Lake Victoria is a destination for a number of tourist activities in the countries where it is shared. The lake was named after Queen Victoria by the explorer John Hanning Speke, in his reports—the first Briton to document it. The sand filtration helps reduce water-borne diseases and is based on the use of the local environment. [41] As a result of predation by the introduced Nile perch, eutrophication and other changes to the ecosystem, it is estimated that at least 200 species (about 40 percent) of Lake Victoria haplochromines have become extinct,[37][41][46] including more than 100 undescribed species. Heavy winds and rains along with their subsequent waves may have also damaged the plants during this same time frame. Lake Victoria is located in east central Africa along the equator. A narrow channel leads into the Kavirondo Gulf, which has an average width of 16 miles (25 km) and extends for 40 miles (64 km) eastward to Kisumu, Kenya. Extensive fish kills, Nile perch, loss of habitat and overfishing have caused many fisheries to collapse and many protein sources to be unavailable at the market for local consumption. Its area is 26,828 square miles (69,484 square km). Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile. Lake Victoria info - Gondwana Safari Tour Operators - Safari Holiday Packages, Lodges, Camps +267 686 1971. It is located in East Africa between the countries Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Lake Victoria, also called Victoria Nyanza, largest lake in Africa and chief reservoir of the Nile, lying mainly in Tanzania and Uganda but bordering on Kenya. [89][91][92][93] A green power plant that uses harvested water hyacinth (but also can use other degradable waste) was constructed in Kisumu County in 2013. European Investment Bank started the project in 2013 with the aim of protecting the environmental health of the lake, through improved water and sanitation to the towns whose pollution is part of the degradation of the lake. Lake Victoria is the most important freshwater storage reservoir in East Africa, with about 40 million people depending on its resources. Het bevindt zich in Oost-Afrika tussen de staten Tanzania, Oeganda en Kenia.Met een oppervlakte van 69 484 km² is het bijna zo groot als Nederland en België samen. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Ugandan volunteers passing out life jackets in an effort to decrease the number of drownings in Lake Victoria. In 1952, engineers acting for the government of Colonial Uganda blasted out the weir and reservoir to replace it with an artificial barrage to control the level of the lake and reduce the gradual erosion of the rock weir. Lake Victoria water resources management challenges and prospects: a need for equitable and sustainable institutional and regulatory frameworks. life for the people living within the Lake Victoria Basin which is in line with the Bank’s focus areas (Hi5s). The increasing amounts of algae, in turn, increase the amount of detritus (dead plant material) that falls to the deeper portions of the lake before decomposing. [65], Four species of freshwater crabs are known from Lake Victoria: Potamonautes niloticus is widespread in the lake and P. emini has been recorded from the vicinity of Bukoba in Tanzania, but both are also found elsewhere in Africa. [41][80] To boost fishing, several species of non-native tilapia and Nile perch were introduced to the lake in the 1950s. And that is why we are interested in how much is being abstracted by those countries” Tindimugaya explained. Uganda General Information Map of Uganda Kampala Kibale National Park Queen Elizabeth National Park Murchison Falls National Park Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. [95][96] Large parts of these urban areas also discharge untreated (raw) sewage into the river, increasing its eutrophication that in turn is helping to increase the invasive water hyacinth. [70][71] There are 17 species of bivalves (Corbicula, Coelatura, Sphaerium, and Byssanodonta), including 6 endemic species/subspecies. [60] Furthermore, Graham noted that the introduction of the European flax gill net of 5 inch mesh had undoubtedly caused a diminution in the number of ngege in those parts of the Kavirondo Gulf, the northern shore of the lake, the Sesse Islands and Smith's Sound which are conveniently situated close to markets. [21][36], Most of these lakes are relatively shallow (like Victoria) and part of the present-day upper Nile basin. [39] These are the result of a rapid adaptive radiation in the last circa 15,000 years. Its waters fill a shallow depression in the centre of the great plateau that stretches between the Western and Eastern Rift Valleys. Find out by taking this quiz about Africa. leucostictus). Victoria Nyanzanēăn´zə, nī– [key], largest lake of Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake, c.26,830 sq mi (69,490 sq km), E central Africa, on the Uganda-Tanzania-Kenya border. [35] Among the introductions are several tilapias: redbreast (Coptodon rendalli), redbelly (C. zillii), Nile (Oreochromis niloticus) and blue-spotted tilapias (O. CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (. Featuring room service, this property also provides guests with a playground. [29] The deepest part of the lake is offset to the east of the lake near Kenya and the lake is generally shallower in the west along the Ugandan shoreline and the south along the Tanzanian shoreline. It is densely populated. Lake Victoria has more than 200 species of fish, of which the Tilapia is the most economically important. [27], The non-cichlid native fish include African tetras (Brycinus), cyprinids (Enteromius, Garra, Labeo, Labeobarbus, Rastrineobola and Xenobarbus), airbreathing catfish (Clariallabes, Clarias and Xenoclarias), bagrid catfish (Bagrus), loach catfish (Amphilius and Zaireichthys), silver butter catfish (Schilbe intermedius), Synodontis squeaker catfish, Nothobranchius killifish, poeciliids (Aplocheilichthys and Micropanchax), the spiny eel Mastacembelus frenatus, elephantfish (Gnathonemus, Hippopotamyrus, Marcusenius, Mormyrus, Petrocephalus, and Pollimyrus), the climbing gourami Ctenopoma muriei and marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus). The water hyacinth has become a major invasive plant species in Lake Victoria. The Origins of the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria. The influent rivers of Lake Victoria provide few nutrients to the lake in relation to its size. [68], The only shrimp/prawn is Caridina nilotica,[69] which is common and widespread in Lake Victoria. In his official report of the expedition, Graham wrote that "The ngege or satu Tilapia esculenta, is the most important food fish of the lake, whether for native or non-native consumption. The lake’s deeply indented northern coast is flat and bare. "Toxic dump: The poisons killing lake Victoria", "Water Hyacinth Re-invades Lake Victoria", "Scientists raise concerns over pollution of Lake Victoria", "Lake Victoria | Size, Map, Countries, & Facts", "Diver's recover 180 bodies from Africa's worst ferry disaster", "Ferry tragedy: More than 200 feared dead in Tanzania", Decreasing levels of Lake Victoria Worry East African Countries, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_Victoria&oldid=1000238574, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles containing Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)-language text, Articles containing Luganda-language text, Articles containing undetermined-language text, Articles using infobox body of water without alt, Articles using infobox body of water without image bathymetry, Articles needing additional references from June 2017, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [99] The repository contains shoreline, bathymetry, pollution, temperature, wind vector, and other important data for both the lake and the wider Basin. its a huge lake it is covering 3 countries Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and giving them more than enough supply of fish "tilapia, Must visit in Uganda is Lake Victoria . Found on the western side of Africa's Great Rift Valley, Lake Victoria borders the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Kagera River, the largest and most important of the lake affluents, enters the western side of Lake Victoria just north of latitude 1° S. The only other river of note entering from the west is the Katonga, north of Kagera. The food chain is being altered and in some cases, broken by the indiscriminate eating habits of the Nile perch. Albright, T.P., Moorhouse, T.G., & McNabb, T.J. (January 1, 2004). [37][41] The zooplanktivores have been least affected and in the late 1990s had reached densities similar to, or above, the densities before the drastic declines, although consisting of fewer species and often switching their diet towards macroinvertebrates. It was completed in 1999 and began producing hydroelectric power the next year. [89] More recently, measures have been used such as the introduction of natural insect predators, including two different water hyacinth weevils and large harvesting and chopping boats, which seem to be much more effective in eliminating the water hyacinth. The lake’s surface is 3,720 feet (1,134 metres) above sea level, and its greatest ascertained depth is 270 feet (82 metres). 209–10. [104], Since the 1900s, Lake Victoria ferries have been an important means of transport between Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. [18] Average evaporation on the lake is between 2.0 and 2.2 metres (6.6 and 7.2 ft) per year, almost double the precipitation of riparian areas. Conservation Biology: For the Coming Decade. In 1966, train ferry services between Kenya and Tanzania were established with the introduction of MV Uhuru and MV Umoja. It feeds primarily on female mosquitos. Oluka, 1991. Uganda Game and Fisheries Department (UGFD) officials denied that they were involved, but circumstantial evidence suggests otherwise and local Africans employed by UGFD have said that they introduced the species in 1954–55 under the directive of senior officials. Lake Victoria. LAKE VICTORIA, February 29, 2016 – When an English explorer stumbled upon Lake Victoria in the middle of the 19 th century, the lake’s 38,000 mile-long shoreline was pristine - broken by small, shallow bays, inlets and wetlands. [25] These changes have arisen for multiple reasons: successive burning within its basin,[26] soot and ash from which has been deposited over the lake's wide area; from increased nutrient inflows via rivers,[27] and from increased pollution associated with settlement along its shores. Although it is a part of the same river system known as the White Nile and is occasionally referred to as such, strictly speaking this name does not apply until after the river crosses the Uganda border into South Sudan to the north. McAndrews, R. and D.I. [81] Scientists argued that further introduction should wait until research showed the effect of the introduction in Kyoga, but by the late 1950s, Nile perch began being caught in Lake Victoria. "Lake Victoria has the potential to boost cruise tourism in the region by generating employment, earning the three countries foreign currency, social benefits to host destinations, promoting global community and also promoting international understanding and peace." Few fisheries, though, have been able to make the switch to catching the Nile perch, since that requires a significant amount of capital resources.[83]. Answered Lake Victoria covers land in all of the following countries EXCEPT 1 Interesting Facts about Lake Victoria 6: the division of Lake Victoria. 2nd edition. It borders the countries of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. [24] In the Kenya sector, the main influent rivers are the Sio, Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, Mogusi, and Migori. [70][72] It is likely that undescribed species of snails remain. [35] The main group in Lake Victoria is the haplochromine cichlids (Haplochromis sensu lato) with more than 500 species, almost all endemic,[21][36][37] and including an estimated 300 that still are undescribed. [81] These warnings primarily concerned the native tilapia O. esculentus, as the smaller haplochromine cichlids (despite playing an important role in local fisheries) were regarded as "trash fish" by the colonial government. Lake Victoria is known to be 2nd largest fresh water lake, and is the source of the White Nile river. These cities and towns are also home to many factories that discharge some chemicals directly into the lake or its influent rivers. [65], At a genus level, most of these are widespread in Africa, but the very rare Xenobarbus and Xenoclarias are endemic to the lake, and the common Rastrineobola is near-endemic. The shoreline is over 3,400 km long and home to numerous rock dwelling cichlids. [73] This may increase as a result of the spread of the invasive water hyacinth (an optimum snail habitat),[74] and the loss of many snail-eating cichlids in the lake. Surviving from the treasure of Chief Rumanika of…, In Central Africa, Lakes Victoria, Albert, Tanganyika, and Nyasa exhibit substantial long-term features, some of which are consistent, suggesting that a common climatological factor is responsible. Njoka. 256pp. It is Africa's largest lake, and the second largest fresh water lake in the world. They are Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. In addition to the biogas it produces, its by-product can be used as fertilizer. There are local steamer services around the lake. Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nnalubaale) is a lake in Africa.It is bordered and governed by the countries of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.The lake is in the western part of Africa's Great Rift Valley.. Lake Victoria is 68,800 square kilometres (26,560 mi²) in size. Lake Victoria (Luo: Nam Lolwe; Luganda: 'Nnalubaale; also Ukerewe)[6][7] is one of the African Great Lakes.