Lake Nasser, Man-made reservoir between southern Egypt and northern Sudan

Lake Nasser is a reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan formed by the Aswan High Dam, stretching 479 kilometers and reaching 16 kilometers across at its widest point near the Tropic of Cancer. It covers 5,250 square kilometers and holds about 132 cubic kilometers of water, flooding what was once Nile valley floor and Nubian settlements.

Construction of the Aswan High Dam began in 1960 under Gamal Abdel Nasser and was finished in 1970, replacing the 1902 Aswan Low Dam; Anwar Sadat inaugurated dam and lake in 1971. The UNESCO-led International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia dismantled and moved temples such as Abu Simbel, Kalabsha, Wadi es-Sebua and Amada, while the fortress of Buhen stayed and now lies underwater.

The name Nasser honors Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president when the lake began filling. In Sudan the same body of water carries the name Lake Nubia, acknowledging the region whose villages disappeared beneath the rising water.

The shoreline is best accessed from Aswan, where boat excursions depart along the waterfront and to relocated temples. Outside the summer months the heat is less intense, and visibility across the water remains clear and far-reaching.

More than 50 species of fish live in the water, some discovered only after the flooding. The border between Egypt and Sudan runs straight through the middle, so fishing boats from both countries share the same waters.