Lake Engure
| Lake Engure | |
|---|---|
| Engures ezers (Latvian) | |
Eastern coast of Lake Engure | |
| Location | Talsi district |
| Coordinates | 57°16′N 23°06′E / 57.267°N 23.100°E |
| Primary outflows | Mersraga channel |
| Catchment area | 644 km2 (249 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Latvia |
| Max. length | 17.9 km (11.1 mi) |
| Max. width | 4.4 km (2.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 40.46 km2 (15.62 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) |
| Max. depth | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Water volume | 0.0168 km3 (13,600 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Islands | 9 (largest: Liela sala, Apalrova, Kazrova) |
| Settlements | Mērsrags |
| Designated | 25 July 1995 |
| Reference no. | 738 |
Lake Engure (Latvian: Engures ezers) is a shallow coastal lake in the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea, located in north-western Latvia (Talsi district). It is the third largest lake in the country after Lake Lubāns and Lake Rāzna. Covering about 45 km2 within a 644 km2 catchment, it is the largest relict water body along Latvia's coast. The lake formed as a remnant of the Littorina Sea roughly 4,000 years ago and lies at the heart of the Lake Engure Nature Park, a wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention (1971).
The whole lake and its vicinity have been included in the Lake Engure Nature Park since 1999, although the first natural reserve was established here in 1957. It contains a floating base for ornithologists.