LAC DE MANTA

The village of Manta is quite old and is already mentioned in a document of 1436. In the 19th century, the locality had about 60 vineyards. It is the birthplace of the dancer Ion Furnică as well as the popular music performers Ana and Larisa Arseni. The surrounding area is characterized by numerous ponds and lakes known to harbour white water lilies, a plant protected by the Moldovan authorities. Lake Manta is one of the largest in the country, but its depth is limited, generally 2 m, whereas it used to be 8 to 10 m deep. It was formed with the overflow of the Prut River. It is 7 km long and covers 21 km2_{. The lake, its islets and surrounding ponds are home to a rich flora and fauna. Among the bird species present, one can observe numerous cormorants, storks, egrets, pelicans, herons, cranes, swans... On the spot, one can also find coypu, lizards, foxes, wild cats, turtles, wild boars and deer. The white and yellow water lilies give the lake and the marshes a beautiful colourful note. People come here to walk in the open air, to observe nature and animals, to sail on the lake by boat and to fish.}

The Manta Lake touches the Lunca Natural Park Joasă in Prutului Inferior, 3 km south of Manta. This natural park is located in Romania. Going down a little further south to Slobozia Mare, you can visit the nature reserve of Prutul de Jos with Lake Beleu, located in Moldova.