News: A team of international researchers from North America and Kenya has conducted a genetic survey of cyanobacteria in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria, Kenya.
About Cyanobacteria
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About Lake Victoria
- Geographic location- It is situated in East Africa and is bordered by three countries: Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
- It is the world’s largest tropical lake and the second-largest freshwater lake by surface area after Lake Superior.
- It is the largest lake in the African Great Lakes region.
- Lake Victoria is also known as Victoria Nyanza in Kenya, Nalubaale in Uganda, and Ukerewe in Tanzania.
- It serves as the source of the White Nile, which flows northward and merges with the Blue Nile in Sudan to form the Nile River.
- The lake hosts the world’s largest freshwater fishery, producing 1 million tons of fish annually, employing 200,000 people, and supporting the livelihoods of 4 million people.
About African Great Lakes
Apart from Lake Victoria some other African great lakes are following:
- Lake Tanganyika:
- It is the second largest lake in eastern Africa.
- It is the longest freshwater lake in the world and the second deepest after Lake Baikal in Russia.
- Bordered by Tanzania,Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Zambia.
- Lake Malawi (Nyasa):
- Africa’s third-largest lake, renowned for its rich biodiversity, especially cichlid fish.
- Bordered by Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
- It is a meromictic lake, meaning that its water layers do not mix.
- Lake Turkana:
- It stands as Africa’s fourth-largest lake and the largest permanent desert lake in the world.
- It is designated as the UNESCO World Heritage site and is renowned for its unique biodiversity and cultural significance.
- It mostly lies in Kenya, extending into Ethiopia.
Note– These lakes are part of the East African Rift System, formed due to tectonic movements over millions of years.
