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Lake St Lucia (Lake Saint Lucia) is an
estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
system in northern
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. It is the largest estuarine lake in Southern Africa, covering an area of approximately , and falls within the
iSimangaliso Wetland Park iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 235 kilometres north of Durban by road. It is South Africa's third-largest protected are ...
(a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
). The lake was named ''Santa Lucia'' by Manuel Perestrello on 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy.Santa Lucia: http://www.santalucia.co.za/history.php , retrieved 8 August 2015 It was later renamed to St. Lucia.


Flora and fauna

More than 2,180 species of flowering plants have been documented in the St Lucia lake system. St Lucia Lake harbours rich fauna, including crocodiles, hippopotami, monitor lizards, over 400 bird species, invertebrates, and the occasional bull shark.Perissinotto, R., Taylor, R.H., Carrasco, N.K. & Fox, C. 2013. Observations on the bloom-forming jellyfish ''Crambionella stuhlmanni'' (Chun, 1896) in the St Lucia Estuary, South Africa. ''
African Invertebrates ''African Invertebrates'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal that covers the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography, ecology, conservation, and palaeontology of Afrotropical invertebrates, whether terrestrial, freshwater, or ma ...
'' 54 (1): 161–170.


References

Estuaries of Africa Landforms of KwaZulu-Natal
St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindi ...
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