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The
Lake
Tanganyika lies 773m. above sea level within the Africa
Great Rift Valley on western
Tanzania. It stretches 667km from
Burundi to northern Zambia at a depth of more than 1433 meters.
Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world and the
second deepest lake after
Lake Baikal in Russia. It is also the
lowest point in Africa. The lake is located in Kigoma and Rukwa
regions
Surrounded by mountains on both sides and lying
close to the Equator, the weather around the Lake is hot and sticky
on the shores, but cooler on the mountains particularly in the
northern end. Since 1962 the lakes waters have
been dropping by 45cm a year. However, with an area of 32,900 sq.
km. it will be a long time before the lake turns into a grand deep
canyon. The Lake contains volume of water seven times more than
that of
Lake Victoria, which is the largest
in Africa.
The waters of Lake Tanganyika host more than 500 varieties of
fish species; the largest concentration of fish species in
the world. The most famous fishes are "Tanganyika sardine"
(Stolothrissa Tanganikae), locally known as dagaa, a local
delicacy. The abundance of fish provides a source of income to
local people living around the lake. The lake plays a crucial
travel and trading role with neighboring countries of
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. the
important trading center is
Ujiji Town
The
Gombe Stream National Park in the north of Lake
Tanganyika and
Mahale Mountains, famous for
rainforest-dwelling chimpanzees, baboons, forest birds and
reptiles lies south of Kigoma Town on the lake shore .
The lake first made known to the
Europeans in mid 1800's by English explorers Richard Burton and John Speke.
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