Africa being the second largest continent in the world is home to many beautiful lakes. There are over 650 great lakes found in Africa. Lakes play a key role in the daily lives of every being on earth. For example, they are a source of power for firms such as industries and also promote the growth of the tourism sector among many other vital roles of lakes.
The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria with an area of about 68,000 square kilometers. It is located in three countries, that is, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Other large African lakes include Lake Turkana, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Lake Albert, and Lake Kivu.
Lake victoria is also ranked the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Studies have shown that the depth of this lake is more than 42 meters in depth and most of its area is in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya respectively. Here is a table of comparison of different lakes in Africa and the length, volume, and area they cover.
Table Of Size Comparison
| Volume | Length | Area | |
| Victoria | 2,400 Km³ | 335 Km | 68,000 Km² |
| Turkana | 203 Km³ | 290 Km | 6,400 Km² |
| Tanganyika | 18,800 Km³ | 670 Km | 32,850 Km² |
| Malawi | 8,300 Km³ | 570 Km | 29,500 Km² |
| Albert | 270 Km³ | 159 Km | 5,350 Km² |
| Kivu | 500 Km³ | 88 Km | 2,700 Km² |
How Many Lakes Are There In Africa?
Among all the continents of the world, Africa is one of the best continents with rich and beautiful biodiversity. Many African lakes are major tourist attractions with people from all over the world coming to explore and experience the rich and natural African nature.
There are about 677 lakes in Africa. However, this number is feared to decrease as a year advances due to some effects such as human activities. There are also other adverse effects brought about by climatic change that might make some of the lakes fade and in the end affect the biodiversity of Africa.
East Africa contains the biggest number of lakes in Africa. It is believed to have the biggest lakes that are a source of living for many people. For example, some people rely on fishing from various lakes such as lake Victoria to make their daily living. Most of these lakes have a high rate of fishing activity that goes on from one day to the other. This may however at some times become a challenge as at some point fish habitat trends tend to change. Most of the communities in the lake regions practice fishing as their main economic activity and therefore, lakes are very important for human life.
Other important roles of lakes: They can be used as a means of transport, provide good fishing grounds for fishermen, and are a source of recreation. Lakes also promote the biodiversity of a place and are a natural breeding habitat for many aquatic animals.
For Your Information: Apart from the lakes, rivers also enhance the rich biodiversity of Africa and enhance tourist attraction to the continent. For example, River Athi in Kenya is the main source of the water found in the Fourteen falls in Kenya. These falls are a major tourist attraction and are known in many parts of the world.
Where Are The Great Lakes Found?
Great lakes in Africa are the biggest known water masses covering the biggest area. They are the lakes with the highest volume of water, especially the freshwater lakes. There are a good number of great lakes in Africa and also in the entire world.
The great lakes of Africa include Lake Victoria found in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, Lake Tanganyika found between Congo and Tanzania, Lake Kivu in Rwanda, Lake Turkana in Kenya, and Lake Malawi in Malawi. There are other great lakes located in other parts of the world outside Africa. These are Lake Superior in the northern parts of America and Lake Michigan, which is also found in North America.
Many of the African great lakes are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Most of these are found in East Africa, especially in the Rift Valley regions.
For Your Information: Several other characteristics make these lakes great lakes when compared to the others, discussed as follows. They experience strong wavelengths of blowing wind and have the greatest depth. Almost every great lake was formed through a process of glaciation a long time ago.
What Is The Deepest Lake In Africa?
Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa with a depth of about 570 meters, equivalent to 1,870 feet. It is followed closely by Lake Malawi and Kivu respectively.
Lake Tanganyika is also one of the oldest known freshwater lakes in the world and second in the volume of water it holds. Its location covers several countries namely the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Tanzania, and Burundi. However, the biggest part of this lake is found in the parts of Tanzania and flows all the way into the Atlantic Ocean. It is also a freshwater lake.
Additional information about Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is not only made famous by being the deepest lake in Africa but also many other facts such as follows. Its nature makes it a major tourist attraction with many people across the world coming to experience the fun activities in it such as the famously known scuba diving. It is also known for other recreational activities such as snorkeling.
The most interesting fact about Lake Tanganyika is that it is known for having the most unique species of fish that are not easily traceable in other parts of the continent and the entire world in general. Tourists, therefore, have the best experience of visiting Lake Tanganyika and such events keep on increasing the rich biodiversity of Africa and also making it one of the best continents in the world.
All lakes in Africa have their characteristics different from the others. Apart from the above-mentioned African lakes, other minor lakes are famous in Africa. Some of these include Lake Kariba situated in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Lake Bogoria and Lake Nakuru in Kenya, Lake Retba in Senegal, and Lake Chad in Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad.