Lake Mweru

Lake Mweru

lake

Part of	Rift Valley lakes
Inflows	Luapula River, Kalungwishi River
Outflows	Luvua River
Drainage basin	Congo Basin
Basin country	Zambia
Country	Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinate location	9°10′0″S 28°30′0″E

Lake Mweru (dem sanso spell am Mwelu, Mwero) (French: Lac Moero, Swahili: Ziwa Mweru) be a freshwater lake for de longest arm of Africa ein second-longest river top, de Congo. Dem locate am for de border between Zambia den Democratic Republic of de Congo top, e dey make up 110 kilometres (68 mi) of de total length of de Congo, wey dey lie between ein Luapula River (upstream) den Luvua River (downstream) segments.

Mweru dey mean 'lake' for a number of Bantu languages, so dem often refer am as just 'Mweru'.

Physical geography

De Luapula River mainly feed Mweru, wey dey come for thru swamps from de south insyd, den de Kalungwishi River from de east. At ein north end de Luvua River drain de lake, wey dey flow for a northwesterly direction insyd to join de Lualaba River den then to de Congo. E be de second-largest lake for de Congo ein drainage basin insyd den dem locate am 150 kilometres (93 mi) west of de southern end of de largest, Lake Tanganyika.

De Luapula dey form a swampy delta almost as wide as de southern end of de lake. For a number of respects, dem fi treat de lower river den lake as one entity. Give a lake for a region plus pronounced wet den dry seasons insyd, Mweru no change much for level den area insyd. De annual fluctuation for level insyd be 1.7 metres (5 ft 7 in), plis seasonal highs for May insyd den lows for January insyd. Dis be partly sekof de Luapula dey drain out of de Bangweulu Swamps den floodplain wey dey tend to regulate de water flow, wey dey absorb de annual flood den dey release am slowly, den partly sekof Mweru ein outlet, de Luvua, dey drop quickly den dey flow swiftly, without vegetation to block am. A rise for Mweru insyd be quickly offset by a faster flow down de Luvua.

Mweru ein average length be 118 kilometres (73 mi) den ein average width be 45 kilometres (28 mi), plus ein long axis oriented northeast–southwest. Ein elevation be 917 metres (3,009 ft), quite a bit higher dan Tanganyika (763 metres (2,503 ft)). E be a rift valley lake lying insyd de Lake Mweru-Luapula graben, wich be a branch of de East African Rift. De western shore of de lake for DR Congo insyd dey exhibit de steep escarpment typical of a rift valley lake, wey dey rise to de Kundelungu Mountains beyond, buh de rift valley escarpment be less pronounced for de eastern shore top.

Mweru be shallow for de south insyd den deeper for de north insyd, plus two depressions for de north-eastern section insyd plus maximum depths of 20 and 27 metres (66 and 89 ft).

A smaller very marshy lake wey dem bell am Mweru Wantipa (wey dem sanso know am de Mweru Marshes) dey lie about 50 kilometres (31 mi) to ein east, den north of de Kalungwishi. E be mostly endorheic den actually dey take water from de Kalungwishi thru a dambo most of de time, but for times of high flood insyd e go fi ovaflow into de Kalungwishi den Lake Mweru.

Human geography

Exploration

Dem know de lake to Arab den Swahili traders (of ivory, copper den slaves) wey use Kilwa Island for de lake top as a base at one time. Dem use trade routes from Zanzibar for de Indian Ocean top to Ujiji for Lake Tanganyika top to Mweru den then to de Lunda, Luba, Yeke anaa Kazembe kingdoms, de last wey dey be for de southern shores of Mweru top. Western trade routes go from dem kingdoms to de Atlantic, so Mweru dey lay for a transcontinental trade route top.

Between 1796 den 1831 Portuguese traders/explorers Pereira, Francisco de Lacerda den odas visit Kazembe from Mozambique to get treaties to use de trade route between demma territories of Mozambique den Angola. De Portuguese for know de lake already, den de visitors only get to walk to higher ground about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Kazembe ein Kanyembo capital to see de lake 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) distant. Howeva, dem dey more interested for trade routes insyd dan discovery, dem approach from de south den Mwata Kazembe restrict demma movements, den dem no provide an account of am. Explorer den missionary David Livingstone, wey refer am 'Moero', dem credit am plus ein discovery during ein travels of 1867-'8.

Livingstone witness de devastation den suffering wey de slave trade for de area to de north den east of Mweru insyd cause am, den ein accounts do help rally opposition to am. De last of de slave trading for de area insyd be as late as de 1890s, howeva. Meanwhile, between 1870 den 1891, skirmishes den wars between de Yeke king Msiri den neighbouring chiefs den traders unsettle de area. Few Europeans visit Mweru since Livingstone, until Alfred Sharpe for 1890–1 insyd den de Stairs Expedition for 1892 insyd both pass by for demma way top to seek treaties plus Msiri. De Stairs Expedition kill Msiri den take Katanga give de King Leopold II of Belgium. Sharpe lef one of ein officers to set up de first colonial outpost for de Luapula-Mweru valley insyd, de British boma at Chiengi for 1891 insyd.

Historical development

Lake Mweru den ein main inlets, de lower Luapula River den ein swamps, den de Kalungwishi. Wat dem sanso show be Mweru ein outlet, de Luvua River going for north top to de Lualaba de Congo rivers. Water dey show up as black for dis false-colour NASA satellite image insyd. De solid blue line show de extent of de swamps, den dem show de extent of floodplain as a dotted line. De towns be, for Zambia insyd: 1 Chiengi, 2 Kashikishi, 3 Nchelenge, 4 Mwansabombwe, 5 Mwense; for DR Congo insyd: 6 Pweto, 7 Kilwa, 8 Kasenga. Oda features: 9: Chisenga Island, 10 de largest swamp island (for DR Congo insyd), 11 de main floodplain.

De western shore of Luapula-Mweru becam part of de Belgian Congo den de eastern shore part of Northern Rhodesia, a British protectorate. Lake Mweru to Tanganyika be an area wey dem expose to European influence at a very early date, wen de lakes be de chief entrance to Northern Rhodesia. Although Kilwa Island dey closer to de western shore, dem allocate am to Northern Rhodesia, den consequently Zambia get 58% of de lake waters, den DR Congo 42%.

Dem set up de first Belgian outposts for de lake top at Lukonzolwa den Pweto wey dey at various times de headquarters of demma administration of Katanga. Dem stamp out de slave trade wey dey go north-east around de lake. Scottish missionary Dan Crawford of de Plymouth Brethren establish de first mission station for de lake top for 1892 insyd at Luanza for de Belgian side of de lake top.

De British move demma boma from Chiengi to de Kalungwishi, plus one anaa two British officers (such as Blair Watson), den a force of African police. For conjunction insyd plus operations around Abercorn further down de trade route, dis dey enough to end de slave trade wey dey go east from Mweru, but no dey enough to bring Mwata Kazembe under British rule, den dem get to send a military expedition for 1899 insyd from British Central Africa (Nyasaland) to do dat job (see de article for Alfred Sharpe top give more details).

De move of de boma from Chiengi to Kalungwishi get de effect of leaving de Belgian boma at Pweto a free rein at de northern end of de lake, wey e lead a hundred years later to about 33 square kilometres (13 sq mi) of Zambian territory next to Pweto be ceded to de DR Congo (then Zaire). Make you see de Luapula Province border dispute give further details den references.

After 1900, de Belgian Congo province of Katanga for de western shores of de lake top develop faster dan de Northern Rhodesian side, de Luapula Province den de town of Kasenga a few hours by boat up de Luapula River becam de most developed for de Luapula-Mweru valley insyd, den until de 1960s be de main commercial centre plus better services den infrastructure dan elsewhere. De Elizabethville mines start up more quickly dan those of de Copperbelt, den Kasenga supply ein workforce plus fish. Since 1960, political crises, government neglect den wars for de Congolese side top produce a deterioration for infrastructure insyd, while peace for de Zambian side top produce an increase for population den services insyd, wey e cause de balance to change.

Centres of population

Chaw fishing villages dey dot Mweru ein shores. A number be seasonal camps. De main towns for de Zambian side top be Nchelenge, Kashikishi den Chiengi, den for de DR Congo side top, Kilwa (de town wey dey opposite de island), Lukonzolwa den Pweto.

Besides Kilwa Island, der be two oda inhabited islands for de lake insyd: Zambia ein Isokwe Island of 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi), den a 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) Congolese island next to de mouth of de Luapula. (Two oda islands for de Luapula swamps insyd get shores for de lake top).

De Second Congo War of 1999–2003 affect de Congolese side of de lake, from wey e still dey recover. Chaw refugees enter Zambia at Pweto den dem accommodate am for camps insyd for Mporokoso den Kawambwa districts insyd.

Transport

De Belgians operate a regular service by a paddle steamer, de Charles Lemaire, between Kasenga for de Luapula den Pweto top at de outlet of de Luvua River, a distance of nearly 300 kilometres (190 mi) if dem include a stop at Kilwa. Boats still dey ply dat route today. Dem use water transport less for de Zambian side top, except to Kilwa Island, Isokwe Island den Chisenga Island (for de Luapula swamps insyd).

Dem serve de Mweru area only by dirt roads until dem tar de main Luapula Province road for de Zambian side top to Nchelenge for 1987 insyd; de population around de lake grow, much of am dey exploit de rich fishery of de lake. Wen de Copperbelt mines shed workers for de 1980s den 1990s insyd, chaw ex-miners relocate to de lake shores, particularly around Nchelenge-Kashikishi.

Dem neglect de dirt roads for de Congolese side top den dey for poor condition insyd, den many pippoe cross into Zambia to travel by road. Make you see Congo Pedicle road give more details.

Fishery

Drawing of a syntype of Thoracochromis moeruensis (Boulenger, 1899), a haplochromine cichlid from Lake Mweru

Dem always note Mweru give ein longfin tilapia, (Oreochromis macrochir), dem bell am pale ('pa-lay') for Chibemba insyd, wey dry traditionally for racks anaa mats top for de sun insyd den pack for baskets insyd give market. (Smoking den salting fish be more recent processes for de area insyd). Catfish (one species of wey dey grow up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) for length insyd), a kind of carp, tigerfish, elephantfish den dem sanso catch sardine-like fish.

Greek fishermen from de Dodecanese islands pioneer commercial fishing for Lake Mweru den de Luapula River top wey settle for Kasenga insyd, DR Congo, for de western bank of de Luapula 150 kilometres (93 mi) upriver from de lake top for de first half of de 19th Century insyd. Dem use boats wey dem build for Greek style insyd wey charcoal-fuelled steam engines power am, wey dem later replace am plus diesel. Dem supply de workforce of de copper mines for Lubumbashi insyd (later de whole Copperbelt) plus fish wey dem pack for ice insyd at Kasenga den dem transport am from der for trucks insyd. Dem estimate am for 1950 insyd der dey 50 Greek boats wey dey catch 4,000 short tons (3,600 t) of fresh fish per year. E go take a week give a boat to do de round trip to de lake den fill ein hold, wey line plus ice wey dem carry for board top.

For recent decades insyd de catch decline sekof ova-fishing den dem estimate am at 13,000 long tons (13,000 t) tonnes wey dem catch from 4,500 small craft, mainly plank boats. Congolese fishermen dey catch de most despite having a slightly smaller share of de waters. Gill nets catch Tilapia, den no dey reach de size dem once do. Since de 1980s, 'chisense' fishing increase. Dem use dis method to catch small pelagic fish wey dem bell kapenta, originally from beaches but rydee dey use lights for boats top at night to attract de fish wey dem then scoop up for fine nets insyd.

Mining

De Dikulushi Copper Mine be an open-cast mine 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Kilwa for DR Congo insyd by dirt road, den 23 kilometres (14 mi) west of de lake. Anvil Mining sell de mine to Mawson West, an Australian company, for March 2010 insyd. Wen dem dey operate de mine, heavy trucks wey dey carry concentrate cross Mweru for a large motorised pontoon ferry top from Kilwa to Nchelenge, a distance of 44 kilometres (27 mi), then drive 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) to a copper smelter for Tsumeb, Namibia insyd.

Tourism

Lake Mweru be undeveloped give tourism despite dem regard am as "truly beautiful". Lack of access for de past insyd, a lack of wildlife conservation, den wars for DR Congo insyd between 1996 den 2003 no help. 60 years ago de western den northern shores of de lake be home to large herds of elephant, de Luapula floodplain support herds of lechwe, den dem note de Lusenga Plain National Park den Mweru Wantipa National Park give Cape buffalo, a great variety of antelope den lion. Hunting, loss of habitat, den poaching reduce most animal populations. For de Zambian side top perhaps only Mweru Wantipa National Park get tourism potential. For de Congolese side top de Parc National de Kundelungu for de mountains 75 kilometres (47 mi) south-west of de lake insyd go dey be for better condition insyd.

References

General references

• For area, depth and volume data: AR Bos, CK Kapasa and PAM van Zwieten: "Update on the bathymetry of Lake Mweru (Zambia), with notes on water level fluctuations". African Journal of Aquatic Science, 31 (1) : 145–150 (2006). Accessed 4 March 2007.
• For distances: Google Earth.
• World Lakes Database entry for Lake Mweru

External links

• Zambia tourism info with picture
• A Trans-Africa Inland Waterway System?
• Democratic Republic of Congo Waterways Assessment Archived 20 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine