Lake Burullus
Location, area, and general characteristics
Lake Burullus is located in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, in the northern Nile Delta near the Mediterranean Sea—almost entirely within the governorate.
It is the second largest natural lake in Egypt in terms of area.
Estimates of its area vary depending on the source: it is approximately 460 square kilometers, or roughly 110,000 acres.
The lake is approximately 70 km long and between 6 and 17 km wide.
The lake is connected to:
The waters of the Nile River via the Barmbal Canal.
The Mediterranean Sea via the Burullus Strait.
The lake contains several natural islands, which are a source of plants and birds and a rich environment.
Legal and administrative status
It was declared a nature reserve by official decree in 1998.
It was declared a nature reserve by Decree No. 1444 of 1998 with the aim of protecting the biodiversity and ecological balance of the lake.
It is currently under the supervision of the Environmental Affairs Agency in cooperation with the Agency for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fisheries.
Environmental analysis using SWOT for cooperative associations of fishermen in Lake Burullus in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate. The study included seven associations:
1. Burullus Fishermen's Association
2. Minya Al-Morshed Fishermen's Association
3. Al-Shakhlouba Fishermen's Association
4. Barbal Fishermen's Association
5. Baltim Fishermen's Association
6. Emad Bahri Fishermen's Association
7. Al-Maqsaba and Mashtouha Fishermen's Association
The importance of Lake Burullus in food security
It is one of the main sources of fish wealth in Egypt.
It supplies local markets in Kafr El Sheikh, the Delta, and Greater Cairo.
It contributes to reducing pressure on marine production and industrial fish farms.
It is connected to the Nile River via the Barmbal Canal and to the Mediterranean Sea via the Burullus Strait. The lake is approximately 6 to 17 kilometers wide.
It has inland islands, dense vegetation, sandy plains, and salt marshes near the coast.
all types of fishing. It has many small villages that are the basis of its fishing wealth, such as Al-Bana'in, Souq Al-Thulatha, Al-Shush, Al-Wahiba, and Al-Shurfa.
The name
Lake Burullus is one of the oldest and most prestigious lakes in Egypt. It was known as Lake Boto, then Lake Botiko, then Lake Nikolos, and at the end of Roman rule, it was called Lake Paralos, then Lake Nestrawa, named after the region of Nestrawa, which was famous in the past and is now known as Mashtoura. The lake finally became known as Lake Burullus, named after the village of Burullus, which later became a city.
