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42-514: In 2015, the Lake Tana region was nominated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve recognizing its national and international natural and cultural importance. Lake Tana was formed by volcanic activity, blocking the course of inflowing rivers in the early Pleistocene epoch, about 5 million years ago. The lake was originally much larger than it is today. Seven large permanent rivers feed the lake as well as 40 small seasonal rivers. The main tributaries to

84-413: A documentary about their journey afterwards. In 2000, American and National Geographic reader, Kenneth Frantz, saw a photo taken by Nevada Wier for National Geographic which would lead him to found the charity Bridges to Prosperity . This photo showed a bridge broken during World War II, with 10 men on either side of the broken span pulling each other across the dangerous gap by rope. This historic bridge

126-679: A non-local to explore this reach of the river was undertaken by the American W.W. Macmillan in 1902, assisted by the Norwegian explorer B.H. Jenssen; Jenssen proceeded upriver from Khartoum while Macmillan sailed downstream from Lake Tana. However, Jenssen's boats were blocked by the rapids at Famaka short of the Sudan-Ethiopia border, and Macmillan's boats were wrecked shortly after they had been launched. Macmillan encouraged Jenssen to try to sail upstream from Khartoum again in 1905, but he

168-489: A point near the Sudanese border led by explorer John Blashford-Snell . The team used specially-built Avon Inflatables and modified Royal Engineers assault boats to navigate the formidable rapids. Subsequent rafting expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s generally only covered parts of the river canyon. In 1999, writer Virginia Morell and photographer Nevada Wier made the journey by raft from Lake Tana to Sudan, publishing

210-565: A scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages with the international development agenda, especially the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post 2015 Development Agenda . The MAB programme provides a platform for cooperation in research and development. As of July 2024 , 759 sites across 136 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, have been included in

252-450: A status) by the IUCN . In the early 2000s, the local government for the first time introduced a fisheries legislation and it is hoped this will have a positive effect on the fish populations. Other serious threats are habitat destruction and pollution. Bahir Dar has become a large city and it is rapidly growing; its wastewater is generally released directly into the lake. The vegetation in

294-618: A year, peaking in September–October just after the main wet season. When the water levels are high, the plains around the lake often are flooded and other permanent swamps in the region become connected to the lake. Since there are no inflows that link the lake to other large waterways and the main outflow, the Blue Nile , is obstructed by the Blue Nile Falls , the lake supports a highly distinctive aquatic fauna, which generally

336-512: Is "allegedly buried on Tana Cherqos." The body of Yekuno Amlak is interred in the monastery of St. Stephen on Daga Island . Emperors whose tombs are also on Daga include Dawit I , Zara Yaqob , Za Dengel , and Fasilides . Other important islands in Lake Tana include Dek , Mitraha , Gelila Zakarias , Halimun and Briguida . The monasteries are believed to have been built during the Middle Ages over earlier religious sites. They include

378-704: Is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia . It travels for approximately 1,450 km (900 mi) through Ethiopia and Sudan . Along with the White Nile , it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to the Nile during the rainy season . The distance of the river from its source to its confluence has been variously reported between 1,460 and 1,600 kilometres (910 and 990 mi). This uncertainty might result from

420-643: Is an important resting and feeding ground for many Palearctic migrant waterbirds. There are no crocodiles , but the African softshell turtle and Nile monitor have been recorded near the Blue Nile outflow from the lake. Hippos are present, mostly near the Blue Nile outflow. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme ( MAB ) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO , that aims to establish

462-468: Is called the Abay River). The river flows generally south before entering a canyon about 400 km (250 mi) long, about 30 km (19 mi) from Lake Tana, which is a tremendous obstacle for travel and communication between north and south Ethiopia. The canyon was first referred to as the "Grand Canyon" in 1968 by a British team that accomplished the first descent of the river from Lake Tana to

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504-717: Is defined by its main governing body, the International Coordinating Council. The MAB Council consists of 34 member states elected by UNESCO's General Conference. The council elects a chair and five vice-chairs from each of UNESCO's geopolitical regions, one of which functions as a rapporteur. These constitute the MAB Bureau. The MAB Secretariat is based at UNESCO's Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. It works with field offices at national and regional levels. MAB

546-470: Is funded by UNESCO and mobilizes funds in trust granted by Member States, bilateral and multilateral sources, and extra-budgetary funds provided by countries, the private sector and private institutions. The first World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was held in Minsk, Belarus in 1983; the congress created an 'Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves' which was adopted the following year. The second World Congress

588-890: Is related to species from the Nile Basin . The lake's nutrient levels are low. There are 27 fish species in Lake Tana and 20 of these are endemic . This includes one of only two known cyprinid species flocks (the other, from Lake Lanao in the Philippines, has been decimated by introduced species). It consists of 15 relatively large, up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long, Labeobarbus barbs that formerly were included in Barbus instead. Among these, L. acutirostris , L. longissimus , L. megastoma and L. truttiformis are strictly piscivorous , and L. dainellii , L. gorguari , L. macrophtalmus and L. platydorsus are mostly piscivorous. Their most important prey are

630-646: Is vital to the livelihood of Egypt: as the most significant tributary of the Nile, it contributes over 85% of the Nile's streamflow. Though shorter than the White Nile, 59% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Ethiopian highlands via the Blue Nile. The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where the Roseires Dam and Sennar Dam contribute to the 80% of the country's electricity generation from hydropower . These dams also help irrigate

672-512: The Azwa Maryam monastery. Compared to other tropical lakes, the waters in Lake Tana are relatively cold, typically ranging from about 20 to 27 °C (68–81 °F). The water has a pH that is neutral to somewhat alkaline and its transparency is quite low. Because of the large seasonal variations in the inflow of its tributaries, rain and evaporation, the water levels of Lake Tana typically vary by 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft) in

714-606: The Dinder River on its right bank at Dinder . At Khartoum , the Blue Nile joins the White Nile and, as the Nile , flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria . The flow of the Blue Nile reaches maximum volume in the rainy season from June to September, when it supplies 80–86% of the water of the Nile proper. The river was a major source of the flooding of the Nile in Egypt that contributed to

756-567: The Ethiopian Church are kept in the isolated island monasteries (including Kebran Gabriel , Ura Kidane Mehret , Narga Selassie , Daga Estifanos , Medhane Alem of Rema , Kota Maryam, and Mertola Maryam). On the island of Tana Qirqos is a rock shown to Paul B. Henze , on which he was told the Virgin Mary had rested on her journey back from Egypt ; he was also told that Frumentius , who introduced Christianity to Ethiopia,

798-723: The Gezira Scheme , which is most famous for its high-quality cotton , as well as wheat and animal feed crop production in the area. In November 2012, Ethiopia began construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam , a 6000-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the river. The dam is expected to be a boost for the Ethiopian economy. Sudan and Egypt, however, voiced their concerns over a potential reduction in water available. Electricity generation began in February 2022. The first European known to have seen

840-672: The World Network of Biosphere Reserves . The reserves cover more than 5% of the world’s surface and are home to over 260 million people. Biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Its biosphere reserves are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. Their status is internationally recognized. Biosphere reserves are 'Science for Sustainability support sites'. Biosphere reserves have three zones: The first biosphere reserves were designated in 1976 in several countries including

882-458: The 2020s, the zones are categorized as follows: core (category I-IV), buffer (category V-VI), transition (uncategorized). Participating countries establish MAB National Committees that define and implement each country's activities. MAB currently operates through 158 national committees established among the 195 member states and nine associate member states of UNESCO. The agenda of the MAB programme

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924-633: The Blue Nile in Ethiopia and the river's source was Pedro Páez , a Spanish Jesuit who reached the river's source on 21 April 1618. However, the Portuguese João Bermudes, the self-described "Patriarch of Ethiopia," provided the first description of the Tis Abay River Falls in his memoirs published in 1565, and any number of Europeans who lived in Ethiopia in the late 15th century such as Pêro da Covilhã could have seen

966-658: The US, UK, Uruguay, Thailand, Iran and Poland. In 1996, the IUCN and MAB published a guideline for how to assess UNESCO biosphere reserves in the IUCN classification system . The IUCN distinguishes between the biosphere core area, buffer zones, transition zones, and each individual biosphere reserve. Biosphere core zones were in IUCN category I; either Ia ( strict nature reserve ) or Ib ( wilderness area ). Biosphere buffer zones would fall into categories IV, V or VI, and transition zones would be categorized as either V or VI, if possible. In

1008-1323: The Wanqa River, the Bashilo River , the Walaqa River , the Wanchet River , the Jamma River , the Muger River , the Guder River , the Agwel River, the Nedi River, the Didessa River and the Dabus River . Those on the right side, also in downstream order, include the Handassa, Tul, Abaya, Sade, Tammi, Cha, Shita, Suha, Muga , Gulla , Temcha , Bachat, Katlan, Jiba, Chamoga, Weter and the Beles . The Blue Nile then heads northwest into Sudan. It travels for approximately 650 km (400 mi), flowing past Er Roseires and receiving

1050-431: The area in 1771, he noted that the locals counted 45 inhabited islands, but stated he believed that "the number may be about eleven." Anton Stecker, in 1881, made a detailed examination of the lake, enabling substantially accurate maps, and counted 44 islands. A 20th-century geographer named 37 islands, of which he believed 19 have or had monasteries or churches on them. Remains of ancient Ethiopian emperors and treasures of

1092-499: The end of the canyon; subsequent river rafting parties called it the "Grand Canyon of the Nile". The Blue Nile Falls ( Amharic : Tis Abay, literally "great smoke"), one of Ethiopia's biggest tourist attractions, is located at the start of the canyon. The river loops across northwest Ethiopia before being fed by numerous tributaries between Lake Tana and the Ethiopia–Sudan border . Those on its left bank, in downstream order, include

1134-552: The endemic subspecies tana in the lake), E. humilis , G. dembecha , G. dembeensis and the large African sharptooth catfish . Lake Tana supports a large fishing industry, mainly based on the Labeobarbus barbs, Nile tilapia and sharptooth catfish. According to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 1,454 tons of fish were landed in 2011 at Bahir Dar , which the department estimated

1176-606: The fact that the river flows through a series of virtually impenetrable gorges cut in the Ethiopian Highlands to a depth of some 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). According to materials published by the Central Statistical Agency , an Ethiopian government agency, the Blue Nile has a total length of 1,450 kilometres (900 mi), of which 800 kilometres (500 mi) are inside Ethiopia. The Blue Nile originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia (where it

1218-603: The fertility of the Nile Valley and the consequent rise of Ancient Egypt and Egyptian mythology . With the completion of the Aswan Dam in 1970, these floods stopped occurring in lower Egypt. During the summer monsoon season, the Blue Nile floods erode a vast amount of fertile soil from the Ethiopian Highlands and carry it downstream as silt , turning the water dark brown or almost black. The Blue Nile

1260-477: The first known people to navigate the Blue Nile in its entirety. Though their expedition included several others, Brown and Scaturro were the only ones to remain on the expedition for the entire journey. They chronicled their adventure with an IMAX camera and two handheld video cameras, sharing their story in the film Mystery of the Nile and in a book of the same title. On 29 January 2005, Canadian Les Jickling and his teammate New Zealander Mark Tanner completed

1302-509: The fourteenth-century Debre Maryam , and the eighteenth-century Narga Selassie, Tana Qirqos (said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant before it was moved to Axum ), and Ura Kidane Mehret, known for its regalia. A ferry service links Bahir Dar with Gorgora via Dek Island and various lakeshore villages. There is also Zege Peninsula on the southwest portion of the lake. Zege is the site of

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1344-524: The lake are Gilgel Abbay (Little Nile River), and the Megech, Gumara, and Rib rivers. Lake Tana has a number of islands, whose number varies depending on the level of the lake. It has fallen about 6 feet (1.8 m) in the last 400 years. According to Manoel de Almeida (a Portuguese missionary in the early 17th century), there were 21 islands, seven to eight of which had monasteries on them "formerly large, but now much diminished." When James Bruce visited

1386-524: The lake's wetlands, which are an important nursery for the Labeobarbus and other fish, are being cleared at a fast pace. A potentially serious threat to the unique ecosystem would be an introduction of a large and efficient predatory species like the Nile perch , which has been implicated in numerous extinctions in Lake Victoria . The piscivorous Labeobarbus of Lake Tana are relatively inefficient predators that can only take fish up to about 15% of

1428-457: The length of the predator itself. Among other fauna, the lake supports relatively few invertebrates: There are fifteen species of mollusks , including one endemic, and also an endemic freshwater sponge . About 230 species of birds, including more than 80 wetland birds such as the great white pelican , African darter , hamerkop , storks , African spoonbill , ibis , ducks , kingfishers and African fish eagle , are known from Lake Tana. It

1470-608: The others), L. nedgia and L. tsanensis on benthic invertebrates like chironomid larvae. Among the endemic Labeobarbus , eight species spawn in the lake's wetlands and the remaining move seasonally into its tributaries where they spawn. In addition to the Labeobarbus species flock, the endemic species are Enteromius pleurogramma , E. tanapelagius , Garra regressus and Afronemacheilus abyssinicus (one of only two African stone loaches ). The remaining non-endemic species are Nile tilapia (widespread in Africa, but with

1512-422: The river along its banks and through its impassable canyon but by following it from the highlands above, travelling some 8,000 km (5,000 mi) by mule in the adjacent country. In the 1950s and 1960s, several kayakers paddled parts of the canyon. In 1968, at the request of Haile Selassie , a team of 60 British and Ethiopian servicemen and scientists made the first full descent of the river from Lake Tana to

1554-670: The river long before Páez, but not reached its source. The source of the Nile proper was also reached in 1629 by the Portuguese Jesuit missionary Jerónimo Lobo and in 1770 by the Scottish explorer James Bruce . Although European explorers contemplated tracing the course of the Nile from the Blue Nile's confluence with the White Nile to Lake Tana, the Blue Nile Canyon has discouraged all attempts since Frédéric Cailliaud 's attempt in 1821. The first serious attempt by

1596-546: The small Enteromius and Garra species. The remaining Labeobarbus in Lake Tana have other specialized feeding habits: L. beso (non-endemic and not closely related to the others) feeds on algae , L. surkis mostly on macrophytes , L. gorgorensis on macrophytes and molluscs , L. brevicephalus on zooplankton (however, juveniles of all members of the species flock feed on zooplankton), L. osseensis on macrophytes and adults insects, and L. crassibarbis , L. intermedius (non-endemic but closely related to

1638-466: Was 15% of its sustainable amount. Nevertheless, in a review that compared catches in 2001 to those ten years earlier, it was found that typical sizes of both the tilapia and the catfish had significantly decreased, and populations of the Labeobarbus barbs that breed in the tributaries had significantly declined. Among the endemic fish, most are considered threatened ( endangered or vulnerable ) or data deficient (available data insufficient for evaluating

1680-622: Was built by Emperor Fasilides in approximately 1660 with Roman bridge technology brought to Ethiopia by Portuguese soldiers during the battle with the Muslim invaders in 1507. In both 2001 and 2009, Bridges to Prosperity volunteers travelled from the United States to repair the broken bridge across the Blue Nile and later built a new suspension bridge not susceptible to flood. On 28 April 2004, geologist Pasquale Scaturro and his partner, kayaker and documentary filmmaker Gordon Brown, became

1722-430: Was forced to stop 500 km (300 mi) short of Lake Tana. Robert Cheesman , who records his surprise on arriving in Ethiopia at finding that the upper waters of "one of the most famous of the rivers of the world, and one whose name was well known to the ancients" was in his lifetime "marked on the map by dotted lines", managed to map the upper course of the Blue Nile between 1925 and 1933. He did this not by following

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1764-684: Was held in Seville, Spain in March 1995. The third World Congress was held in Madrid, Spain from February 4-9, 2008. The fourth World Congress of Biosphere Reserves took place in Lima , Peru , from March 14-17, 2016. The fifth World Congress is due to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 22-27 2025. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves are as follows: Blue Nile The Blue Nile

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