Ludaš Lake 3.27

Ludaš or Ludoš Lake is a shallow lake in the province of Vojvodina in northern Serbia, near Subotica. It is a special natural preserve and, since 1977, designated as a swamp area of international significance by the Ramsar Convention. The name of the lake stems from Hungarian "ludas", meaning goose.GeographyThe lake is located 12 kilometers southeast of Subotica, 10 km away from the E75 motorway, near the villages of Šupljak and Hajdukovo. About 4.5 km long, it stretches in north-south direction. It lies on the sandy terrain between Danube and Tisza rivers, at the borderline of Bačka loessial plateau. Its northern part is wider and swampy, while the southern part is embedded into loess, with shores 3–4 m high. The bottom of the lake is made of watertight layer of white clay, covered with mud. The water is shallow, with the average depth of just 1 m and reaching the maximum depth of 2.25 m. The lake freezes up to three months a year, and in the summer its temperature can reach as high as 30°C.The lake is of aeolian origin, and its bed was formed approximately 1 million years ago, as winds emptied the sand dunes along the clay plateau. Before the water regulation system in the area was introduced, it used to be a swamp, supplied by natural precipitation and several small water streams, while a branch of the Kereš River takes the extraneous water away into Tisza. Today, it also receives water influx from Palić-Ludaš and Bega canals.