Lake Gossi

Lake Gossi, also known as Mare de Grossi, is a body of water near Gossi in the Cercle of Gourma-Rharous in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The lake is near the town of Gossi.

Lake Gossi
Lake Gossi
Coordinates	15°49′40″N 1°18′41″W
Type	Natural freshwater lake[1]
Basin countries	Mali
Max. length	16.67 km (10.36 mi)
Max. width	1.33 km (0.83 mi)[2]
Surface elevation	279 m (915 ft)
Islands	numerous islands and islets, depending on how much water is in the lake
Settlements	town of Gossi

In 1990, with lower rainfall than usual, there was competition over land use between cattle grazers and harvesting of fonio grains. Cattle spent three-quarters of their grazing time around the shores of the lake or in depressions.^[3] During the dry season, the Tamasheq people of the region rely on the lake as an important source of water, their only alternative being pits and wells to reach groundwater that may be 50 metres (160 ft) underground.^[4] The lake is home to a number of waterbird species.^[5] As of 2009, the lake was sometimes visited by lone male elephants in January or February.^[6]

At the start of 1846, the forces of the Tuareg people in the Timbuktu area were surprised and defeated by a force of Fula lancers from the Massina Empire under Balobbo. As a result, for a period, Timbuktu again came under the authority of Amadu II of Masina.^[7]

References

Citations

1. Satellite imagery available in 2019 shows the water of this lake as very muddy.
2. Satellite imagery available in 2019 shows laked had this length and width. The size of the lake varies considerably.
3. Miaga 1991, p. 9.
4. Hill 2012, p. 18.
5. Velton 2004, p. 206.
6. Ham 2009, p. 529.
7. Ajayi 1989, p. 609.

Sources

• Ajayi, Jacob F. Ade (1989). Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. University of California Press. p. 609. ISBN 978-0-520-03917-9. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
• Ham, Anthony (2009-10-01). West Africa 7. Lonely Planet. p. 529. ISBN 978-1-74104-821-6. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
• Hill, Allan G. (2012-07-26). Population, Health and Nutrition in the Sahel: Issues in the Welfare of Selected West African Communities. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-88284-5. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
• Miaga, A. (1991). "The Harvesting of Wildgrowing Grain Crops in the Gourma Region of Mali-june 1991". Issues Paper. IIED. ISSN 1357-9312. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
• Velton, Ross (2004-12-01). Mali. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-077-0. Retrieved 2013-03-10.