Lough Gill (Kerry) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lough Gill |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Location in island of Ireland
|
|
| Location | County Kerry |
| Coordinates | 52°15′38″N 10°2′44″W / 52.26056°N 10.04556°W |
| Native name | Loch Gile Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| Catchment area | 16.43 km2 (6.3 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.9 km (0.6 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.4 km2 (0.54 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 0.5 m (1 ft 7.7 in) |
| Surface elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
Lough Gill (which means "bright lake" in Irish, or Irish: Loch Gile) is a beautiful freshwater lake. It is found in the southwest part of Ireland. This special lake is located on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, a very scenic area.
Exploring Lough Gill's Location and Size
Lough Gill is about 2 km (1.2 mi) long and 1 km (0.6 mi) wide. Imagine a lake that's roughly the length of 20 football fields! It's located near the village of Castlegregory. This makes it a great spot to visit if you are exploring the Dingle Peninsula. The lake is also about 30 km (19 mi) west of a larger town called Tralee.
How Lough Gill Works
Lough Gill is a natural lagoon. This means it's a shallow body of water that is partly separated from the sea. It drains its water into Tralee Bay, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake gets its water from two main sources. One is the Killiney River, and the other is an unnamed stream. Lough Gill is quite shallow, with most areas being less than 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) deep. That's about half the height of an average 12-year-old!
Amazing Animals in Lough Gill
Lough Gill is home to many different kinds of fish. You might find tiny three-spined stickleback fish swimming around. There are also sand goby and brown trout. You can also spot flounder, which are flat fish that live on the bottom.
One very important fish living here is the European eel. These eels are critically endangered, which means they are in great danger of disappearing forever. Protecting places like Lough Gill helps these special creatures survive.
The lake is part of a larger protected area. This area is called the Tralee Bay and Magharees Peninsula, West to Cloghane Special Area of Conservation. This special status helps protect the lake and all the amazing plants and animals that live there.
