East African Safaris: Fish the Great Lakes of Africa
East Africa’s great lakes include Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria. These large water bodies are all found within and around the Great Rift Valley, which was formed as a result of tectonic action.
Lake Victoria, the largest of the great lakes, straddles across Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The lake occupies an area of 26,830 square miles, making it the world’s second largest freshwater lake, second only to Lake Superior in North America. The lake has an average depth of 120 feet, with its deepest point being 250 feet. At its greatest width, Lake Victoria is 250 miles long. The lake is not actually situated in the great rift valley but lies between the main and western branches.
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
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Sea, and in the process, providing the much needed water for the Northern Africa dry regions along its 6670km course.
The Nile perch is a fish species that is in plenty in Lake Victoria. Introduced to the lake in the 1950s, the Nile Perch can grow to 6 feet in length. It is a ravenous predator and has reduced the population of the 400 cichlid species fish in the lake by almost a half.
The second of the great Lakes, Lake Tanganyika, is also the second largest lake in Africa after Lake Victoria covering an area of 12,700 square miles. At a depth of 4,710 feet, Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa, and second deepest in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia. The lake lies within the western branch of the great rift valley.
Tanganyika is the longest lake in the world, having a length of 420 miles. The lake measures only 45 miles at its widest point. Four African countries share the lake. These are Tanzania, DRC Congo, Zambia, and DRC Congo.
The Lukaga river, which flows into the Congo river, is Lake Tanganyika’s only outlet. As a result, the waters of the lake are more alkaline and harder than those of Lake Victoria and Lake Malawi. Most of the salts that flow into the lake stay there after the water evaporates, raising pH values in the lake to between 8.6 and 9.5.
Lake Tanganyika is home to more than 200 species of fish, many of which are so small that they can be housed in 20 gallon or even 10 gallon aquariums. Along the lake’s shore are populations of hippos 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.
The variety of cichlid fish species in Lake Malawi is greater than that found in any other lake in the world. Researchers from the World Wildlife Fund have to date identified over 500 of these species. The Lake Malawi cichlids are mostly brightly colored with beautiful patterns, a fact that makes them popular with aquarists around the world.
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