Tonle Sap - Great Lake Cambodia

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Tonle Sap Lake is located south of the city of Siem Reap is the largest lake in Cambodia, and plays a key role in the ecological balance of the country.

In the dry season, is a shallow lake that crosses the Tonle Sap river in the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. Change in June-November rainy season, when the high water level of Mekong River leads to a return to the Tonle Sap river in the area of the lake. The flow increases the size ofLake from its low of 2,500 square kilometers to more than 10,000 square kilometers. Thus, the lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia during the rainy season.

The flooded mangrove forests, plains are home to over 100 species of waterfowl, including a number of species threatened or endangered. There are over 200 species of fish in the waters and crocodiles in maroques otters and turtles.

The lake is inhabited by floating villages inhabited by both Cambodianand the Vietnamese community. The individual sites are a fantastic view, with their floating houses, markets, schools and churches. The villagers earn their living by fishing, with their huge nets to catch enough for Cambodia, with half of the supply of fish for consumption.

Another important floating villages of Khneas Chong. It is 12 kilometers south of Siem Reap, and is a departure / arrival of the ferry Phnom Penh and tourism Tone Sap lakeTravel.

During this floating village is a famous landmark, the tuk tuk drivers, the group of Siem Reap, said that less tourist-oriented villages and Kampong Kampong Pluk Khleang longer provided a vision of life on the lake. Both villages are situated south of the Chong Khneas on the eastern side of the lake. Kampong Khleang is actually the biggest floating village on Tonle Sap. The Vietnamese regime has also a thriving ceramics industry, there were pilesThe jars of clay before most of the houses.

In the western part of Chong Khneas the northern end of the lake is the bird sanctuary Prek Sorrenti. This reserve is, and has been considered the most important breeding ground in Southeast Asia for large waterbirds. Species such as Black-headed Ibis, Spot-billed Pelican, Gray headed Fish Eagle, piano Painted Stork and Millet in the region. The sanctuary is very popular with bird watchers in the summer months, when flocks of migratory birdsVisit to the region.

During the dry season returns flowing water inflow into the lake with the Mekong River provides a necessary counterweight to the river south of Tonle Sap. The fresh water flows into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam provides a buffer to the salt springs of the South China Sea entering the Delta farmland.