What is unique about Lake Retba?
Lake Retba is situated in Northwest Africa, in Cap-Vert Peninsula Senegal and lies 30 km northeast of the capital, Dakar. This lake is famous because of its unusual yet vivid naturally occurring pink color. It is not the only pink lake in the world. It is also known as Lac Rose by the locals.
What is Lake Retba known for?
Lake Retba, in Senegal, is known as the “Pink Lake.” It is becoming one of Senegal’s most popular tourist destinations. Piles of salt drying on the shores of Lake Retba. The lake’s salt content rivals that of the Dead Sea and the combination of the sun and salt-loving micro-algae has given the water its color.
Is Lake Retba always pink?
Lake Retba is indeed quite pink. The color varies a lot so you won’t always get the full pink surface visible from the edge.
Where is Lake Retba in Senegal?
Lake Retba or Lac Rose lies north of the Cap Vert peninsula of Senegal, northeast of Dakar. Depending on the time of the day, the lake changes colour from a light purple to a deep scarlet pink.
Which is the saltiest lake in the world?
Don Juan Pond
It may be small, but of all the world’s lakes that are hypersaline (extremely high in their salt content) Don Juan Pond in Antarctica is the saltiest. With more than 40 percent salinity, the lake never freezes — even at temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit.
Is Lake Retba safe to swim in?
The micro-algae is completely harmless to humans, which makes swimming in Lake Retba entirely possible. The best time to visit Lake Retba is during the dry season, which lasts from November to June, when increased exposure to the sun causes the bacteria to produce a vivid red pigment.
Will Lake Retba ever run out of salt?
Thanks to its landlocked nature, the water from the sea evaporates, leaving behind massive amounts of salt, making the lake so dense that people can float on top of it. So no, we won’t be running out of salt any time soon!
Can you swim in the Pink Lake?
Can you swim in Pink Lake Australia? In fact, swimming in the water of the lake is safe and fun, but for normal tourists it is impossible to do it as the lake can not be visited.
Can you swim in Pink Lake Senegal?
Roughly 10km northeast of Senegal’s capital city of Dakar, lies the pink lake, Lake Retba. The micro-algae is completely harmless to humans, which makes swimming in Lake Retba entirely possible.
What language is spoken in Senegal?
French
Senegal/Official languages
What is the saltiest food?
The 10 Saltiest Foods
- Breads and Rolls.
- Deli Meats and Cured Meats.
- Pizza.
- Fresh and Processed Poultry.
- Soup.
- Cheeseburgers/Sandwiches.
- More from MensHealth.com: 10 Sinister Sources of Salt.
- Cheese.
What is the saltiest place on earth?
The largest salt flat in the world is found in Bolivia. Salar de Uyuni measures more than 4,050 square miles (10,500 sq km) and was formed when a prehistoric mega-lake dried up. The basin is now paved with bloated hexagonal salt crystals that stretch as far as the eye can see.
How big is the Lake Retba in Senegal?
This salt is extracted by locals from the bottom of the lake using their hands, then placed into baskets it is transported to the shore where it is used mainly to preserve fish. The lake is only 3 square kilometers big (about 1,1 square miles) and there is no major town developed along its shores.
Why is the water in Lake Retba pink?
The Lake Retba. Its distinct pink colour is caused by the Dunaliella salina bacteria, which is attracted by the lake’s salt content. The bacteria produces a red pigment in order to absorb the sunlight, thus giving the lake its unique colour.
Is it safe to swim in Lake Retba?
The Dunaliella salina bacteria which gives the lake its distinct color is completely harmless to humans and swimming in the lake is possible. Locals who work on extracting salt from the lake use shea butter obtained from the shea nut tree.
Are there any living organisms in Lake Retba?
Not many living organisms are able to survive in Lake Retba because of its high salt content, so it serves mainly as a tourist point and for salt production. In fact, if you decide to visit the lake, you will constantly see salt collectors working at the lake and the shores of Lake Retba are full of piles of collected salt.
