Ritsa

(also Ritsa Bol’shaia), a mountain glacial lake in the western Caucasus, in the Abkhazian ASSR. Lake Ritsa is located at an elevation of 950 m in the valley of the Lashipse River, east of the Gagra Range. It is part of the Ritsa Preserve. Its area is 1.49 sq km, and its length is 2.5 km. The maximum width is 1.05 km, and the average depth is 63 m (maximum depth, 116 m). The lake is fed by rain and snow; the water level varies 2 or 3 m. The average surface water temperature between late June and November is more than 10°C; the maximum temperature, occurring in August, is 17.6°C. The lake is the source of the Iupshara River—a continuation of the Lashipse River in the basin of the Bzyb’ River. The picturesqueness of the lake and its surroundings has made the area a popular tourist resort. There are a hotel and a boarding house on the lakeshore. A highway links the region with resorts on the Black Sea. Lake Malaia Ritsa is nearby; its area is 0.2 sq km.