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Lake Biwa The biggest lake in Japan, borne in the chasm of landform and has 4 million years of natural history. It is also the Ancient and structural lake with the surface of 674km2 and 104m deep. There is only one natural outflow by Seta River which flows into the Osaka Bay. Today the lake is the greatest water source to supply drinking water for 14 millions people who live in cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, but it is also rich in archeological material from more than 20,000 years ago, the epoch of hunter and gatherers, to 2300 years ago, the time that rice cultivation was introduced. From around AD700 written records of fishery exist, and it is famous for well studied lake from an historical point of view. Today eutrophication caused by industrial, everyday life and agriculture waste, and increase of exotic fish species is destroying the ecosystem and causing serious social problem. |
