LAKE TANGANYIKA – TANZANIA
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PHOTO CAPTION: Lake Tanganyika. SOURCE: zambia-visa
Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s second largest after Lake Victoria, is situated in western Tanzania along the border with Congo, Burundi and Zambia. It covers an area of 32.893 km² and is fed by different rivers, Malagarasi and Kalamob on the Tanzanian side and by the Ruzizi river.
The longest freshwater lake in the world (660 km / 410 miles) occupies the southern end of the Western Rift Valley. Lake Tanganyika is also the second deepest lake on the world (1,436 m / 4,710 feet) after the Siberian Lake Baikal.
The lake has diverse flora and fauna and is inhabited by endemic fish species, different crab, molluscs and crustacean species, crocodiles and hippos. The forested hills on the lakes western shore are the homeland for numerous chimpanzee colonies.
Lake Tanganyika holds great historical significance as one of the oldest and deepest freshwater lakes in the world, playing a vital role in the cultural and economic life of Central and East Africa for centuries.
It served as a key route for trade and communication among ancient African kingdoms and later became an important corridor for Arab and Swahili traders during the pre-colonial and colonial periods.
