Litani River

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This article is about the river in Lebanon. For the river in South America see Litani River (South America).

The Litani River (Arabic: نهر الليطاني‎; transliterated: Nahr al-Līţānī; classical name: Leontes) is an important waterway in southern Lebanon. It rises west of Baalbek in the fertile Beqaa Valley valley and empties in the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre, one of Lebanon’s largest cities. Exceeding 140 km, it is the longest river that originates and flows entirely within the borders of Lebanon. Most of its catchment area was under Israeli control during 1978 and from 1982 to 2000. It is a major water supply for Southern Lebanon.

1 Southern flow
2 Qasimiyeh
3 Litani River Dam
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Southern flow

After heading south parallel to the Syrian border, as the Litani nears northern Israel and the Golan Heights, the course of the river bends dramatically westward. Near this bend, the Litani comes within five km of the Hasbani River and four km from the Israeli border.

[edit] Qasimiyeh

The portion of the river flowing west is called the Qasimiyeh. This river constitutes the geographic boundary between the Upper Galilee to its south and Mount Lebanon on its northern bank. The Qasmieh-Ras-el-Aïn region, irrigated from the river's lower reaches from main irrigation canals, to south and north, is one of the largest irrigated areas in the nation, consisting of 32.64 km², shared among 1257 irrigating farmers, who concentrate on citrus crops and bananas (Raad 2004). For the entire stretch of the Qasimiyeh as it flows into the Mediterranean Sea, the Litani River remains nearly parallel to (and about 18 miles north of) the Israeli-Lebanese border.

[edit] Litani River Dam

Qaraoun, an artificial lake of 11 square km, was created by the Litani River Dam, 60 meters high and 1,350 meters in length, which was completed in 1959. A spillway of 6503 meters carries the water to the underground station where transformers produce a maximum of 185 megawatts of electricity, the largest hydroelectric project in Lebanon. The dam was intended eventually to provide irrigation for 310 km² of farmland in South Lebanon and 80 km² in the Beqaa Valley. The office is at the southern (dam) end of the lake on the left side. The lakeside has a hotel and a number of restaurants specializing in fresh trout.