Lake Inle, Myanmar

Myanmar, Shan-Staat, Inle

Inle is a small town on Upper Inle Lake. Lake Inle is 22 kilometers long, 10 kilometers wide and only 3 meters deep. After Lake Indawgyi, the second largest lake in Myanmar and is located in the eastern part of the country, surrounded by up to 2000Meter high Shan Mountains. A wide belt of reeds lines the freshwater lake.

The approximately 70,000 people who live in 17 villages in stilt houses around the lake call themselves “Intha”, which translates as “children of the lake”. They live mainly from handicrafts, or are fishermen and farmers.

The floating gardens and the one-legged rowers are unique.
This special leg rowing technique can only be found at Inle Lake. With this technique it is possible to maneuver through the narrow channels.

The fishermen stand with one leg on the narrow bottom of the canoe and skilfully loop the other foot around the oar, which they move while standing. So you have both hands free to fish.Inle Lake is best known for the large number of migratory water birds.

Submitted by: Frank Reinders
Approved by: Hans-Georg Evers & John Lenagan

Geographical region: Southeastern Asia
Drainage Basin
River catchment: Lake Inle
Water body type: Lake
Water body name: Inle
Water body part
Water body course
Water body: tributary of
Tributary name

Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
Water color: Clear water
Water transparency: High
Concentration of sediments: Low
Water temperature: Summer 27/28°C, Winter 18/20 °C
Water flow/curent: Slow

Chemical parameters

pH: 8
Conductivity
GH
dGH
KH
dKH
Dissolved Oxygen

Comment by the expert

Hans-Georg Evers: Not well researched. Aquatic info completely missing. No invertebrates mentioned.

John Lenagan: The locational research and demographic understanding of the lake was light on, the aquatic and natural ecosystem and habitat knowledge seamed limited, it was unclear as to whether the participant had a detailed understanding of how this lake environment and its ecosystems functioned other than references to other past Biotope entries.