Tonlé Sap

The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, Tonlé Sap fluctuates dramatically in size between dry and wet seasons — expanding from roughly 2,500 square kilometres at its annual minimum to more than 16,000 square kilometres at peak flood, when the Tonlé Sap River temporarily reverses its flow to accommodate the influx from the Mekong. Floating villages and stilt-house communities ring the lake shore and shift their positions seasonally, adapting their infrastructure to the rising and falling water level. The lake's extraordinary seasonal productivity supports one of the world's highest-density inland fisheries.