Lake Biwa - wikipedia Lake Biwa This article is about the lake in Japan. For the album by Wadada Leo Smith, see Lake Biwa ( album ). This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( September 2012 ) Lake Biwa Lake Biwa from space Coordinates 35 ° 20 ′ N 136 ° 10 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 35.333 ° N 136.167 ° E ﻿ / 35.333 ; 136.167 Coordinates : 35 ° 20 ′ N 136 ° 10 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 35.333 ° N 136.167 ° E ﻿ / 35.333 ; 136.167 Primary inflows 118 rivers Primary outflows Seta River Catchment area 3,174 km ( 1,225 sq mi ) Basin countries Japan Max. length 63.49 km ( 39.45 mi ) Max. width 22.8 km ( 14.2 mi ) Surface area 670.3 km ( 258.8 sq mi ) Max. depth 104 m ( 341 ft ) Water volume 27.5 km ( 6.6 cu mi ) Residence time 5.5 years Shore length 235.2 km ( 146.1 mi ) Surface elevation 85.6 m ( 281 ft ) Islands Settlements Hikone, Otsu, Nagahama, Takashima Ramsar Wetland Designated 10 June 1993 Shore length is not a well - defined measure. Reeds on the shore of Lake Biwa Lake Biwa ( Japanese : 琵琶湖, Hepburn : Biwa - ko ) is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture ( west - central Honshu ), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles. Contents 1 Name 2 Area and use 3 Natural history 4 Archaeology 5 Environmental legislation 5.1 Eutrophication prevention 5.2 Wetlands protection 5.3 Conservation of Reed Vegetation Zones 6 Image gallery 7 See also 8 Explanatory notes 9 References 10 External links Name The name Biwako was established in the Edo period. There are various theories about the origin of the name Biwako, but it is generally believed to be so named because of the resemblance of its shape to that of a stringed instrument called the biwa. Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku - ji in the 14th century, gave a clue to the origin of the name Biwako in his writing : `` The lake is the Pure land of the goddess Benzaiten because she lives on Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to that of the biwa, her favorite instrument. '' The lake was formerly known as the Awaumi ( 淡海, Freshwater Sea ) or the Chikatsu Awaumi ( 近 淡海, Freshwater Sea Near the Capital ). Later the pronunciation Awaumi changed to the modern Ōmi as in the name of Ōmi Province. The lake is also called Nio no Umi ( 鳰 の 海, `` Little Grebe Lake '' ) in literature. Area and use The area of this lake is about 670 km2. Small rivers drain from the surrounding mountains into Lake Biwa, and its main outlet is the Seta River, which later becomes the Uji River, combining with the Katsura and Kizu to become the Yodo River and flows into the Seto Inland Sea at Osaka Bay. It serves as a reservoir for the cities of Kyoto and Ōtsu and is a valuable resource for nearby textile industries. It provides drinking water for about 15 million people in the Kansai region. Lake Biwa is a breeding ground for freshwater fish, including trout, and for the pearl culture industry. The Lake Biwa Canal, built in the late 1890s and later expanded during the Taishō period played a role of great importance in the rekindling of Kyoto 's industrial life, after a steep decline following the transfer of the capital to Tokyo. Lake Biwa is home to many popular beaches along the north - western shore, in particular, for example, Shiga Beach and Omi - Maiko. The Mizunomori Water Botanical Garden and The Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu are also of interest. The Lake Biwa Marathon takes place in Otsu, the city at the southern end of the lake, annually since 1962. Natural history Lake Biwa is of tectonic origin and is one of the world 's oldest lakes, dating to at least 4 million years ago. This long uninterrupted age has allowed for a notably diverse ecosystem to evolve in the lake. Naturalists have documented more than 1000 species and subspecies in the lake, including about 60 endemic. Lake Biwa is an important place for water birds. About 5,000 water birds visit Lake Biwa every year. There are 46 native fish species and subspecies in the lake, including 11 species and 5 subspecies that are endemic or near - endemic. The endemic species are five cyprinids ( Carassius cuvieri, Gnathopogon caerulescens, Ischikauia steenackeri, Opsariichthys uncirostris and Sarcocheilichthys biwaensis ), a true loach ( Cobitis magnostriata ), two gobies ( Gymnogobius isaza and an undescribed species of Rhinogobius ), two silurid catfish ( Silurus biwaensis and S. lithophilus ) and a cottid ( Cottus reinii ). The Biwa trout is also endemic to the lake, but some maintain that it is a subspecies of the widespread masu salmon rather than a separate species. The remaining endemic fish are subspecies of Carassius auratus, Cobitis minamorii, Sarcocheilichthys variegatus and Squalidus ( chankaensis ) biwae. Lake Biwa is also the home of a large number of molluscs, including 38 freshwater snails ( 19 endemic ) and 16 bivalves ( 9 endemic ). Recently the biodiversity of the lake has suffered greatly due to the invasion of foreign fish, the black bass and the bluegill. Bluegill were presented to the Emperor and later freed in the lake as a food source for other fish. Black bass were introduced as a sport fish. In July 2009, a largemouth bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces ( about 10.09 kg ) was caught in the lake by Manabu Kurita. It has been officially certified by the International Game Fish Association ( IGFA ) to tie the largemouth bass world record held solely by George Perry for 77 years. Archaeology The Awazu site, a submerged shell - midden of Lake Biwa, is an important archaeological site of Jōmon period. It goes back to the beginning of the Initial Jōmon period ( ca. 9300 BP ). It lies near the southern end of Lake Biwa, close to Otsu City, at a depth of 2 to 3m from the bottom. The site shows the use of plant and animal food resources by Jōmon peoples. It also demonstrates the importance of nut consumption in this period. Shell Midden No. 3 is dated to the Middle Jōmon period. An abundance of horse chestnuts was uncovered here ( c. 40 % of the total estimated diet ). This indicates that, by this later period, a sophisticated processing technology was mastered in order to remove the harmful tannic acid, and make this food safe for consumption. Ishiyama is another such site of early Jōmon period on Lake Biwa. Environmental legislation Various environmental laws cover Lake Biwa : Eutrophication prevention Legislation to prevent eutrophication was enacted in 1981 and first enforced on July 1, 1982 ; therefore, this day is called `` Lake Biwa Day ( びわ湖 の 日, Biwako no Hi ) ''. The legislation established standards for the nitrogen and phosphorus levels for agricultural, industrial, and household water sources emptying into the lake. They also banned people from using and selling synthetic detergents which contain phosphorus. Wetlands protection The lake was designated as a UNESCO Ramsar Wetland ( 1993 ) in accordance with the Ramsar Convention. The object of this treaty is to protect and sensibly use internationally valuable wetlands. The Kushiro marsh ( 釧路 湿原, Kushiro Shitsugen ) in Japan is under this treaty now. Conservation of reed Vegetation Zones Reed colonies on the shore form give Lake Biwa its characteristic scenery. The reeds play an important role in purifying water as well as providing habitat for birds and fish. At one time there were large areas of reeds along the shores of Lake Biwa, which local government surveys recently found to have halved in size due to encroaching development. This Shiga Ordinance for the Conservation of Reed Vegetation Zones to protect, grow, and utilize the reed beds has been in force since 1992. Image gallery Lake Biwa at Chomeiji - cho, Ōmihachiman Lake Biwa Canal Mangetsu - ji temple, one of the Eight Views of Omi A pleasure boat from the Otsu port Chikubu Island See also Eight Views of Omi Biwako Line Biwako Quasi-National Park Birdman Rally ( 1977 -- ), the yearly televised homemade glider and human - powered flight competition. Biwa town, a town on the northern shore of Lake Biwa and its name was named after Lake Biwa. F.C. Mi - O Biwako Kusatsu, a football club based in Kusatsu, Shiga, facing the lake. Tourism in Japan Lake Hamana, a lake in Shizuoka Prefecture, its old name was `` distant fresh - water sea ''. Explanatory notes Jump up ^ The subspecies differentiation may not be recognzed, for example by the current FishBase. References ^ Jump up to : Tabata, R. ; Kakioka, R. ; Tominaga, K. ; Komiya, T. ; Watanabe, K. ( 2016 ). Phylogeny and historical demography of endemic fishes in Lake Biwa : the ancient lake as a promoter of evolution and diversification of freshwater fishes in western Japan. Ecology and Evolution 6 ( 8 ) : 2601 -- 2623. Jump up ^ `` Biwa, Lake ''. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Jump up ^ Yoshihiro Kimura ( 2001 ). Biwako - sono koshō no yurai - ( Lake Biwa, the origin of its name ). Hikone : Sunrise Publishing. ISBN 4 - 88325 - 129 - 2 ^ Jump up to : Kawanabe, H. ; Nishino, M. ; and Maehata, M., editors ( 2012 ). Lake Biwa : Interactions between Nature and People. pp 119 - 120. ISBN 978 - 94 - 007 - 1783 - 1 Jump up ^ Segers, H. ; and Martens, K ; editors ( 2005 ). The Diversity of Aquatic Ecosystems. p. 46. Developments in Hydrobiology. Aquatic Biodiversity. ISBN 1 - 4020 - 3745 - 7 ^ Jump up to : Francesco Menotti, Aidan O'Sullivan, The Oxford Handbook of Wetland Archaeology. OUP Oxford, 2013. ISBN 0199573492 p. 181 Jump up ^ Habu, Junko ; Matsui, Akira ; Yamamoto, Naoto ; Kanno, Tomonori ( 2011 ). `` Shell midden archaeology in Japan : Aquatic food acquisition and long - term change in the Jomon culture '' ( PDF ). Quaternary International. 239 ( 1 - 2 ) : 19 -- 27. doi : 10.1016 / j. quaint. 2011.03. 014. ISSN 1040 - 6182. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Biwa. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lake Biwa. Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Biwa. Department of Lake Biwa and Environment, Shiga Prefecture Lake Biwa Environmental Research Institute Lake Biwa Museum Ramsar site database go. biwako - Travel Guide of Shiga Prefecture, Japan Lake Biwa ( World Wildlife Fund ) Review of Criodrilidae ( Annelida : Oligochaeta ) including Biwadrilus from Japan Live Webcam of Biwako Japan 's Secret Garden NOVA / PBS Fishing World Records Lakes in Japan Chūbu region Suwa Hokkaido region Saroma Kussharo Shikotsu Tōya Notoro Fūren Abashiri Akkeshi Mashū Kutcharo Akan Kuttara Kansai region Biwa Kantō region Kasumigaura Kitaura Chūzenji Inba Kyūshū region Ikeda San'in region Nakaumi Lake Shinji Tōhoku region Inawashiro Ogawara Towada Hachirō Tazawa Jūsan Hibara Tōkai region Hamana VIAF : 256245987 NDL : 00645291 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_Biwa&oldid=836929329 '' Categories : Freshwater ecoregions Lakes of Japan Ramsar sites in Japan Landforms of Shiga Prefecture Jōmon period Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from September 2012 All articles lacking in - text citations Coordinates on Wikidata Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Articles containing Japanese - language text Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Bosanski Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Kiswahili Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Scots Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Žemaitėška 中文 41 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 April 2018, at 18 : 12. 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Question: where is lake biwa in japan on a map
Answer: 35°20′N 136°10′E﻿ / ﻿35.333°N 136.167°E