Lakes

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is one of the largest lakes in central Africa 3° 20' to 8° 48' south and from 29° 5' to 31° 15' east). It is estimated to be the second oldest (and second deepest) lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia.

The lake is situated within the Western Rift of the Great Rift Valley and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second largest lake by surface area on the continent. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water. The catchments area of the lake covers 231,000 km², with two main rivers flowing into the lake, numerous smaller rivers and streams and one major outflow, the Lukuga, which empties into the Congo River drainage. The major inflows are Ruzizi River, entering the north of the lake from Lake Kivu, and the Malagarasi River, which is Tanzania's second largest river entering in the east side of Lake Tanganyika. The Malagarasi pre-dates Lake Tanganyika and was formerly continuous with the Congo River.

The lake is divided between the four countries  Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia, with the DRC (45%) and Tanzania (41%) possessing the majority of the lake.

Lake ALBERT

Also Albert Nyanza and formerly Lake Mobutu Sese Seko - is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. It is Africa's seventh largest lake.

Lake Albert is located in the centre of the continent, on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lake Albert is the northernmost of the chain of lakes in the Great Rift Valley; it is about 160 km (100 mi) long and 30 km (19 mi) wide, with a maximum depth of 51 m (168 ft), and a surface elevation of 619 m (2,030 ft) above sea level.

Lake Albert is part of the complicated system of the upper Nile. Its main sources are the Victoria Nile, ultimately coming from Lake Victoria to the southeast, and the Semliki River, which issues from Lake Edward to the southwest. Its outlet, at the northernmost tip of the lake, is the Albert Nile, which becomes known as the Mountain Nile when it enters Sudan.

Lake EDWARD

One of the Great Lakes of Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, its northern banks a few kilometers south of the Equator. Lake Edward is fed by the Nyamugasani, the Ishasha, the Rutshuru, and the Rwindi rivers.

It empties to the north via the Semliki River into Lake Albert. It is also connected, by means of the Kazinga Channel, to Lake George to the northeast. It stands at an elevation of 920 meters, is 77 km long by 40 km wide at its maximum points, and covers a total surface area of 2150 km².

Lake MWERU

A lake located on the border between  Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 150 km west of the southern end of Lake Tanganyika. It is approximately 96 km long and 45 km wide, with its long end oriented northeast/southwest, and lies at an elevation of 917 m. It is mainly fed by the Luapula River, and to the north the lake is drained by the Luvua River, which leads to the Lualaba River and thence to the Congo. The lake has the Kilwa Island at its southern end.  The lake has long been isolated, but a tarred road was built to the lakeside village Nchelenge in 1987, and the population around the lake has grown, much of it exploiting the rich fishery of the lake.

Lake KIVU

One of the Great Lakes of Africa. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika.  A large island lies in the lake, while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Saké and Goma in Congo and Gisenyi, Kibuye and Cyangugu in Rwanda.