Europe’s largest artificial lake, the size of Edinburgh, took 7 years and cost £2.2 billion to build | World | News

The Great Lake of Alqueva in south-eastern Portugal is the largest artificial lake in Europe and has only recently existed.

The vast expanse of water is 97 square miles, making it slightly smaller than Edinburgh, which is 102 square miles.

Lake Alqueva exists thanks to the construction of a huge dam on this site, designed to irrigate the arid surroundings.

The dam was built in 2002, but it became fully operational only in 2010.

However, the dam does more than just provide a valuable source of water for the area. It also generates electricity thanks to a 518.4 megawatt (695,200 hp) power plant built on the site in 2013.

On 8 February 2002, the sluice gates of the 96-metre (315 ft) high Alqueva Dam were closed and the lake filled with water.

However, it was only in January 2010 that the lake was filled to the required level. At that time, the surface area was 250 km2.

When full, the coastline of the Great Lake Alqueva, also known as Grande Lago, is almost 1,200 kilometers long and has a maximum depth of about 100 meters.

One Tripadvisor reviewer from Edinburgh said of the amazing feat of engineering: “Good, easy parking and a footpath allow you to stop as you drive over the dam and admire the views across the lake.

“You can see both sides of the dam and admire a fantastic feat of engineering.

“The view of the lake is fantastic and if you follow the path along the lake shore towards Moura for about 15 metres, you can see a monument to the dam builders with an interesting explanation.”