LAKE NASSER

Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan and is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. It covers a total surface area of 5,250 km2 (2,030 sq mi) and has a storage capacity of some 132 km3 (32 cu mi) of water.

Before construction, Sudan opposed the idea of constructing the lake because it would encroach on land in the North, where the Nubian people lived.

The lake was created as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam across the waters of the Nile between 1958 and 1970 and is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and the second President of Egypt, who initiated the High Dam project. It was President Anwar Sadat who inaugurated the lake and dam in 1970.

"Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory while the Sudanese prefer to call their smaller body of water Lake Nubia.

Lake Nasser is also a sport and tourist attraction.