African Great Lakes
| Native label | Maziwa Makuu, Ibiyaga bigari, Grands Lacs d’Afrique, African Great Lakes  |
|---|---|
| Coordinate location | 8°0′0″S 35°0′0″E |
| Category for maps or plans | Category:Maps of African Great Lakes |
De African Great Lakes (Swahili: Maziwa Makuu; Kinyarwanda: Ibiyaga bigari) be a series of lakes wey dey constitute de part of de Rift Valley lakes insyd den around de East African Rift. De series dey include Lake Victoria, de second-largest freshwater lake insyd de world by area; Lake Tanganyika, de world ein second-largest freshwater lake by volume den depth; Lake Malawi, de world ein fourth-largest freshwater lake by volume; den Lake Turkana, de world ein largest permanent desert lake den de world ein largest alkaline lake.[1] Collectively, dem dey contain 31,000 km3 (7,400 mi3) of water, wich be more dan either Lake Baikal anaa de North American Great Lakes. Dis total dey constitute about 25% of de planet ein unfrozen surface fresh water. De large rift lakes of Africa be de ancient home of great biodiversity, den 10% of de world ein fish species live insyd dis region.
Countries insyd de area wich be bounded by de lakes of de Great Lakes region dey include Burundi, de Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda den Zambia.[2]
Lakes den drainage basins
[edit | edit source]Dem include de following on chaw lists of de African Great Lakes, dem group by drainage basin. De exact number of lakes dem consider part of de African Great Lakes dey vary by list, den fi include smaller lakes insyd de rift valleys, especially if dem be part of de same drainage basin as de larger lakes, such as Lake Kyoga.
Lakes wey dey drain into de White Nile
[edit | edit source]- Lake Victoria
- Lake Kyoga (part of de Great Lakes system buh einself no be a "great lake")
- Lake Albert
- Lake Edward
Lakes wey dey drain into de Congo River
[edit | edit source]- Lake Tanganyika
- Lake Kivu
- Lake Mweru
- Lake Bangweulu
Lake wey dey drain into de Zambezi
[edit | edit source]- Lake Malawi, via de Shire River
Lakes plus closed basins
[edit | edit source]- Lake Turkana
- Lake Rukwa
African Great Lakes region
[edit | edit source]De Great Lakes region (rarely: Greater Lakes region) dey consist of ten riparian countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, den Zambia.[2] De adjective interlacustrine ("between lakes") fi refer to de region,[3] anaa more specifically, de nations anaa area wey be bounded by de lakes.[4]
De Swahili language be de most commonly spoken language insyd de African Great Lakes region.[5] E sanso dey serve as a national anaa official language of five nations insyd de region: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, den de Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Secof ein high population—dem estimate to be more dan 50 million people insyd 2020[6]—den de agricultural surplus insyd de region, de area cam be organized into a number of small states. De most powerful of dese monarchies be Buganda, Bunyoro, Karagwe, Rwanda, den Burundi.
Climate
[edit | edit source]De highlands be relatively cool, plus average temperatures wey dey range between 17 °C (63 °F) den 19 °C (66 °F) den abundant rainfall. Major drainage basins dey include those of de Congo-Zaire, Nile, den Zambezi rivers, wich dey drain into de Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, den Indian Ocean, respectively.
Forests be dominant insyd de lowlands of de Congo-Zaire Basin, while grasslands den savannas (dry grasslands) most be common insyd de southern den eastern highlands. Temperatures insyd de lowlands average about 35 °C (95 °F). Around Lake Turkana, de climate be hot den very dry. A short rainy season insyd October be followed by a longer one from April to May.
Flora den fauna
[edit | edit source]De Western Rift Valley lakes be freshwater den home to an extraordinary number of endemic species. More than 1,500 cichlid fish species dey live insyd de lakes,[7] as well as oda fish families. De lakes sanso be important habitats give a number of amphibian species. Nile crocodiles be numerous. Mammals dey include elephants, gorillas den hippopotamus.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "~ZAMBIA~". www.zambiatourism.com. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- 1 2 "International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region". Princeton University Library. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ↑ Shillington, Kevin (2013). Encyclopedia of African History. Routledge. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-135-45669-6.
the fertile corridor of the Great Lakes Region (also called the interlacustrine region)
- ↑ "interlacustrine". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. OCLC 1032680871. "the region of Africa that is bounded by Lakes Victoria, Kyoga, Albert, Edward, and Tanganyika"
- ↑ Shema, Rutagengwa Claude. "Great Lakes Region of Africa – Burundi". Author-me. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ↑ Obiero, Kevin; Lawrence, Ted; Ives, Jessica; Smith, Stephanie; Njaya, Friday; Kayanda, Robert; Waidbacher, Herwig; Olago, Dan; Miriti, Evans; Hecky, R. E. (2020-10-01). "Advancing Africa's Great Lakes research and academic potential: Answering the call for harmonized, long-term, collaborative networks and partnerships". Journal of Great Lakes Research. 46 (5): 1240–1250. doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2020.02.002. ISSN 0380-1330.
- ↑ Turner; Seehausen; Knight; Allender; Robinson (2001). "How many species of cichlid fishes are there in African lakes?". Molecular Ecology. 10 (3): 793–806. Bibcode:2001MolEc..10..793T. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2001.01200.x. PMID 11298988. S2CID 12925712.
External links
[edit | edit source]
- Chrétien, Jean-Pierre (2006). The Great Lakes of Africa: Two Thousand Years of History. Translated by Straus, Scott. New York: Zone Books. ISBN 1-890951-35-8.
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