Back Malawimeer AF Malawisee ALS Laco Malawi AN بحيرة ملاوي Arabic بحيرة ملاوى ARZ Llagu Malawi AST Malawi uzda AVK Nyasa AZ Ньяса BA Malawisee BAR
| Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) | |
|---|---|
 View from orbit. North is in upper right corner | |
  Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa)  Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) | |
| Coordinates | 12°00′S 34°30′E / 12.000°S 34.500°E |
| Lake type | Ancient lake, Rift lake |
| Primary inflows | Ruhuhu River[1] |
| Primary outflows | Shire River[1] |
| Basin countries | Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania |
| Max. length | 560 km (350 mi)[1] to 580[2] |
| Max. width | 75 km (47 mi)[1] |
| Surface area | 29,600 km2 (11,400 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 292 m (958 ft)[3] |
| Max. depth | 706 m (2,316 ft)[3] |
| Water volume | 8,640 km3 (2,070 cu mi)[3] |
| Surface elevation | 468 metres (1,535 ft) above sea level[4] |
| Islands | Likoma and Chizumulu islets, Mumbo Island |
| References | [1][3] |
| Official name | Lake Niassa and its Coastal Zone |
| Designated | 26 April 2011 |
| Reference no. | 1964[5] |
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, (Swahili: Ziwa Nyasa) is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
It is the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, the ninth largest lake in the world by area and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world,[6] including at least 700 species of cichlids.[7] The Mozambique portion of the lake was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011,[8] while in Malawi a portion of the lake is included in Lake Malawi National Park.[6]
Lake Malawi is a meromictic lake, meaning that its water layers do not mix. The permanent stratification of Lake Malawi's water and the oxic-anoxic boundary are maintained by moderately small chemical and thermal gradients.[9]
- ^ a b c d e f "Malawi Cichlids". AC Tropical Fish. Aquaticcommunity.com. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ceonlinewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d "Lake Malawi". World Lakes Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- ^ Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 222. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
- ^ "Lake Niassa and its Coastal Zone". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Protected Areas Programme". United Nations Environment Programme, World Conservation Monitoring Centre, UNESCO. October 1995. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Turner, Seehausen, Knight, Allender, and Robinson (2001). "How many species of cichlid fishes are there in African lakes?" Molecular Ecology 10: 793–806.
- ^ WWF (10 June 2011). "Mozambique’s Lake Niassa declared reserve and Ramsar site" Retrieved 17 July 2014.
- ^ Pilskaln, C. H. (2004). "Seasonal and Interannual Particle Export in an African Rift Valley Lake: A 5-Yr Record from Lake Malawi, Southern East Africa". Limnology and Oceanography, 49(4), 964–977. {{doi:10.2307/3597647}}.