Exploring the Magnificence: The 10 Largest Lakes in Africa

Africa is home to a significant number of lakes, the greatest of which is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. As you’ll see, Africa is home to some of the most beautiful lakes. 

This article will examine 10 of Africa’s largest lakes, listed in order of size.

Lake Victoria (Tanzania, Uganda & Kenya)

The title of the largest lake on the continent of Africa goes to Lake Victoria. Its total surface area is 59,947 sq km or 23,146 sq mi. The lake, which spans this enormous area, is also the largest tropical lake in the world.

In terms of the greatest freshwater lakes in the world, it comes in second to Lake Superior in size. With just one outflow through the Nile River, the lake gets most of its water from rainfall.

Lake Victoria is the ninth-largest lake in the world by volume, with a volume of 2,424 cubic kilometers and a maximum depth of 276 feet or 84 meters. It touches Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, three nations in Africa.

Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania, DRC, Burundi, and Zambia)

An African great lake called Lake Tanganyika is the second largest lake in Africa. It is the second-largest by volume and second-deepest freshwater worldwide. Additionally, Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake on the entire planet.

Tanzania holds (46%) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds (40% of the lake. At the same time, this lake is shared by four nations namely; Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia, and the DRC. The waters eventually flow into the Atlantic Ocean via the Congo River network.

Nile crocodiles, including the fabled big Gustave, Zambian hinged terrapins, serrated hinged terrapins, and pan-hinged terrapins all call Lake Tanganyika and surrounding wetlands home. 

Lake Malawi (Mozambique & Tanzania)

The largest lake in the East African Rift System and the southernmost lake in Africa, Lake Malawi is also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique. Its water flow through Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

It is the ninth-largest lake in the world by area and the fifth-largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. It is also the second-deepest and third-largest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi contains at least 700 different varieties of cichlids.

On June 10, 2011, the Mozambican government formally declared the lake’s portion a reserve, whereas Lake Malawi National Park includes a piece of the lake in Malawi.

Lake Turkana (Kenya)

There is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley in northern Kenya, called Lake Turkana. Previously it was known as Lake Rudolf and it has a northern border with Ethiopia. It takes the 4^th   position as the largest lake in Africa.

It is also the largest alkaline lake and the biggest permanent desert lake in the world. It surpasses the dwindling South Aral Sea to become the fourth-largest salt lake in the world by volume, behind the Caspian Sea, Lake Issyk-Kul, and Lake Van. 

Lake Rukwa (Tanzania)

In the Southwestern part of Tanzania, and Eastern Africa, is Lake Rukwa. It is a part of the Rukwa Trough’s inner drainage system, which presumably belonged to the East African Rift Valley and also contains Lake Nyasa.

The lake has an average depth of 10 feet (3 m), is 1,000 square miles (2,600 square km) in size, and is located halfway between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa. It is also around 2,600 feet (800 m) above sea level.

Crocodiles and hippopotamus live in the lake, which has brackish water and salt pans near its western end. The lake is also home to many fish, as well as subsistence and commercial fishing operations that are significant to the local community.

Lake Mweru (Zambia, The Democratic Republic of Congo)

A freshwater lake called Lake Mweru, often written Mwelu or Mwero, is located in the Congo, the second-longest river in Africa. It is situated between the Luapula River’s (upstream) and Luvua River’s (downstream) portions, 110 kilometers (68 mi) of the Congo’s total length, on the boundary between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mweru’s long axis is aligned northeast-southwest, and its average length is 118 kilometers (73 mi) and its average width is 45 kilometers (28 mi). Its elevation is quite a bit higher than Tanganyika’s (763 meters (2,503 ft)), at 917 meters (3,009 ft).

Lake Albert (Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo)

 Lake Albert is a lake that flows through both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It ranks as the seventh-largest lake in Africa and the second-largest of Uganda’s Great Lakes.

It has a maximum depth of 51 meters (167 feet), is around 160 kilometers (99 miles) long and 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide, and has a surface elevation of 619 meters (2,031 feet) above sea level.

The river hippopotamus, Ugandan kob, red and Nile lechwe, Nile crocodile, Nile monitor lizard, African softshell turtle, Central African mud turtle, and Williams’ mud turtle are just a few of the aquatic and semiaquatic creatures that may be found in Lake Albert.

Lake Kivu (Rwanda & The Democratic Republic of the Congo)

One of Africa’s Great Lakes is Lake Kivu. It is shared by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and is situated in the Albertine Rift, the western extension of the East African Rift. The Ruzizi River releases Lake Kivu into Lake Tanganyika towards the south.

The length and broadest point of Lake Kivu are respectively 42 and 50 kilometers (26 and 31 miles). Due to its asymmetrical structure, it is challenging to determine its exact surface area; nonetheless, it has been estimated to have a surface area of 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi), ranking it as Africa’s eighth largest lake.

Lake Edward (Uganda)

One of the lesser-known African Great Lakes is Lake Edward. Its northern coast is a few kilometers south of the equator, and it can be found in the Albertine Rift, specifically the western arm of the East African Rift on the border between the DRC and Uganda.

Lake Edward is the fifteenth-largest lake in the world and 9^th largest in Africa. It stands at 920 meters (3,020 feet) above sea level, 77 kilometers (48 mi) long by 40 kilometers (25 mi) wide at its widest points, with a total surface area of 2,325 kilometers.

More than 50 different species of Haplochromis and other haplochromine species, of which only 25 are formally characterized, as well as populations of Bagrus dock, Oreochromis niloticus, and Oreochromis leucostictus, are found in Lake Edward.

Lake Tana (Ethiopia)

Lake Tana, the biggest lake in Ethiopia, is where the Blue Nile gets its water. The area of its surface expands to 832 sq mi (2,156 sq km). The lake is 1,788 meters above sea level and is situated at a height of 5,866 feet in the Ethiopian Highlands. The lake’s significance in terms of both nature and culture received international recognition in 2015.

Conclusion

As a tourist or traveler, one can experience so much in Africa, including the world-famous largest lakes. The Great Lakes of the East African Rift Valley offer breathtaking scenery and distinctive biodiversity, closest to the Great Lakes of North America.

These are Africa’s biggest lakes in Africa in terms of top 10. Other large lakes include Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Kyoga, Lake Assal, Lake Rukwa, and Lake Volta among others