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Africa is often described as a land of lush rainforest, vast savanna, and arid desert. But the continent is also famed for its long meandering rivers and some of the largest lakes on the planet. In fact, Africa boasts an astonishing collection of beautiful lakes, with many sharing borders with more than one country. These expansive bodies of water attract a huge variety of wildlife and provide local populations with ways to make a living, from fishing, for example, and the harvesting of salt. If you're planning to visit Africa anytime soon, be sure to include a lake or two in your safari itinerary. Already packed?
Click through this gallery for a list of some of Africa's greatest lakes.
One of the African Great Lakes, Lake Victoria is the continent's largest lake by area and the world's biggest tropical lake and second largest freshwater lake.
Like Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi is part of the African Great Lakes system. Located between three countries (Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania), Lake Malawi is the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa.
Another African Great Lake, Tanganyika is the second largest freshwater lake by volume and the second deepest, in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Lying on the border between the DRC and Rwanda, Lake Kivu is another one of the African Great Lakes.
Lake Kariba borders Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River. It's the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. Kariba's shoreline provides a wonderful venue for wildlife watching.
Lake Assal in Djibouti is a saltwater lake that lies 509 ft (155 m) below sea level, making it the lowest point of land in Africa. Its saline levels are 10 times greater than the sea.
Kenya's Lake Bogoria provides sanctuary for one of the world's largest populations of lesser flamingos, a stunning sea of rose-pink birdlife that attracts flocks of ornithologists from around the world.
Retba's high saline content, 40% in some areas, provides employment for dozens of salt harvesters, men who wade through the water shoveling the salt-covered crust from the bottom of the lake.
Named for Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, Lake Albert is located in Uganda and the DRC. On the Uganda side, visitors are regaled by the thunderous Murchison Falls, set within Murchison Falls National Park.
Lake Chad borders four countries: Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. Serving as an important wetland ecosystem, this shallow aquatic environment is a refuge for many animals, its lakeside rich in reeds and swamps.
Still in Kenya, Lake Turkana is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. It's surrounded by Lake Turkana National Park and Sibiloi National Park, which are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Visitors to the Egyptian side of the lake are treated to uninterrupted views of the statue of Ramses II at the Abu Simbel Temple.
Pristine Lake Sibaya is found in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal province. The lake is part of the Greater iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
At 6,181 ft (1,884 m), Lake Naivasha is at the highest elevation of Kenya's Great Rift Valley. This is another body of water where hippos in their thousands thrive. There's also a sizeable flamingo population.
Named for Queen Victoria and largely nourished by rainfall, the lake's area is divided among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The wetlands teem with wildlife, while the fishing industry remains a vital part of the economy in all three nations.
Lake Tanganyika is shared among four countries—Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Zambia. Besides an estimated 300 different varieties of fish, Tanganyika is also home to Nile crocodiles and the rare Storm's water cobra.
While the majority of the lake's borders lie within the DRC, it's the lodges set on the Rwandan shores that attract visitors. The lakeside town of Gisenyi features hotels, beaches, and watersports facilities.
Matusadona National Park in northern Zimbabwe is situated on the southern shore of Lake Kariba, and is frequented by all sorts of animals. Besides its waterfront safari credentials, Kariba is also famed as a fishing hotspot.
Surrounded by the Danakil Desert, Assal's unique topography make it one of Djibouti's principal visitor attractions. There's little wildlife here, the arid, inhospitable climate attracting only a few camel and antelope.
Bogoria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is sunk within a volcanic region and so also boasts geysers and hot springs along its shoreline. All in all, this is one of the most photogenic lakes on the entire continent.
Lake Retba, also known as Lac Rose (meaning "pink lake"), lies north of the Cap Vert peninsula in Senegal. Its color is derived from a type of algae that flourishes due to the large amount of salt in the lake.
Lake Albert, which by the way is a significant source of water for the White Nile River, is home to many aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, while its shores are trodden by elephant, giraffe, and chimps, among other magnificent beasts.
Surrounded by the Sahara Desert, Lake Chad is in danger of drying up. Once one of the largest bodies of fresh water on the continent, Lake Chad today spans less than a 10th of the area it covered in the 1960s. Climate change, armed conflict, and the use of the lake for massive irrigation projects are cited as primary reasons for its decline.
Sources: (WorldAtlas) (UNESCO) (New World Encyclopedia) (United Nations)
See also: This massive crack in Kenya is splitting Africa in two
Located in the Rift Valley, the lake is surrounded by Lake Nakuru National Park, where eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have been introduced. Lake Nakuru boasts a well established tourism product, with lodges and campsites set along the shoreline, and safaris organized daily.
Lake Nasser is, in fact, a vast reservoir created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. The lake also borders Sudan, where it's called Lake Nubia.
The lake is served by the upmarket Lake Sibaya Lodge, where guided kayak trips can be arranged to view the large population of hippos the lake is famous for.
In fact, Naivasha is especially popular with birders: over 400 species of birds have been recorded here, drawn to the lake's swampland and river forests.
According to the United Nations' Protected Areas Programme, Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, a bounty that has provided a major food source for the residents of its shores for millennia.
Lake Nakura in Kenya is another uniquely rewarding game-viewing destination, and also famous for its large flamingo population.
The shores of Lake Turkana sustain a traditional way of life for the El Molo tribe, an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the northern Eastern province of Kenya.
Continental drift: a voyage round Africa's greatest lakes
Impressive African lakes to admire and explore
TRAVEL Water bodies
Africa is often described as a land of lush rainforest, vast savanna, and arid desert. But the continent is also famed for its long meandering rivers and some of the largest lakes on the planet. In fact, Africa boasts an astonishing collection of beautiful lakes, with many sharing borders with more than one country. These expansive bodies of water attract a huge variety of wildlife and provide local populations with ways to make a living, from fishing, for example, and the harvesting of salt. If you're planning to visit Africa anytime soon, be sure to include a lake or two in your safari itinerary. Already packed?
Click through this gallery for a list of some of Africa's greatest lakes.