Lake Tiberias is a freshwater lake
which lies far below sea level. Therefore it is not surprising that this lake is listed as the lowest freshwater lake in the world.
The Sea of Galilee, or better known as Lake Tiberias in Hebrew, is sometimes referred to as the Sea of Galilee, even though it is not actually a sea. This lake has been very famous since ancient times, and has had many different names throughout history.
Lake Tiberias is referred to as the Sea of Gennesaret or Lake Gennesaret in the Old and New Testaments. In the Babylonian Talmud, this lake is called Lake Ginosar. In the Hebrew Bible (Hebrew Bible) Lake Tiberias is called the Kinneret or the Sea of Kinneret. During the reign of the Umayyad dynasty to the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt, Lake Tiberias was known as the Minya Sea.
Apart from being the lowest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tiberias is also the second lowest lake on earth, after the Dead Sea.
The 21 km long, 13 km wide lake has a surface area of around 166.7 km². And like other large lakes, Lake Tiberias also has a 53 km long beach.
The average depth of Lake Tiberias is about 25.6 meters, and the maximum depth is not less than 43 meters. The surface level of Lake Tiberias varies, which is between -209 to -215 meters below sea level. This makes it the lowest freshwater lake in the world.
Lake Tiberias is located in northeastern Israel, between the Galilee region and the Golan Heights. The lake is located in an area known as the Jordan Rift Valley. A valley formed by the separation of the African Plate and the Arabian Plate.
Lake Tiberias gets its water supply from the Upper Jordan River, which is the only river that flows into this lake. The lake is capable of holding a volume of 4 km³ of water, and is a very important source of fresh water for Israel.
Lake Tiberias has experienced severe drought many times. In November 2001, the lake water had decreased until it reached 214.87 meters below sea level.
Israel is very dependent on Lake Tiberias, as a result the lake water continues to decline, reaching its peak in 2017, where the average lake water level is at a dangerous level, which is around 214 meters below sea level.
Even in December 2017, the water level of Lake Tiberias reached 214.395 meters below sea level.
Due to the receding of the lake water, a small island slowly appeared on the surface of the lake. The unknown island is causing concern, if Lake Tiberias really dries up and disappears, leaving a large basin with a small land in the middle.
Fortunately, in 2018, Lake Tiberias' water volume began to increase. The lake's water level will continue to rise until 2022. In fact, in April 2022 the surface level of Lake Tiberias was only around 209.015 m below sea level, which means it has increased by more than 5 meters from 2017.