Lake Malawi Size report
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, is located in the southernmost part of the Great Rift Valley in Africa and is the third-largest lake in Africa. Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique surround the lake. Mozambique and Tanzania call it Lake Nyasa. It, sometimes known as the Lake of Stars after the reflection of the stars in its clear waters, covers roughly one-fifth of Malawi.
Malawi and Tanzania dispute the boundary of the lake, with Malawi arguing that the entire lake is its territory. At the same time, Tanzania insists on the boundaries between Tanganyika and Nyasaland, which Britain and Germany agreed on before 1914.
The beautiful scenery makes Lake Malawi one of Africa's most popular holiday resorts. High cliffs surround some areas on the shore, and some are beautiful grasslands, especially the northern lake area, known as the most magnificent lake and mountains in Central and South Africa. In 1984, UNESCO listed Lake Malawi National Park as a "World Natural Heritage."
Lake Malawi Introduction
Lake Malawi is a tectonic lake, a typical rift or graben lake. The formation of the lake basin dates back 8.6 million years and is connected to the movement of African and Somali tectonic plates in the East African Rift System. The central, northern, and eastern shores of Lake Malawi form the borders of Malawi with Tanzania and Mozambique. On both sides of the northern end are the forested Livingstone Mountains, the Nyika Plateau, and the Viapa Plateau. Fourteen rivers feed into the lake, the largest being the Ruhuhu River, whose only outlet is the Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi River. The Lake Malawi basin is dotted with densely populated cities, including Mangochi, Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay and Karonga, etc., with government-built workstations along the lakeshore.
Lake Malawi Size
- It is 560-580 kilometers (363 miles) long from north to south, 16-80 kilometers (1050 miles) wide, and about 80 kilometers wide at its widest point. The lake covers an area of 29,604km² (11,430 square miles).
- Lake Malawi is 472 meters (1,550 feet) above sea level, and the deepest point near the northern end is 706 meters (2,310 feet).
Climate
Lake Nyasa lies between 9:30-and 14:30S at an altitude of about 500 m in a tropical climate. However, it lies far enough south of the equator to experience marked seasonal wind, temperature, and precipitation variations. The rainfall here has obvious seasonality, the dry season is from June to August, and the rainy season is from December to March of the following year. The annual rainfall is about 980 mm.
Biodiversity
Lake Malawi is home to a greater variety of freshwater fish than any other water body on Earth, many of which are rare and unique to Lake Malawi, including at least 700 species of cichlids. The lake's water is alkaline (pH 7.7 - 8.6) and warm, with an atypical surface temperature between 24 and 29 °C (75 - 84 °F). Besides being home to fish, Lake Malawi is also a habitat for wildlife, such as crocodiles, hippopotamus, monkeys, and fish eagles.
Bizarre Phenomenon
Lake Malawi is a strange lake. According to reports, at about 9 am, the water in Lake Malawi began to recede, and it stopped until the water level dropped by more than 6 meters; about "rest" for two hours, the lake continued to disappear until a shoal appeared. Four hours later, Lake Malawi regained its original plump appearance. At 7 pm, the lake's water level continued to rise; about two hours later, Lake Malawi was calm. However, the water level of Lake Malawi has no certain rules to follow, a day, sometimes once a few days, a few weeks, each time around 9 am, and lasts about 12 hours. The peculiar phenomenon of the orderly fluctuation of the lake's water level has been explored by geographers worldwide for many years, but it has not yet been revealed.
Final Words
Lake Malawi occupies most of Malawi's territory, perhaps unique in the world. Lake Malawi is the third largest lake in Africa and occupies one-fifth of the land area of Malawi. The main highlight of Lake Malawi is the exquisite hotels and charming lakeside villas hidden on small islands. The warm and clear lake water provides tourists with a wealth of diving, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, and swimming. There are relatively well-equipped hotels and tourist facilities on the shore of Lake Malawi, and some private hotels are located on ecological islands in the middle of the lake, which can only be reached by boat or canoe.
