Lake Victoria
Coordinates	1°0′S 33°0′ECoordinates: 1°0′S 33°0′E
Primary outflows	White Nile River
Catchment area	184,000 km² 238,900 km² basin
Basin countries	Tanzania Uganda Kenya
Max. length	337 km
Max. width	250 km
Surface area	68,800 km²
Average depth	40 m
Max. depth	83 m
Water volume	2,750 km³
Shore length1	3,440 km
Surface elevation	1,133 m
Islands	3,000 (Ssese Islands Uganda)
Settlements	Bukoba, Tanzania Mwanza, Tanzania Kisumu, Kenya Kampala, Uganda Entebbe, Uganda
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Victoria and the Great Rift Valley

Lake Victoria seen from Spot satellite

Lake Victoria height variation

The lake as seen from space, looking west, with other members of the African Great Lakes forming an arc in the middle distance. The cloud-covered forests of the Congo can be made out in the distance.

The Lake as it is visible from the shores of the Speke resort in Kampala, Uganda

Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. Lake Victoria may refer to Lake Victoria, a lake in Africa Lake Victoria (New South Wales), a lake in New South Wales, Australia Lake Victoria (Victoria), a shallow saline lake on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia Lake Victoria, one of the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, Australia Category: ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. ... A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (blue outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (green lines) of a contiguous area. ... A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (blue outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (green lines) of a contiguous area. ... The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwest of Lake Victoria, Uganda, in the nations Kalangala District. ... Bukoba is a town in northwest Tanzania on the western shore of Lake Victoria. ... Sunset over Lake Victoria as seen coming into Mwanza via train Mwanza is a city in northwest Tanzania and a southern port of Lake Victoria. ... Kisumu ( ) is a port city in western Kenya at 1131m, with a population of 322,024 (1999 census). ... Kampala is the capital city of Uganda. ... Location of Entebbe within Uganda. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Greater Lakes and the East African coastline as seen from space. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 834 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 834 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see the file description page for further information. ... The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Lake Victoria is 68,800 square kilometres (26,560 mi²) in size, making it the continent's largest lake, the largest tropical lake in the world, and the second largest fresh water lake in the world in terms of surface area (third largest if one considers Lake Michigan-Huron as a single lake). Being relatively shallow for its size, with a maximum depth of 84 m (276 ft) and a mean depth of 40 m (131 ft), Lake Victoria ranks as the seventh largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 2,750 cubic kilometres (2.2 million acre-feet) of water. It is the source of the longest branch of the Nile River, the White Nile, and has a water catchment area of 184,000 square kilometres (71,040 mi²). It is a biological hotspot with great biodiversity. The lake lies within an elevated plateau in the western part of Africa's Great Rift Valley and is subject to territorial administration by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The lake has a shoreline of 3,440 km (2138 miles), and has more than 3,000 islands, many of which are inhabited. These include the Ssese Islands in Uganda, a large group of islands in the northwest of the Lake that are becoming a popular destination for tourists. For other uses, see Lake (disambiguation). ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... Lakes with a surface area of more than 4,000 km², listed by area. ... The Great Lakes from space; the two-lobed Lake Michigan-Huron lies in the center Lake Michigan-Huron is a designation sometimes given to the body of water (part of the North American Great Lakes) customarily referred to as two separate lakes: Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. ... Lakes with a water volume over 100 km3, listed by volume. ... An acre foot is a unit of volume commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, and river flows. ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ... The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. ... A watershed is a region of land where water flows into a specified body of water, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean. ... For other meanings, see Plateau (disambiguation). ... Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. ... The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwest of Lake Victoria, Uganda, in the nations Kalangala District. ...

Lake Victoria is relatively young; its current basin formed only 400,000 years ago, when westward-flowing rivers were dammed by an upthrown crustal block.^[1] The lake's shallowness, limited river inflow, and large surface area relative to its volume make it vulnerable to climate changes; cores taken from its bottom show that Lake Victoria has dried up completely three times since it formed.^[2] These drying cycles are probably related to past ice ages, which are times when precipitation declined globally.^[3] The lake last dried out 17,300 years ago, and filled again beginning 14,700 years ago; the fantastic adaptive radiation of its native cichlids has taken place in the short period of time since then.^[4] For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Four of the 13 finch species found on the Galápagos Archipelago, and thought to have evolved by an adaptive radiation that diversified their beak shapes to adapt them to different food sources. ... Genera Apistogramma - Dwarf Cichlids Astronotus (Oscars) Boulengerochromis Cichlasoma - American Ciclids Crenicichla Pterophyllum - Freshwater Angelfish Symphysodon - Discus Teleogramma Tilapia Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes. ...

Exploration history

The first recorded information about Lake Victoria comes from Arab traders plying the inland routes in search of gold, ivory, other precious commodities and slaves. An excellent map known as the Al Idrisi map dated from the 1160s, clearly depicts an accurate representation of Lake Victoria, and attributes it as being the source of the Nile. For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... For other uses, see Map (disambiguation). ... Al_Idrisis world map from 1154. ...

The lake was first sighted by a European in 1858 when the British explorer John Hanning Speke reached its southern shore whilst on his journey with Richard Francis Burton to explore central Africa and locate the great Lakes. Believing he had found the source of the Nile on seeing this vast expanse of open water for the first time, Speke named the lake after Queen Victoria. Burton, who had been recovering from illness at the time and resting further south on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, was outraged that Speke claimed to have proved his discovery to have been the true source of the Nile, which Burton regarded as still unsettled. A very public quarrel ensued, which not only sparked a great deal of intense debate within the scientific community of the day, but much interest by other explorers keen to either confirm or refute Speke's discovery. This list of explorers is sorted by surname. ... John Hanning Speke (May 4, 1827 – September 15, 1864) was an officer in the British Indian army, who made three voyages of exploration to Africa. ... For other persons named Richard Burton, see Richard Burton (disambiguation). ... Queen Victoria redirects here. ... Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa (3° 20 to 8° 48 South and from 29° 5 to 31° 15 East). ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ...

The well known British explorer and missionary David Livingstone failed in his attempt to verify Speke's discovery, instead pushing too far west and entering the Congo River system instead. It was ultimately the Welsh-American explorer Henry Morton Stanley, on an expedition funded by the New York Herald newspaper, who confirmed the truth of Speke's discovery, circumnavigating the Lake and reporting the great outflow at Ripon Falls on the Lake's northern shore. David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in central Africa. ... The Congo River (for a time known as Zaire River) is the largest river in Western Central Africa. ... Map showing the population density of Americans who declared Welsh ancestry in the census. ... Sir Henry Morton Stanley, also known in the Congo as Bula Matari (Breaker of Rocks or, alternatively, Sledge Hammer) , born John Rowlands (January 28, 1841 – May 10, 1904), was a journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. ... The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835 and 1924. ... Ripon Falls at the northern end of Lake Victoria in Uganda is often considered the source of the river Nile. ...

Ecology and social impacts

Lake Victoria plays a vital role in supporting the millions of people living around its shores, in one of the most densely populated regions on earth.

Introduction of fish species

The ecosystems of Lake Victoria and its surroundings have been badly affected by human influence. In 1954, the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) was first introduced into the lake's ecosystem in an attempt to improve fishery yields of the lake. Introduction efforts intensified during the very early 1960s. The species was present in small numbers until the early to mid 1980s, when it underwent a massive population expansion and came to dominate the fish community and ecology of the world's largest tropical lake. Also introduced was the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), now an important food fish for local consumption. The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) proved ecologically and socioeconomically devastating. Together with pollution born of deforestation and overpopulation (of both people and domestic animals), the Nile perch has brought about a massive transformation in the lake ecosystem and to the disappearance of hundreds of endemic haplochromine cichlid species. Many of these are now presumed to be entirely extinct. A number of other species are extinct in the wild, with populations being maintained in zoos and aquaria, e.g. as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Species Survival Plan for these species. Some species which were extirpated from Lake Victoria itself, are known to survive in nearby smaller so-called satellite lakes, such as Lake Kyoga, Lake Edward, and Lake Albert. A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a species of freshwater fish in family Centropomidae of order Perciformes. ... Binomial name Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758 The Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is a cichlid fish of African origin which is native from Syria into east Africa through the Congo to Liberia. ... Socioeconomics or Socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and social life. ... This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... The haplochromine cichlids, subfamily Haplochrominae, are a grouping of genera including Haplochromis plus a number of closely related genera (such as Aulonocara, Astatotilapia, and Chilotiplapia) endemic to eastern and southern Africa. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Diagram of Extinct in the Wild in relation to other IUCN categories. ... For other uses, see Zoo (disambiguation). ... The Species Survival Plan helps endangered animals find zoos to live in. ... Extirpation is the localized extinction of a species. ... Map showing the location of Lake Kyoga in Uganda. ... Lake Edward is the smallest of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... For other uses, see Lake Albert (disambiguation). ...

Also vanished from the big Lake Victoria is one of two native species of tilapia (another kind of cichlid fish), the Singidia tilapia or ngege (Oreochromis esculentus). The ngege is superior in taste and texture to Nile tilapia, but it does not grow as fast or as large and produces fewer young. Ngege and some representatives of haplochromine diversity survive in minute swamp ponds and lakes that dot the Lake Victoria Basin. The initial good returns on Nile perch catches, at their peak delivering export revenues of several hundred million dollars a year, have diminished dramatically due to poor enforcement of fisheries regulations. The proceeds from Nile perch sales remain an important economic engine in the region, but the resulting wealth is very poorly distributed and the overall balance sheet on the Nile perch introduction to Lake Victoria is well into the red^{[citation needed]} despite the enormous value of the perch landings as an export commodity. Genera Oreochromis (about 30 species) Sarotherodon (over 10 species) Tilapia (about 40 species) and see text Tilapia (pronounced ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fishes from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. ... Subfamilies Astronotinae Cichlasomatinae Cichlinae Etroplinae Geophaginae Heterochromidinae Paratilapiinae Pseudocrenilabrinae Ptychochrominae Retroculinae For genera, see below. ...

The three countries bordering Lake Victoria - Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania - have agreed in principle to the idea of a tax on Nile perch exports, proceeds to be applied to various measures to benefit local communities and sustain the fishery. However, this tax has not been put into force, enforcement of fisheries and environmental laws generally are lax, and the Nile perch fishery remains in essence a mining operation.

Density growth around Lake Victoria

Local languages around lake Victoria

Currently, the Nile perch is being overfished. Populations of a few endemic cichlid species have increased again, particularly one to three species of zooplankton-eating, herring-like cichlids (Yssichromis) that school with the abundant native Silver Cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea), known locally as dagaa (Tanzania), omena (Kenya) or mukene (Uganda). In 1996 The World Bank funded a project to restore and sustain the ecology of Lake Victoria and its fisheries, called LVEMP (Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (3139 × 2347 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (3139 × 2347 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Yssichromis is a genus of fish in the Cichlidae family. ... World Bank Group logo The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations responsible for providing finance and advice to countries for the purposes of economic development and eliminating poverty. ...

Meanwhile, the EU invested another large sum in fisheries infrastructure and monitoring. One product of these foreign aid programs has been the training of a new generation of east African aquatic ecologists, conservation professionals, and fisheries scientists. There has also been an increase in the fishery research institutes of the lake.

Water hyacinth invasion

The water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, a native of the tropical Americas, was introduced by Belgian colonists to Ruanda to beautify their holdings and then advanced by natural means to Lake Victoria where it was first sighted in 1988^[5] There, without any natural enemies, it has become an ecological plague, suffocating the lake, diminishing the fish reservoir, and hurting the local economies. By forming thick mats of vegetation it causes difficulties to transportation, fishing, hydroelectric power generation and drinking water supply. By 1995, 90% of the Ugandan coastline was covered by the plant. With mechanical and chemical control of the problem seeming unlikely, the mottled water hyacinth weevil Neochetina eichhorniae was bred and released with good results. On the Kenyan site ,however, neglect has led to siginificant economic impact making it difficult to reach the harbor of Kisumu, hurting fishing, and threatening the water supply.^[5] Binomial name Eichhornia crassipes (Mart. ... Rwanda is a country in central Africa. ... Binomial name Neochetina eichhorniae Warner, 1970 The mottled water hyacinth weevil, Neochetina eichhorniae, has been introduced to countries worldwide to control the spread of the weed water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes. ... Kisumu ( ) is a port city in western Kenya at 1131m, with a population of 322,024 (1999 census). ...

Nalubaale dam

Main article: Nalubaale Power Station

The only outflow for Lake Victoria is at Jinja, Uganda where it forms the Victoria Nile. The water originally drained over a natural rock weir. In 1952 British colonial engineers blasted out the weir and reservoir. A standard for mimicking the old rate of outflow called the "agreed curve" was established, setting the maximum flow rate at 300 to 1,700 cubic meters per second (392 - 2,224 yd³/sec) depending on the lake's water level. Owen Falls Dam generating electricity. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In 2002 Uganda completed a second hydroelectric complex in the area, with World Bank assistance. By 2006 the water levels in Lake Victoria had reached an 80-year low, and Daniel Kull, an independent hydrologist living in Nairobi, Kenya, calculated that Uganda was releasing about twice as much water as is allowed under the agreement [2], and was the primary culprit in recent drops in the lake's level.

At 55,372 cubic meters per second (35,000 yrd³), more than double the maximum agreed curve, it would take a year to drain 110.75 cubic kilometres (89,500 acre-feet) from the lake. That is approximately 4% of the lake's volume. An acre foot is a unit of volume commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, and river flows. ...

Transportation

Since the 1900s Lake Victoria ferries have been an important means of transport between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The main ports on the lake are Kisumu, Mwanza, Bukoba, Entebbe, Port Bell and Jinja. The steamer MV Bukoba sank in the lake on October 3, 1995, killing nearly 1,000 people in one of Africa's worst maritime disasters. The Lake Victoria ferries are and were steam- and diesel-powered ships used for freight and passenger transport between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria. ... Kisumu ( ) is a port city in western Kenya at 1131m, with a population of 322,024 (1999 census). ... Sunset over Lake Victoria as seen coming into Mwanza via train Mwanza is a city in northwest Tanzania and a southern port of Lake Victoria. ... Bukoba is a town in northwest Tanzania on the western shore of Lake Victoria. ... Location of Entebbe within Uganda. ... Port Bell is a small industrial centre near Kampala in Uganda, that has a harbour, which is used for international traffic across Lake Victoria. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... MV Bukoba is the name of a passenger steamer that sank 30 kilometers from Mwanza, Tanzania on May 21, 1996, killing nearly one thousand people. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

See also

• African Great Lakes
• Rift Valley lakes
• List of world's largest lakes
• Darwin's Nightmare (documentary dealing with the damage that has been caused by Nile Perch introduction)

The Greater Lakes and the East African coastline as seen from space. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Worlds largest lakes (over 1,700 sq. ... Darwins Nightmare film poster Darwins Nightmare is a 2004 film written and directed by Hubert Sauper. ...

References

1. ^ Reader, John. Africa. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001. p. 227
2. ^ Reader, p. 228
3. ^ Reader, p. 228
4. ^ Reader, p. 228
5. ^ ^{a b} [1] Thilo Thielke: Die grüne Pest. Spiegel (de) 2/9/2008, accessed 2/9/2008

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Lake Victoria

• Decreasing levels of Lake Victoria Worry East African Countries
• Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See Lake Victoria. Peace Palace Libray
• New Scientist article on Uganda's violation of the agreed curve for hydroelectric water flow.