey). Lake Abant is a natural park.
Mudurnu
Mudurnu is a small town and a district of Bolu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 52 km south-west of the city of Bolu. It covers an area of 1,349 km², and the population is 25,480 of which 6,000 live in the town of Mudurnu...
18 km to the south. To the north of the lake, at a distance of 8 km (5 mi) from Bolu city, is the main campus of Abant Izzet Baysal University
Abant Izzet Baysal University
- Overview :Abant Izzet Baysal University was founded on July 3, 1992 with the aim of establishing a centre of excellence in higher education and research. Today it has 8 faculties, 3 institutes, 5 two-year programmes, 6 vocational schools and 4 research centres. Nine hundred academicians teach...
.
European black pine
European Black Pine
Pinus nigra, the European Black Pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across southern Mediterranean Europe from Spain to the Crimea, in Asia Minor and on Cyprus, and in the high mountains of the Maghreb in North Africa....
, Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s, ashes
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
s, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
s, tamarisks, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
s, common medlar
Common Medlar
Mespilus germanica, known as the common medlar is a large shrub or small tree, and the name of the fruit of this tree. Despite its Latin name, which means German or Germanic medlar, it is indigenous to southwest Asia and also southeastern Europe, mostly the Black Sea coasts of modern Turkey...
, and strawberry trees are among the tree species that make up the lake's woodlands, and there are wild boars
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
, fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
, roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
, brown bears
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, red foxes
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, jackal
Jackal
Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...
s and rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s in the surrounding forests, which makes the lake a prized location for hunters during the season. A brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
subspecies Salmo trutta abanticus, endemic to the lake, carries the Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
name "Abant alası".