| East African Safaris: Explore the Great Lakes of Africa |
|
|
|
| Written by AndrewMuigai | |
| Thursday, 26 February 2009 | |
|
The East African great lakes are large water bodies situated around and in the African great Rift Valley, which formed as a result of tectonic plates action. Among these lakes are Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Malawi.
The East African great lakes are large water bodies situated around and in the African great Rift Valley, which formed as a result of tectonic plates action. Among these lakes are Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Malawi. Lake Victoria, wrapped by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, covers an area of 26,830 square miles and is 250 miles long at its greatest width thus making it the worlds second largest freshwater lake after Lake Superior in North America. Lake Victoria has an average depth of 120 feet, with its deepest point reaching 250 feet. The Lake is not really situated in the rift valley, but rather lies between the main branch and the western branch. Numerous East African rivers feed the Lake Victoria, with River Kagera being the largest. Originating from Burundi, River Kagera is considered to be the remote source of the Nile. Lake Victoria is the youngest of the three great lakes, but drains its waters into the River Nile, the world's longest river. The Nile flows northwards into the Mediterranean Sea, and in the process, providing the much needed water for the Northern Africa dry regions along its 6670km course. Lake Victoria abounds in the Nile perch, a fish species that was introduced to the lake by the lakes residents in the 1950s. Nile Perch is a dangerous predator fish that can grow up to 6 feet long and has wiped out half of the 400 cichlid species of fish that inhabit Lake Victoria. Lake Tanganyika is Africa's deepest lake, and also the second largest after Lake Victoria, occupying an area off 12,700 square miles. With a depth of 4,710 feet, it is the second deepest in the world after Siberia's Lake Baikal. Lake Tanganyika is situated in the Western branch of the rift valley. With a length of about 420 miles, Lake Tanganyika is the longest lake in the world. The lake measures 45 miles at its widest point. It is wrapped by Tanzania (on the east), Burundi (on the north), Congo DRC (on the west) and Zambia (on the south). Only one river flows out of Lake Tanganyika, the Lukaga river which drains into river Congo. As a result, its waters are harder and more alkaline than those of Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria. Much of the salts that flow into the lake remain there when water evaporates raising the pH levels to between 8.6 and 9.5. Over 200 fish species reside in Lake Tanganyika. A large number of these are tiny and can be contained in Aquariums as small as 10 to 20 gallons. Also found on the shores of the lake are hippopotamuses and crocodiles. Lake Malawi, the third of the great lakes is situated several kilometers south of Lake Tanganyika. Also known as Lake Nyasa, the lake occupies an area of approximately 8,683 square miles, and is 360 miles long and 25 miles wide. Three countries " Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania " share this lake, which is the ninth largest in the world. Lake Malawi forms part of Malawi's border with Mozambique. An unusual and interesting fact about the lake is that it does not have any tides or currents. Lake Malawi hosts the world's greatest variety of indigenous cichlid fish species. To date, researchers from the World Wildlife Fund have identified more than 500 species in the lake. The cichlids variety found here have distinct patterns and are brightly colored, endearing them to many aquarists in the entire world. About the Author: The Author works with Africapoint.com, a reputable online travel agency for Africa. View information on African Safaris and African Flights including tours to the Great Lakes region. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|