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Lake Sevan ((アルメニア語:Սևանա լիճ), ''Sevana lič̣'') is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in the central part of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about , which makes up 1/6 of Armenia's territory. The lake itself is 1,242 km², and the volume is 32.8 billion m³. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the incoming water is drained by the Hrazdan river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Sevan provides some 90 of fish and 80% of crayfish catch of Armenia. It has as significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Its only island (now a peninsula) is home to a medieval monastery. Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the Ararat plain and hydroelectric power generation since the 1930s. Consequently, its water level decreased by around 20 meters and its volume reduced by more than 40%. Two underground tunnels were later built to divert water from highland rivers, which halted its decline, and its level began rising. Before human intervention dramatically changed the the lake's ecosystem, the lake was deep, covered an area of 1,416 km² (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58.5 km³. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m above sea level. ==Etymology== ;Origins of Sevan Sevan is thought by scholars to have originated from the Urartian word ''suinia'' or ''suinna'' or ''sunia'' ("lake"),〔Севан от урартск. суниа — «озеро» 〕 which is found in an inscription left by the Urartian king Rusa I. The cuneiform inscription from the 8th century BC was found in Odzaberd, in the southern shore on the lake. There are at least two popular versions of origins of the word "Sevan". According to one, Sevan comes from the Armenian words ''sev'' (black) and ''vank’'' (monastery), referring to the island monastery. The second version links Sevan's name with that of Lake Van. It is said that long ago, Armenians came from the areas around Lake Van to Lake Sevan. They saw that the lake was dark and almost black yet reminded them of Van, therefore the lake was called ''sev'' ("black") + Van.〔René Grousset. ''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia'', Rutgers University Press, 1970, p. 348, ISBN 0-8135-1304-9〕 ;Other names *Since antiquity up to the Middle Ages, Sevan was mostly known as a sea and referred to in Armenian as the Sea of Gegham (Գեղամա ծով, ''Geghama tsov''). The name is mentioned by several medieval Armenian historians, including in Movses Khorenatsi's ''History of Armenia'' (ծով Գեղամայ).〔Translated as "lake of Geḷam" by Robert W. Thomson, see 〕 *In the classical antiquity, the lake was known as Lychnitis in Latin and Greek (Λυχνῖτις). It is mentioned in Ptolemy's map of Greater Armenia in his ''Geography''.〔 (view online )〕 *The historic Georgian name of the lake is გელაქუნი, gelakuni.〔(【引用サイトリンク】)">url=http://www.nplg.gov.ge/gwdict/index.php?a=term&d=14&t=50688 )〕 It is called "Lake Ereta" by Leonti Mroveli in ''The Georgian Chronicles'' drawing from the name of its old inhabitants (i.e. before the fall of Urartu), the Èrs. *At least from the early modern era until the early 20th century, the lake was often referred to as Gokcha from Turkish Gökče, which translates to "blue water". Besides the Turkic population, Gokcha was also used in Russian and European sources.〔 *Russian〔 and European〔 sources of the 19th and early 20th century referred to the lake as Sevanga. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lake Sevan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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