Wenchi crater lake, also spelled as Wancii or Wonchi, is a volcano located 98 km (61 mi) west of Addis Ababa, in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. At 3,450 m (11,320 ft) above sea level, it is the highest volcano in Ethiopia, 13.5 km (8.4 mi) from Mount Dendi, Ethiopia's second highest volcano. Wonchi is located at equal distance between the towns of Ambo and Woliso. It erupted in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era.
The volcano has a 4 by 4.8 km (2.5 by 3.0 mi) wide caldera, and a single crater lake, Wonchi lake, about 450 m (1,480 ft) below the rim of the volcano. Study of Wonchi's caldera is incomplete; initial findings show it could be as much as 900 m (3,000 ft) deep, and the lake itself could be as deep as 400 m (1,300 ft).[1]
Wanchi Lake
Besides Wonchi lake, the caldera also contains hot springs, waterfalls, valleys, and other scenery. There are two islands in the lake. On one of the islands there is an ancient church called Cherkos monastery. The monastery is thought to have been built in the 13th century by St. Tekle Haymanot and rebuilt in the 15th century by Emperor Zara Yaqob. It houses a huge church bell known as the "Gondar bell" in honor of the alleged Gondar-reigning Emperor Fasilidas.One can reach the islands and the monastery by ferry. Due to its unique topography, Wanchi has a wide variety of animal and plant species. For these reasons, Wanchi has become a popular tourist destination in Ethiopia. This has been the case even though there was no dry weather road. Since the construction of Ambo-Waliso gravel road, tourism has emerged as one of the rapidly growing economic sectors in the district, Wanchi lake becoming a favored weekend destination for residents of nearby cities including Addis Ababa. The tourist can hire horses to take down the mountain to the lake. It takes about one hour from the volcano rim to reach the lake side.
The Office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has worked on developing the destination and increasing tourist flow to the area with its most recent development project, "Dine for Ethiopia."[2]
Referencesedit
^ abc . volcano.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
wonchi, volcano, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, wonchi, volcano, news, newspapers, books, scholar, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wonchi volcano news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Wenchi crater lake also spelled as Wancii or Wonchi is a volcano located 98 km 61 mi west of Addis Ababa in Oromia Region Ethiopia At 3 450 m 11 320 ft above sea level it is the highest volcano in Ethiopia 13 5 km 8 4 mi from Mount Dendi Ethiopia s second highest volcano Wonchi is located at equal distance between the towns of Ambo and Woliso It erupted in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era WonchiHighest pointElevation3 450 m 11 320 ft 1 ListingVolcanoes of EthiopiaCoordinates08 50 34 N 38 00 40 E 8 84278 N 38 01111 E 8 84278 38 01111 1 GeographyWonchiLocation in EthiopiaCountryEthiopiaGeologyLast eruption550Features editThe volcano has a 4 by 4 8 km 2 5 by 3 0 mi wide caldera and a single crater lake Wonchi lake about 450 m 1 480 ft below the rim of the volcano Study of Wonchi s caldera is incomplete initial findings show it could be as much as 900 m 3 000 ft deep and the lake itself could be as deep as 400 m 1 300 ft 1 nbsp Wanchi Lake Besides Wonchi lake the caldera also contains hot springs waterfalls valleys and other scenery There are two islands in the lake On one of the islands there is an ancient church called Cherkos monastery The monastery is thought to have been built in the 13th century by St Tekle Haymanot and rebuilt in the 15th century by Emperor Zara Yaqob It houses a huge church bell known as the Gondar bell in honor of the alleged Gondar reigning Emperor Fasilidas One can reach the islands and the monastery by ferry Due to its unique topography Wanchi has a wide variety of animal and plant species For these reasons Wanchi has become a popular tourist destination in Ethiopia This has been the case even though there was no dry weather road Since the construction of Ambo Waliso gravel road tourism has emerged as one of the rapidly growing economic sectors in the district Wanchi lake becoming a favored weekend destination for residents of nearby cities including Addis Ababa The tourist can hire horses to take down the mountain to the lake It takes about one hour from the volcano rim to reach the lake side The Office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has worked on developing the destination and increasing tourist flow to the area with its most recent development project Dine for Ethiopia 2 References edit a b c Wonchi Ethiopia volcano oregonstate edu Archived from the original on 2019 03 30 Retrieved 2019 03 30 Worede Melak Lake Wonchi Haroo Wenchi Worqamba Ethiopian Holidays Worqamba Ethiopia Tours Retrieved 2023 09 23 External links edit Topographic map of Wonchi opentopomap org Retrieved 2023 05 11 nbsp Africa portal nbsp This Ethiopia location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wonchi volcano amp oldid 1180211181, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
