Lake Mariout

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Lake Mariout
Lake type brackish
Basin countries Egypt
Surface area 250 km²
Dried out section of Lake Mariout, used for salt refining
Dried out section of Lake Mariout, used for salt refining

Lake Mariout (Arabic: بحيرة مريوط) (also spelled Maryut or Mariut) is a salt lake, or rather brackish, with an area of about 250 square km in northern Egypt. It is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by the narrow isthmus on which the city of Alexandria was built. The lake shore is home to fisheries and saltworks. Some of the marshy areas around the lake have been reclaimed for new building as the city grows.

The name derives from Mareotis, the name of the lake in ancient times.

Nile perch lives in the lake, although it principally needs fresh water to live in, and the lake contains some salt.


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