What is the largest lake in Africa?
Quick answer
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa by surface area, covering about 68,800 km² (26,600 sq mi). It’s shared by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and it’s the largest tropical lake in the world and the second-largest freshwater lake by area, after Lake Superior. It’s a main source of the White Nile.
Key facts
- Area
- About 68,800 km² (26,600 sq mi)
- Countries
- Tanzania (~49%), Uganda (~45%), Kenya (~6%)
- Maximum depth
- About 80 m (260 ft)
- Outflow
- White Nile, at Jinja, Uganda
A big but shallow lake
Lake Victoria is huge but relatively shallow, only about 40 m deep on average. It sits on a plateau between two branches of the Great Rift Valley. Scientists believe it dried up completely about 15,000 years ago and refilled.
The source of the Nile
British explorer John Hanning Speke reached the lake in 1858 and named it after Queen Victoria. He claimed it was the source of the Nile, which sparked a famous dispute with his fellow explorer Richard Burton. Speke was largely right: the White Nile leaves the lake at Jinja, Uganda. Local names for the lake include Nam Lolwe (Luo) and Nalubaale (Luganda).
Fish and a disaster
The lake was once home to hundreds of species of colorful cichlid fish found nowhere else. In the 1950s, the Nile perch, a giant predator, was introduced to boost fishing. It wiped out a large share of the native cichlid species, one of the fastest mass extinctions of vertebrates recorded. Today, Nile perch and tilapia support a major fishing industry.
Africa’s largest lakes
| Rank | Lake | Area | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria | 68,800 km² | Source of the White Nile |
| 2 | Tanganyika | 32,900 km² | Deepest lake in Africa, about 1,470 m |
| 3 | Malawi (Nyasa) | 29,600 km² | Most fish species of any lake |
| 4 | Chad | Varies hugely | Shrunk by about 90% since the 1960s |
For world records, see the largest freshwater lake in the world. To see how the Nile compares with other giant rivers, read the longest river in Asia.
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