THE LANDMARK

Kandawgyi Lake (literally "great royal lake", formerly Royal Lake) is one of two major lakes in Yangon, Burma, located east of the Shwedagon Pagoda. The lake is artificial and was created to provide a clean water supply to the Cantonment (modern-day Downtown) of Rangoon during British colonial administration. Water from Inya Lake is channeled through a series of pipes to Kandawgyi Lake. It is approximately 5 miles (8 km) in circumference, and has a depth of 20 to 45 inches (50 to 115 cm). The lake is bounded by Natmauk Street to its north and east, Bahan Street to its west, and Kanyeiktha Street to its south. To the southwest of Kandawgyi Lake is the Yangon Zoological Garden, and along the eastern shorelines of the lake is the famous Karaweik Barge, a concrete replica of a Burmese royal barge built in 1972. It houses a buffet restaurant today. The area surrounding the Karaweik forms the 110-acre Kandawgyi Nature Park, which was renovated in 2005.