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 have a connection with 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. The full list includes 14 titles.
But directly among the Great, many geographers include only the following lakes in Africa: Victoria, Edward and Albert. Because only they have a natural exit to the White Nile. Lake Tanganyika has a natural runoff to the Congo water system, and Lake Malawi is connected to the Zambezi River. All lakes in Africa (photo below) have very beautiful natural landscapes.
Lake Victoria
It occupies a huge space. In its size it is quite comparable with the area of an entire state, for example, Ireland. The coastline of the reservoir serves as the border for several African states at the same time: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The total area of Lake Victoria is estimated at 68 thousand km 2 . The length of the water surface is 320 km, and the largest width is 275 km. Victoria belongs to one of the deepest lakes on the planet. Its maximum depth is 80 m. The full-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, which blocked 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 number of birds. The waters of the lake are teeming with crocodiles. The area around Victoria serves as a place for many nature reserves and national parks in Africa.
Tanganyika Lake
Tanganyika is not only the largest, but also the deepest lake in Africa. The maximum water depth in this reservoir reaches 1432 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 replenishment of the lake’s water supply is due to several rivers flowing into it. But Tanganyika serves only as a source for the Lukuga River.
Lake Tanganyika is quite populated. Hippos live here, crocodiles are found. Many birds have chosen it as a permanent habitat. In the waters there are many varieties of fish.
Lake Malawi (Nyasa)
Lake Nyasa or Malawi is quite long and narrow when viewed from above. But this does not prevent him from occupying the second place of honor in the list of the deepest lakes in Africa. The shores of Malawi serve as border areas 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, along its shores there are a lot of fishing villages. Fishing is an essential component of the local economy.
Part of the coast of the lake, owned by Malawi, has a fairly developed tourist infrastructure. The transparent waters of Nyasa are absolutely safe for sailing, they will appeal to lovers of snorkeling and water skiing.
It was represented by the largest lakes in Africa, belonging to the network of Great African Lakes. Then you will get acquainted with other, famous, but much smaller in area, water bodies of this continent.
Albert Lake
It is located in eastern Africa, on the border of two republics: Congo and Uganda. The total area reaches 5600 square kilometers. The coastline of the reservoir has a small number of bays, the coast for the most part is quite steep.
Albert Lake has a fairly large number of tributaries, but they carry water only in the rainy season. Of the many rivers flowing into it, only two are large: Victoria Nile and Semliki. At the confluence, they form huge deltas, which serve as an excellent habitat for many crocodiles and hippos. Waterfowl feel completely safe here. The lake serves as the source for the Albert Nile River.
In the reservoir there are quite a lot of fish species (more than 40). These are tiger fish, Nile perch and many others. Also quite developed shipping. The main ports are Butiam Port, owned by Uganda, and Kasyeni, the main port of the Republic of Congo.
The coast of the island, owned by Uganda, has a well-developed tourist infrastructure: various excursions are held here, horseback riding is offered.
Edward Lake
It is located in central Africa, just a few kilometers from the equatorial line. It is a border territory for two countries: Uganda and the Republic of Congo.
Such an unusually sonorous name it received 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 in tropical Africa, where there are absolutely no crocodiles. These toothy monsters in abundance inhabit Lake Albert and the lower reaches of Semlica, but for unknown reasons they do not enter here.
The largest lakes in Africa
The list is headed by Lake Victoria, with a total area of just over 68,000 km 2 . In second place among the largest lakes of the continent is Lake Tanganyika. The area of this reservoir is 34,000 km 2 . The top three closes Lake Nyasa (Malawi). Its surface is almost 30,000 km 2 .
But these are not all the lakes of 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. In the rainy season, it can increase up to 50,000 km 2 , and during the drought period it can decrease up to 11,000 km 2 .
The lake does not have natural runoff, so the water simply evaporates or goes into sandy soil. In the conditions of the incredibly hot climate of the continent with such a water regime, the water in the lake simply must be salty. But Chad is an almost completely fresh lake. Its upper layers of water are suitable for drinking, only at the very bottom it is slightly brackish. But why are water layers not mixed? The answer is pretty simple. To the north-east of the lake is the Bodele Basin, which is below its level. The reservoir is connected to it by an underground river, through which the bottom saline waters leave.
Chad is home to many birds. Pelicans and flamingos fly here for the winter. On its shores live many animals. These are zebras, and giraffes, and antelopes. You can list for a very long time. Here you can meet the indigenous sea animal - manatee. It still remains a mystery how he managed to find himself in this freshwater lake.
These are the largest lakes in Africa. Other bodies of water have significantly smaller areas.
The process of forming the Great Lakes
And they appeared due to the so-called Great Faults. 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, have rather solid depths, but the only thing that unites them is the shape. All lakes formed in this way have a specific elongated shape, which is determined by the outlines of the rifts.