Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is one of the African great lakes shared between the East African countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. It covers an area of 59,947 km2 (23,146 sq mi) and water volume of Water volume 2,424 km3 (582 cu mi) making it Africa’s largest lake by area, the world’s largest tropical lake and the world’s second largest fresh water lake by surface area after Lake Superior in North America. Lake Victoria is made up of 985 islands with Uganda having over 84 islands with the major groups being the Ssese islands, Bugala islands, Buvuma islands, etc where as Tanzania has Ukerewe Island, Kenya has Maboko Island, etc.

Lake Victoria is locally known as Nalubaale in Uganda and Nam Lolwe in Dholuo. It’s primary tributary is River Kagera flowing through Tanzania to Lake Victoria from Rwanda and Burundi. This forms the major source of the River Nile in Jinja which is a major tourist destination in Uganda. Other tributaries to Lake Victoria are in Kenya i.e the rivers  Sio, Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, Mogusi, and Migori.

The lake was renamed after Queen Victoria in the reports of the explorer John Hanning Speke, the first Briton to document it. Speke accomplished this in 1858, while on an expedition with Richard Francis Burton to locate the source of the Nile River. This expedition was financially sponsored by the Royal Geographic Society.

Lake Victoria has beautiful settlements and cities on it’s shores which provide good settlement and tourist activities with several resorts, beaches, hotels, boat cruise, rafting on the Nile to travelers and holiday makers like Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja in Uganda, Bukoba, Mwanza, Musoma in Tanzania, Kisumu, Kendu Bay and Homa Bay in Kenya.

The major economic activities taking place on the lake are fishing, marine transport, tourism, etc with the Nile Perch being the main fish type got from the lake.

The lake can be accessed on a trip with Bujuku Ecotours from either Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania.