Why is the Lake Victoria important?

The lake is an important transport route linking the East African States, is a reservoir for at least four hydropower stations along the Nile, provides water for industrial and domestic use, and regulates local climate.

How does Lake Victoria affect Kenya?

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda share Lake Victoria. It is the worlds largest tropical lake and the second largest freshwater lake. The Nile perch was introduced to the lake to improve fish stock, but now it is responsible for the extinction of many indigenous fish species. Much of the damage is vast and irreversible.

Who owns Lake Victoria?

Lake Victoria in East Africa is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and therein lies the problem. All three countries are fighting over it; they all want the water and the fish, and both resources are disappearing.

What makes Lake Victoria unique?

“Lake Victoria is unique because the lake [itself] is a large majority of its rain basin,” Reynolds explains. For most lakes, the rain that falls over a broad region flows into the lake through rivers, streams, and ground water. Low rainfall accounts for some of the drop in water levels on Lake Victoria.

What happened Lake Victoria?

Lake Victoria last dried out about 17,300 years ago, and it refilled 14,700 years ago as the African humid period began.

Can you swim in Lake Victoria Africa?

Swimming in Lake Victoria is not recommended but you will see locals and international visitors swimming in the great lake. The main worry about swimming in Lake Victoria is the risk of contracting bilharzia. There are also large populations of hippo and crocodiles in the lake.

How does Lake Victoria affect Africa?

Today about 30 million people in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania rely on the lake for fishing, irrigation, drinking water and, in Uganda, electricity. Lake Victoria is also the source of one of the River Nile’s major tributaries, the White Nile.

Why was Lake Victoria named so?

The search by Europeans for the source of the Nile led to the sighting of the lake by the British explorer John Hanning Speke in 1858. Formerly known to the Arabs as Ukerewe, the lake was named by Speke in honour of Queen Victoria of England.

Why is Lake Victoria Black?

Lake Victoria appears black due to the dark brown mud and silt just below the water.

Can you see across Lake Victoria?

Lake Victoria, in East Africa, is the world’s largest tropical freshwater lake. On a clear day you cannot see the other side of Lake Victoria, yet this vast body of water has dried up several times in the past—and it could happen again. Over the past 100,000 years, the lake has completely dried up at least three times.

Is Lake Victoria the biggest lake in the world?

Lake Victoria, in East Africa, is the world’s largest tropical freshwater lake. At 68,800km², it’s also the second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior in North America.

Are there sharks in Lake Victoria Africa?

Victorian waters are home to at least seven varieties of sharks, according to Fisheries Victoria. These include heavyweights like the seven-metre, three-tonne great whites but also smaller relatives of the shark family like the iridescent elephant sharks that don’t grow past 1.5 metres.