Lake Malombe

Lake Malombe
Seen from space
Location	Southern Region
Coordinates	14°40′0″S 35°15′0″E / 14.66667°S 35.25000°E / -14.66667; 35.25000Coordinates: 14°40′0″S 35°15′0″E / 14.66667°S 35.25000°E / -14.66667; 35.25000
Primary inflows	Shire River from Lake Malawi
Primary outflows	Shire River
Basin countries	Malawi
Surface area	450 km2 (170 sq mi)
Average depth	6–8 ft (1.8–2.4 m)

Lake Malombe is a lake in southern part of Malawi, on the Shire River, in the Southern Region. It is located at around 14°40′0″S 35°15′0″E / 14.66667°S 35.25000°E / -14.66667; 35.25000, about 20 km (12 mi) south of much larger Lake Malawi. It has an area of about 450 km² (170 sq mi). In recent years the number of fishermen on the lake rose substantially, and this led to local decline in some fish species, especially the chambo cichlids which is an important source of food throughout Malawi. The lake is extremely shallow with an average depth of approximately eight feet, and during periods of dry weather the water level recedes and can even disappear.

The lake-bed was dry for several hundred years until it refilled in the middle of the 19th century.

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