Lake Bangweulu

Lake Bangweulu

lake

Inflows	Chambeshi River
Outflows	Luapula River
Drainage basin	Congo Basin
Basin country	Zambia
Country	Zambia
Coordinate location	11°5′0″S 29°45′0″E
Discoverer or inventor	David Livingstone
Time of discovery anaa invention	1868

Lake Bangweulu ('wer de water dey meet de sky') be a freshwater lake insyd northern Zambia. Bangweulu be one of de world ein great wetland systems, wey dey comprise Lake Bangweulu, de Bangweulu Wetlands den de Bangweulu flats anaa floodplain. Dem situate insyd de upper Congo River basin insyd Zambia, de Bangweulu system dey cover an almost completely flat area roughly de size of Connecticut anaa East Anglia, at an elevation of 1,140 m straddling Zambia ein Luapula Province den Northern Province. E be crucial to de economy den biodiversity of northern Zambia, den to de birdlife of a much larger region, den dey face environmental stress den conservation issues.

Plus a long axis of 75 km den a width of up to 40 km, Lake Bangweulu ein permanent open water surface be about 3,000 km², wich dey expand wen ein swamps den floodplains be insyd flood at de end of de rainy season insyd May. De combined area of de lake den wetlands dey reach 15,000 km². De lake get an average depth of only 4 m, den a maximum depth of 10 m.

De Bangweulu system be fed by about seventeen rivers of wich de Chambeshi (de source of de Congo River) be de largest, wey be drained by de Luapula River.

History

European exploration

De lake be known to Europeans from reports by chiefs such as Kazembe den from Swahili traders, wey sam times dem refer to as 'Lake Bemba' from de name of de dominant tribe. Insyd 1868 explorer den missionary David Livingstone be de first European to see de lake at de north end of de Lake Chifunabuli section. Dem take am by canoe as far as Mbabala Island. Ein last expedition a few years later founder insyd de swamps den dema maze of shifting channels as he struggle to discover de rivers wey dey drain insyd den out of de lake. He die insyd 1873 insyd Chief Chitambo ein village on de edge of de southern flood plain, about 100 km from de lake einself. De spot be marked by de Livingstone Memorial (see map). De lake partially be surveyed insyd 1883 by de French traveller, Victor Giraud, den first circumnavigated by Poulett Weatherley insyd 1896.

Human settlement

De area of de lake be inhabited by de Bisa insyd Chilubi den Mpika, de Bemba insyd Luwingu, de Unga insyd Lunga, de Kabende insyd Samfya, de Ngumbo insyd Lubwe, de BenaMukulu insyd Chungu den affiliated tribes wey all speak Chibemba. De Bemba heartland of Paramount Chief Chitimukulu dey lie to de north-east, around Kasama.

Fishery

De lake dey support a seasonal fishing industry den de population fi increase markedly during de season. Insyd 1989 na de average annual catch be estimated at 11,900 tonnes, wey 10,300 people catch dey use 5305 dugout canoes, 114 plank den fibreglass boats, den 54 outboard motors per. Insyd 2000 na de catch be 13,500 t.

Sections of Lake Bangweulu

Samfya beach.

Satellite photograph of Lake Bangweulu (upper left) den de Bangweulu Swamps (centre). Water dey show as dark green. Key: 1 Lake Chifunabuli, 2 Ifunge Peninsula, 3 Mbabala Island, 4 Lake Walilupe, 5 Chishi Island, 6 Chilubi Island, 7 Ifunge Mwenzi Island, 8 Nsumbu Island, 9 Lake Kampolombo, 10 Kapata Peninsula, 11 Lake Kangwena, 12 Lake Chali, 13 Lake Chaya, 14 Lake Wumba, 15 Pook Lagoon, 16 Lupososhi Estuary, 17 Luena Estuary, 18 Lukuto Estuary, 19 Chambeshi Estuary, 20 Luansenshi River, 21 Grassy floodplains, 22 Chichile Island, 23 Kasansa Island, 24 Panyo Island, 25 Nsalushi Island, 26 Ncheta Island, 27 Lunga Bank, 28 Kasenga, 29 Kataba, 30 Lubwe, 31 Kasaba, 32 Twingi, 33 Chaba, 34 Congo Pedicle.

Islands

Der be numerous inhabited islands insyd de Bangweulu system.

On de lake dem be:

• Chilubi Island (6), de largest, partly insyd de lake den mainly insyd de swamps
• Mbabala Island (3), a sand spit wey dey divide off de Lake Walilupe section
• Chishi Island (5), insyd de middle of de northern part of de lake
• Lifunge Mwenzi Island (7), wey dey divide off de northern part of Lake Chifunabuli
• Small Islands: Chindo den Ibula Islands near de north-west shore, den Chibwe Ngombe Island, a tiny sliver north-west of Chilubi Island, Minswa Island den Ngwishi Island

Insyd de swamps:

• Nsumbu Island (8) east of Chilubi Island
• Insyd de eastern swamps: Chisale Island, Panyo Island (24), Nsalushi Island (25), Nsumpa Island, Matongo Island den Kabulu Island
• Near de Chambeshi River wer e dey enter de eastern swamps: Mutwamina Island den Munyanga Island
• Insyd de southern swamps: Ncheta Island (26) (plus de village of Bwalya Mponda), den Mbo, east of de Luapula ein exit from de swamps
• Kasoma village [de seat of de new Lunga District] on de south-east edge of de Lunga Bank
• Kalimakonde village on de banks of de Churchill Channel

Flood season islands: on de edge of de swamps, dem connect to de mainland insyd de dry season:

• Insyd de north-east: Kasansa Island (23), Chichile Island (22), Luangwa Island, Mbishi Island, den Munkanta at de edge of Lake Chaya, wer de Lulingila River dey enter de eastern swamps.
• Insyd de south: Kasenga (28), close to de outlet of Lake Kangwena, Kataba (29), den Yongolo, den Itulo at de edge of south-east swamps.

Oda settlements

• Lubwe (30) on Lake Chifunabuli get a Catholic mission den hospital
• Kasaba (31), a Catholic mission insyd de north-west
• Santa Maria, a mission on Chilubi Island
• Mpanta, east of Samfya on de channel wey dey drain out of Lake Walilupe
• Twingi (32), plus a mission, at de south end of de Kapata Peninsula
• Chaba (33), insyd de north-east
• Mofu, insyd de north-east.

External links

• Hughes, J.E. (1933). Eighteen Years on Lake Bangweulu. London: The Field.