Lake Malawi
| Lake Malawi / Lake Nyasa | |
|---|---|
View from orbit
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| Coordinates | 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°ECoordinates: 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°E |
| Lake type | Rift lake |
| Primary inflows | Ruhuhu River |
| Primary outflows | Shire River |
| Basin countries | Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania |
| Max. length | 560 km to 580 |
| Max. width | 75 km |
| Surface area | 29,600 km2 (11,400 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 292 m |
| Max. depth | 706 m |
| Water volume | 8,400 km3 (2,000 cu mi) |
| Surface elevation | 500 meters above sea level |
| Islands | Likoma and Chizumulu islets |
| References | |
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. It is home to more species of fish than any other lake, including about 1000 species of cichlids. The Mozambique portion of the lake was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011,while in Malawi a portion of the lake is included in Lake Malawi National Park. Lake Malawi is a meromictic lake, meaning that its water layers do not mix. The permanent stratification of Lake Malawi's water and the oxic-anoxic boundary (relating to oxygen in the water) are maintained by moderately small chemical and thermal gradients.
Lake Malawi is between 560 kilometres (350 mi) and 580 kilometres (360 mi) long, and about 75 kilometres (47 mi) wide at its widest point. The total surface area of the lake is about 29,600 square kilometres (11,400 sq mi). The lake has shorelines on western Mozambique, eastern Malawi, and southern Tanzania. The largest river flowing into it is the Ruhuhu River, and there is an outlet at its southern end, the Shire River, a tributary that flows into the very large Zambezi River in Mozambique.
The lake lies in a valley formed by the opening of the East African Rift, where the African tectonic plate is being split into two pieces. This is called a divergent plate tectonics boundary. It is variously estimated at about 40,000 years old or about one to two million years. The lake is about 350 kilometres (220 mi) southeast of Lake Tanganyika, another of the great lakes of the East African Rift.
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