Lake Kanaw is a lake in Ranya District, within Sulaymaniyah Governorate, in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.[1] It is located approximately 50 km from the center of Ranya District.[2]

Lake Kanaw
LocationRanya,  Iraqi Kurdistan
Coordinates36°12′52″N 44°56′18″E / 36.214311°N 44.938451°E / 36.214311; 44.938451
TypeLake
Basin countries Iraq

The lake is also known as "Qorah Ko" or "the Purple Lake", due to its distinctive coloration which is not uncommon in such lakes, where the still waters contain elevated levels of sulfur, leading to the proliferation of diverse types of algae and bacteria. As temperatures increase, the water level declines, reducing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water, which causes the algae to take on a purple or red.[3][4]

Nomenclature

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The lake is referred to by a number of different names, including:

  • Lake Kanaw
  • Qorah Ko
  • Purple Lake
  • Lake Ranya (in Kurdish: Ṣawi Ghahravani Ṣaraneh)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tourist Guide - Kurdistan. Council of Ministers - Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism - Public Authority for Tourism. 2012. Pp. 106. Archived from the original on 2023-04-19.
  2. ^ https://www.basnews.com/so/babat/612378 Archived 2021-07-28 at Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "Kashti Nwh 11-7-2021". calameo.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  4. ^ Baban, Salah Hassan. “Iraq's 'Purple Lake'. It smells like eggs and is home to nearly extinct species.” www.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Accessed on 2023-06-26.