Lake Victoria information and facts
Lake Victoria (or Victoria Nyanza in Bantu language) is the largest of the African Great Lakes, it is the big lake in Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake by surface area, after Lake Superior. The equator line runs through Lake Victoria.
The lake's surface area is 68,800 square kilometers, which also makes it the world's largest tropical lake. In terms of water volume, the lake ranks ninth, including about 2,750 cubic kilometers of water.
It is the main source of fresh water for the majority of the rural population living in its surroundings.
Together with Kyoga and Lake Albert, it forms a reservoir of 3,200 cubic kilometers of fresh water.
The maximum depth is 84 meters, the average depth is 40 meters. The lake's catchment area is 184,000 square kilometers and has a coastline of 4,828 kilometers. Islands make up 3.7% of the total coastline.
The lake is part of the territory of 3 countries: Kenya 6% of the total area (4,100 square kilometers), Uganda 45% (31,000 square kilometers), and Tanzania 49% (33,700 square kilometers).
Hydrology and geography
Precipitation provides 80% of Lake Victoria's water inflow. Due to evaporation, the lake level fluctuates between 2 and 2.2 meters every year.
Changes in Lake Victoria's water balance are important for several countries in the region, including Sudan and Egypt, which receive water from the Upper Nile basin.
Tributaries
Thousands of small streams flow into Victoria. Its most important tributaries are located on the Kenyan part: Nzoya (257 km), Yala, Sio, Sandu Miriu, Nuando, Migori and Mogusi. The largest tributary is the Kagera River, which flows into the lake on the western side.
Source of the Nile
Lake Victoria has one important outflow - the Nile River. The great African river flows from a lake in Uganda, near Jinja.
It then flows through lakes Kyoga and Alberta. Lake Victoria is the main source of water for the longest branch of the Nile.
The Nile's flow is relatively constant due to the natural regulating influence of the three equatorial lakes.
Bays and islands
The shores of the lake are very diverse. Steep cliffs up to 90 meters on the southwest coast, while the west coast is marshy. The northern coast of Lake Victoria is flat.
Kavirondo Bay has an average width of 25 kilometers and extends 64 kilometers east of Kisumu in Kenya. The cities of Kampala and Entebbe are located on the northern shore of the lake.
Speke Bay is located in the south-eastern part, while Emin Pasha Bay is located in the south-western part.
The lake has many islands, of which Ukerewe is the largest. The island is located north of Speke Bay, is densely populated, and has wooded hills that rise 200 meters above the lake.
The Sese archipelago includes 62 islands, located in the northwestern part of the lake. Some of these islands are incredibly beautiful.
Eutrophication
Lake Victoria is exhibiting the effect of eutrophication (enrichment of the lake with chemical nutrients). For example, in 1990-1991, oxygen levels in the mixed layer were higher than in 1960-1961, and there was an almost continuous supersaturation of oxygen in the upper layer.
Eutrophication of Lake Victoria is also considered to be the main culprit in the extinction of Haplochromis cichlids.
Lake Victoria's nutrients are found on the bottom of the lake, in sediments.
Haplochromis plays a very important role in promoting nutrients, both vertically and horizontally in the water, and even out of it, through animal predation.
The disappearance of Haplochromis is believed to have contributed to an increase in the frequency of algal blooms, which in turn caused massive fish kills.
Geology
Lake Victoria fills a small African lowland.
It is believed that at some point it was a series of small lakes, and on at least 3 occasions the lake dried up completely. The times when the lake dried up are believed to be related to ice ages, when rainfall decreased worldwide.
The last time the lake dried up was about 17,300 years ago, and began to recover about 14,700 years ago.
Geologically, Lake Victoria is still quite young, about 400 thousand years old. It was formed when the plate earth's crust blocked the flowing rivers to the west.
However, there are researchers who dispute that the lake dried up sometime between 18,000 and 14,000 years ago, as there is no evidence of surviving ponds or swamps.
Lake Victoria is vulnerable to climate change due to its large surface area and limited supply from tributaries.
Environmental issues
Eat a whole series environmental problems associated with Lake Victoria, including fish extinctions.
In the 1950s, Nile perch was introduced to increase the fish catch in the lake, although scientists were against it.
They believed that the Nile perch would have no natural predator in the lake and this would destroy the lake's ecosystem.
However, the fish was introduced clandestinely in 1952. Later, in 1962 and 1963, it was introduced deliberately.
In 1964, the fish was already seen in Tanzania, in 1970 in Kenya, and in the early 1980s it was distributed throughout the entire lake area.
In the 50 years since the introduction of Nile perch, almost all the natural and biological uniqueness and richness of Lake Victoria have disappeared.
The presence of the Nile perch, which eats everything indiscriminately, has dramatically changed the balance of Lake Victoria's ecosystem. The decline in the number of algae-eating fish has led to algae overgrowth at an alarming rate.
This in turn increases the amount of sediment that settles in the deeper parts of the lake and reduces the amount of oxygen through decomposition. Thus, aerobic life (fish) cannot exist in the deeper parts of the lake.
Hundreds of endemic species have become extinct and some are threatened.
The area around the lake is one of the most densely populated rural areas in the world.
Some of the most major cities around the lake include: Kisumu (population: 410,000), Kisii (population: 200,000), Homa Bay (population: 56,000), Kampala (population: 1.66 million), Entebbe (population: 80,000), Jinja (population: 73,000), Mwanza (population: 707,000), Musoma (population: 134,000), Bukoba (population: 86,000).
Many factories and factories in these cities dump their waste directly into the waters of Lake Victoria and the rivers that flow into it.
Early Explorers
British explorer John Henning Speke is the first European to see the lake, with its south coast, in 1858.
Transport on the lake
Ferries have been operating since the 1900s and have been a very important means of transport between the 3 African countries, located on the shores of Lake Victoria. Some of the most important ports are Mwanza, Kisumu, Entebbe, Bukobe, Jinja and Port Bell.
One of the most terrible maritime disasters in Africa occurred on Lake Victoria on May 21, 1996, when the ferry MV Bukoba sank, with the loss of life estimated at between 800 and 1,000 people.
Dams
The first dam was built at the source of the Nile in 1954, the second dam was built in 1999 and began producing hydroelectric power in 2000. Dams are important factor water level regulation.
Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia, washed by two oceans and two seas. On its territory there are various landscapes, including many rivers.
General information
Rivers are distributed unevenly on the mainland. Characteristic feature for the rivers of Africa is the presence of rapids and waterfalls. That is why these water spaces are practically unsuitable for navigation. The full flow of rivers also depends on the climatic zones in which they are located. In the equatorial climate zone, rivers are full almost all year round and form a dense river network. In the subequatorial zone, rivers fill only during the rainy season, and in hot tropical climates there are no surface reservoirs, but artesian basins are common. Large rivers African continent are Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi.
Nile
The Nile is the longest river in Africa. Its length is 6852 km. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, originating on the East African Plateau. The Nile is not a flat river at all; on the way to the north, the waters of the river tend to go down, so in these places there are often rapids and waterfalls. The largest is Murchison Falls, which flows into Lake Albert. The Nile flows through the territory of many countries, for example, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt.
Rice. 1. River Nile.
The state of Sudan is sometimes called the “country of three Niles” - White, Blue and the main one, which is formed as a result of the merger of the first two. All permanent rivers of the country belong to the Nile basin and are concentrated mainly in the south and east.
Congo
The Congo River ranks second in size to the basin after the Nile. Its second name is Zaire, and it flows into Atlantic Ocean. The river flows in Central Africa across Angola and the Republic of Congo.
The Congo is the deepest river in the world (230 m), as well as the deepest river in Africa. In the world, it ranks second after the Amazon in terms of abundance of water. The length of the river is 4,700 km, and the discoverer of these waters was the Portuguese traveler Diogo Can.
Rice. 2. Congo River.
Niger
This river flows through West Africa. In terms of length and area of the basin, it ranks third after the Nile and Congo. Niger has many tributaries, the largest of which is the Benue River. Also tributaries of the river are Milo, Bani, Sokoto, Kaduna.
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Compared to muddy waters Nile Niger is considered a river with enough clear water, as it flows mainly through rocky terrain and does not carry much silt. Niger lies in the equatorial and subequatorial zones, which are characterized by dry semi-desert areas and the presence of monsoons.
Lakes of Africa
There are 14 lakes on the African continent, seven of which are classified as the African Great Lakes. These include the Victoria, Albert and Edward, which flow into the White Nile, Taganyika and Kivu, which flow into the Congo. Lake Nyasa flows into the Zambezi, and Lake Rudolf is drainless.
The largest lake in Africa is Victoria. It is located simultaneously on the territory of several countries: Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The area of the water space is 68 thousand square meters. km.
Currently, the lake is a reservoir, and on its territory there are many parks and reserves.
The freshwater system of the African continent includes the largest and deepest lakes on the planet. Most of them belong to the Great African Lakes, which are connected to the Nile.
Here is a list of lakes in Africa.
- Victoria.
- Tanganyika.
- Malawi (Nyasu).
- Albert.
- Edward.
These, of course, are not all lakes in Africa, but only the largest. Full list includes 14 titles.
But many geographers include only the following African lakes directly among the Great Lakes: Victoria, Edward and Albert. Because only they have a natural outlet to the White Nile. Lake Tanganyika has a natural flow into the Congo water system, and Lake Malawi is connected to All the lakes in Africa (photos below) have very beautiful natural landscapes.
Lake Victoria
It occupies a huge space. In size it is quite comparable to the area of an entire state, for example Ireland. Coastline The reservoir serves as a border for several African states at the same time: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The total area is estimated at 68 thousand km 2. The length of the water surface is 320 km, and the greatest width is 275 km. Victoria is one of the deepest lakes on the planet. Its maximum depth is 80 m. The deep-flowing Kagera contributes to the replenishment of the reservoir with fresh water. Victoria, in turn, gives rise to the Victoria Nile River.
Currently the lake is a reservoir. It received this status after the construction of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954, blocking the Victoria Nile River. As a result of such actions, the natural water level rose by 3 m.
Numerous islands, which are scattered throughout the water surface, are home to a huge variety of birds. The waters of the lake are simply teeming with crocodiles. The area around Victoria is home to many of Africa's game reserves and national parks.
Lake Tanganyika
Tanganyika is not only the largest, but also the largest in Africa. The maximum depth of water in this reservoir reaches 1,432 kilometers, which is only slightly inferior to the famous Baikal. The length of the lake is 650 kilometers, and its width is 80 kilometers.
The shores of Tanganyika serve as a border to four countries at once: Burundi, Tanzania, Congo and Zambia. The lake's water supply is replenished thanks to several rivers flowing into it. But Tanganyika serves as the source only for the Lukuga River.
Lake Tanganyika is quite populated. Hippopotamuses live here and crocodiles are found. Many birds have chosen it as their permanent habitat. There are many varieties of fish found in the waters.
Lake Malawi (Nyasa)
Lake Nyasa or Malawi is quite long and narrow when viewed from above. But this does not prevent it from occupying second place of honor in the list of the deepest lakes in Africa. The coast of Malawi serves as a border area for three African states: Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. The waters of this lake are very rich in fish: there are tilapia, campango and others. Therefore, there are a lot of fishing settlements along its banks. Fishing is a vital component of the local economy.
The part of the lake coast that belongs to Malawi has a fairly developed tourism infrastructure. The clear waters of Nyas are absolutely safe for sailing and will appeal to lovers of snorkeling and water skiing.
These were the largest lakes in Africa belonging to the African Great Lakes network. Next, you will get acquainted with other well-known, but much smaller in area, reservoirs of this continent.
Lake Albert
It is located in eastern Africa, on the border of the two and Uganda. The total area reaches 5600 square kilometers. The coastline of the reservoir has a small number of bays; the shores are for the most part quite steep.
Lake Albert has a fairly large number of tributaries, but they carry water only during the rainy season. Of the many rivers flowing into it, only two are large: Victoria Nile and Semliki. At their confluence they form huge deltas, which provide excellent habitat for many crocodiles and hippos. They feel completely safe here. The lake serves as the source for the Albert Nile River.
There are quite a lot of fish species in the reservoir (more than 40). This is a tiger fish, and many others. Shipping is also quite developed. The main ports are the port of Butiama, which belongs to Uganda, and Kasenyi, the main port of the Republic of Congo.
The coast of the island, which belongs to Uganda, has a well-developed tourism infrastructure: various excursions are held here and horseback riding is offered.
Lake Edward
It is located in the central part of Africa, literally a few kilometers from the equatorial line. It is a border area for two countries: Uganda and the Republic of Congo.
It received such an unusually sonorous name in honor of the eldest son of the royal family, Edward VII.
There is one rather unusual circumstance that makes this lake very unusual. This is one of the extremely small number of reservoirs where there are absolutely no crocodiles. These toothy monsters inhabit Lake Albert and the lower reaches of Semliki in abundance, but for unknown reasons they do not come here.
The largest lakes in Africa
The list is topped by Lake Victoria, with a total area of just over 68,000 km2. In second place among the largest lakes on the continent is Lake Tanganyika. The area of this reservoir occupies 34,000 km 2. The top three are closed by Lake Nyasa (Malawi). Its surface is almost 30,000 km2.
But these are not all lakes in Africa, which are among its largest water bodies.
Lake Chad
This is the fourth largest African lake. The area of this reservoir is 27,000 km 2, but this value is not constant. During the rainy season it can increase to 50,000 km 2, and during the dry season it can decrease to 11,000 km 2.
The lake has no natural drainage, so the water simply evaporates or goes into the sandy soil. In the incredibly hot climate of the continent and with such a water regime, the water in the lake simply must be salty. But Chad - almost all of its upper layers of water are suitable for drinking, only at the very bottom it is slightly salty. But why don't the water layers mix? The answer is quite simple. To the northeast of the lake there is the Bodele Basin, which lies below its level. The reservoir is connected to it by an underground river, through which the bottom salt waters drain.
Chad is home to many birds. Pelicans and flamingos fly here for the winter. Many animals live on its banks. These include zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. The list could take a very long time. Here you can meet the indigenous sea animal - the manatee. It still remains a mystery how he could end up in this fresh lake.
These are the most big lakes Africa. Other bodies of water have significantly smaller areas.
Formation process of the Great Lakes
And they appeared as a result of the so-called Great Rifts. The bed for most of these reservoirs is the rift basin. The Great Lakes began to fill with water almost immediately after their formation.
Rift lakes can be small or large, shallow or, on the contrary, quite deep, but the only thing they have in common is their outline. All lakes formed in this way have a specific elongated shape, which is determined by the outlines of the rifts.
LAKES OF AFRICA
Largest lakes in Africa:
|
Name |
Area km sq |
Maximum depth m |
| Victoria lake | ||
| Tanganyika lake | ||
| Nyasa lake | ||
| Chad lake | ||
| Rudolph Lake | ||
| Albert (Mobutu-Sese-Seko) lake | ||
| Mveru lake | ||
| Bangweulu lake | ||
| Tana lake | ||
| Kivu lake | ||
| Kyoga lake | ||
| Rukwa lake | ||
| Mai-Ndombe lake | ||
| Edward Lake |
Great African Lakes- several large lakes located in and around the East African Rift Zone. Includes Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, and Tanganyika, the second deepest and largest lake in the world. List of lakes: Tanganyika, Victoria, Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi.
Some consider only Lakes Victoria, Albert and Edward to be Great Lakes, since only these three lakes drain into the White Nile. Tanganyika and Kivu drain into the Congo River system, and Malawi drains into the Zambezi via the Shire River.
Tanganyika - large lake in Central Africa, the coordinates of the central part are 5°30 S. w. 29°30 in. d. (G).
In terms of volume and depth, Lake Tanganyika ranks second after Lake Baikal. The shores of the lake belong to four countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.
The length of the lake is about 650 km, width 40-80 km. Area 34 thousand sq. km. It lies at an altitude of 773 meters above sea level in the tectonic basin of the East African Rift Zone.
The lake is home to hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and many waterfowl. Fishing and shipping are well developed.
Victoria, Victoria Nyanza, Ukerewe (Victoria, Victoria Nyanza) - a lake in East Africa, in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Located in the tectonic trough of the East African Platform, at an altitude of 1134 m. The 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior and the largest lake in Africa.
Area 68 thousand sq. km, length 320 km, maximum width 275 km. It is part of the Victoria Reservoir. Many islands. The high-water Kagera River flows in and the Victoria Nile River flows out. The lake is navigable, local residents They are engaged in fishing on it.
The northern coast of the lake crosses the equator. The lake, with a maximum depth of 80 m, is a fairly deep lake.
Unlike its deep-sea neighbors Tanganyika and Nyasa, which lie within the African gorge system, Lake Victoria fills the shallow depression between the eastern and western sides of the Great Gorge valley. The lake gets huge amount water from rains, more than from all its tributaries.
Its waters are home to a huge number of crocodiles, and the lang fish (fish) that lived here 300 million years ago still lives here. She can inhale and hold air in her gills, like in her lungs. This rare fish is a link between ordinary fish and land animals.
Malawi(Nyasa) is a lake in Central-Eastern Africa. The lake runs from north to south, length 560 km, depth 706 m. Northern and eastern shore steep with a poorly developed shelf, the southern and western coasts are flat. Water losses occur from surface evaporation (80%) and from the waters of the Sheri River flowing in the south of the lake. There are two climatic seasons: rainy (November - May) and dry (May - November).
Lake Chad(Tchad, Chad, in Arabic Bar es Salaam) is an endorheic relic lake located in central Africa. Located at an altitude of 240 m above sea level.
The surface of the lake is not constant: usually occupying about 27 thousand square meters. km, the lake in the rainy season overflows to 50 thousand, and in the dry season it shrinks to 11 thousand square meters. km. From the south, the rivers Shari with a wide and shallow delta and Mbulu flow into the lake, from the west - Komadugu-Vaube, and from the east - the shallow Bar el-Ghazal. According to Nachtigall, the influx of water through rain and rivers is 100 cubic meters. km, and the loss of water through evaporation is 70 cubic meters. km. Due to the absence of a visible source of water from the lake, while the water of the lake remains fresh, Nachtigall suggests the existence of an underground channel in the northeast direction to the Aegean and Borku. Near the river mouths the water in the lake is fresh, in the rest of the lake it is slightly brackish; the insignificance of mineralization is apparently explained by the constant change of water in the lake due to the underground outflow of infiltration waters. In a very rainy season (which happens extremely rarely), with extraordinary high levels the water's edge, a temporary surface runoff of the lake is formed in the north-east (along the dry bed of the Bahr el-Ghazal). The dark, dirty water of the lake is thickly overgrown with algae in places. From July to November, under the influence of rains, the water level gradually rises and the low southwestern coast is widely flooded almost to Cook. Over a considerable area, the lake is very shallow (you can wade across it on horseback); great depth The western part of Ngornu and Maduari is different. The maximum depth during the rainy season is 11 meters. The banks are mostly marshy and overgrown with papyrus; to the northeast the area has the character of a steppe, and only the southern coast is distinguished by rich tropical vegetation.
In the eastern part, the lake is covered with a network of islands (up to 100 in number), of which the Buduma, Karka and Kuri groups are inhabited (up to 30 thousand people) by people from neighboring tribes (Buduma, Kuri, Kanemba, Kanuri, Bulala and Datsa).
In 2006, the lake with an area of 23 thousand square kilometers, located on the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and the Republic of Chad, shrank 26 times and continues to dry out, which became known thanks to Earth monitoring carried out by the international Disaster Monitoring Constellation system. It is known that Chad is drying up for the seventh time in a row. last millennium. Scientists-paleontologists established this from the remains of animals found there.
Assal- crater lake in the center of Djibouti. The lake lies 155 m below sea level in the Afar Lowlands, the lowest point in Africa. The lake's salinity is 35%, making it the saltiest lake in the world. The lake is surrounded by a dense, saline layer of soil. The salt is mined and sent in caravans to Ethiopia.