where is lake victoria in africa on a map
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Lake Uniamési or the Uniamesi Sea was the name given by missionaries in the 1840s and 1850s to a huge lake or inland sea they supposed to lie within a region of Central East Africa with the same name. Three missionaries, confined to the coastal belt, heard of the region of Unyamwezi in the northwest of what is now Tanzania and exaggerated its size to include a large part of the continental interior. They heard of a great lake, and imagined an enormous lake that would be the source of the Benue, Nile, Zambezi and Congo rivers. They drew a map showing a huge "Lake Uniamesi" that was published in 1855. The map spurred the expedition of Burton and Speke to investigate the African Great Lakes region, where they found that lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa were separate bodies of water. It was not until 1877 that it was confirmed that these lakes did feed the Nile, Congo and Zambezi, albeit separately. Background The Great Lakes of East Africa include lakes Albert, Edward, Kivu and Tanganyika, all of which lie in the western or Albertine branch of the East African rift system, Lake Victoria to the east of this chain and Lake Nyasa (Malawi) to the south. Lake Victoria is the third largest lake in the world, and lies on the plateau between the west and east rifts. Unlike the long, narrow and deep lakes of the rift, Lake Victoria is wide and relatively shallow. Bantu peoples moved into the region between the Great Lakes and the Indian Ocean some time after 1000 BC and mingled with the local population. By the first century AD ships from the Arabian peninsula were trading along the East African coast. Muslim Arabs from Oman began to colonize the coast in the 8th century AD. The coastal Bantu peoples intermarried with the Arabs to form the Swahili people, with a language that combines Bantu, Arabic and Persian elements. The Swahili culture incorporated many Arabic and Islamic aspects, while remaining essentially Bantu in nature. The Unyamwezi region lies around the modern town of Tabora, between the coast and Lake Tanganyika, and includes the Tabora, Nzega and Kahama districts of the western plateau of modern Tanzania. In the 19th century the inhabitants were called Nyamwezi people by outsiders, although this term covered various different groups. Unyamwezi lay at a juncture where a trade route from the coast split, with one branch continuing west to the port of Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika while another branch led north to the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro. Coastal traders settled in Unyamwezi, some with hundreds of well-armed retainers. The Nyamwezi provided most of the porters for the caravans organized by the coastal Arabs and Swahilis, and also conducted their own caravans. The Nyamwezi were long-distance traders throughout East Africa. Ivory was not widely used by the Nyamwezi, but at some point they became aware that there was an overseas market for the product, and began to carry ivory along the
Lake Uniamési
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The geology of Africa is varied and complex, and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent. The African continent rests over two main plates. The African plate, accounting for the whole of north Africa, and the Somali plate, which accounts for the eastern side of mid and southern Africa. The Somali plate is moving away from the African plate in a split from Djibouti in the north, to Eswatini in the south. The parting of these two plates formed the southern part of what used to be known as The Great Rift Valley. In geological terms, the African and Somali plate separation has formed the East African Rift System (EARS), comprising two separate rifts systems - the Eastern Rift Valley, and a western branch known as the Albertine Rift. Two massive domes were formed, the Kenyan dome and the Ethiopian dome (known as the Ethiopian Highlands). The Albertine Rift follows the western edge of the Kenyan dome. This runs from Lake Malawi in the south, up into Lake Rukwa, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Albert in the north, where it ends. The Kenyan dome has the eastern branch of the EARS (known as The Gregory Rift) running through its middle, and contains most of what we historically saw as the Great Rift valley. Lake Victoria lies in the middle of the dome, with the Gregory Rift to the east of it. The Gregory rift has Lake Eyasi & Lake Manyara at its southern end, running north up to the west of Nairobi and continuing on through Kenya to Lake Turkana - which lies between the northern edge of the Kenyan dome and the southern edge of the Ethiopian dome. The Ethiopian dome is split down the middle by the Eastern Rift, formed by the developing plate boundary, and has formed a valley running from Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya in the south, widening through Lake Shala, Lake Ziwa and Lake Koku, until it reaches its widest point some from Djibouti. Major geological events Vredefort impact structure Geological features Central African Shear Zone Geologists of Africa Maria Wilman Hugo Dummett Geological maps See also :Category:Geologic groups of Africa :Category:Stratigraphy of Africa References Works cited Further reading Africa's Top Geological Sites (35th International Geological Congress Commemorative Volume), 2016 External links United States Geological Survey maps of the geology of Africa (PDF) Interactive map of the topography of Africa - five selectable sources, including; OpenTopoMap, ESRI Topo & CyclOSM
Geology of Africa
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Railway stations in Tanzania include: Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway Maps UN Map - Tanga and Kidatu lines not shown. Railways in southern Africa Official map UNHCR Map Look for the MSN Map at the bottom of pages of many towns, or look for the Map Button at the top and scroll down the MSN map. Towns served by rail Tanzania Railways Corporation ( all gauge) Central Line Dar es Salaam - ocean port - former national capital - 8 km from TAZARA line Ruvu (75m) - junction to Tanga line Morogoro (510m) - junction to north Kilosa (572m) - junction going south to TAZARA Gulwe (680m) Igandu (985m) Dodoma (1148m) - The national capital Manyoni (1244m) - junction going north to Singida Itigi (1306m) Ikungu (1289m) Tabora (1212m) - junction going north to Mwanza Kaliua (1112m) - junction going south to Mpanda Kigoma (775m) - terminal and port on Lake Tanganyika Kidatu Line (Not shown on map) Kilosa (572m) - junction Kidatu (294m) - branch terminus - also served with break of gauge by TAZARA, with a container trans-shipment facility to move freight containers between TAZARA and Tanzania Railways Corporation trains Mwanza Line Tabora (1212m) - junction Bukene (1188m) Isaka (1197m) - 'dry port' and proposed junction for lines to Rwanda and Burundi Shinyanga (1126m) Mwanza (1209m) - inland port on Lake Victoria Mpanda Line Kaliua (1112m) - junction Mpanda (1074m) - branch terminus Singida Line Manyoni (1244m) - junction Issuna (1423m) Ikungi (1532m) Puma Singida (1122m) - branch terminus Link Line Morogoro (510m) - junction with Central Line Ruvu (75m) Kitonga (65m) Sadani (1m) Hale (184m) - junction Korogwe (301m) - junction with Tanga Line Tanga line Tanga (1m) - ocean port Korogwe (301m) - junction to south Mkomazi (485m) Same (897m) Moshi (990m) - junction to north and Kenya Arusha (1254m) - soda ash mining Proposed extensions September 2007 Arusha (1254m) Musoma (1172m) on Lake Victoria. Tanga Mwambani Bay ( gauge) Tanga Singida Mutukula, Tanzania Mutukula, Uganda Kampala (branch) Mutukula Musoma - Lake Victoria port Standard Gauge Dar es Salaam Pugu (19 km) Soga (51 km) Ruvu (74 km) - junction on old line only. Freight Yard (93 km) Ngerengere (135 km) Morogoro (205 km) - end stage one - work started in April 2017. Dodoma - capital Makutupora - (336 km from previous station) Tabora - (294 km) Isaka - (133 km) - inland dry port Mwanza - (249 km) - port city on Lake Victoria Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika Mtwara Line (Southern Province Railway) - (defunct) In 1949 a line was built to link the Tanganyika groundnut scheme plantations around Nachingwea with the port of Mtwara. The scheme famously foundered and the railway was abandoned in 1962. Proposals have been made for a new railway to link Mtwara to iron ore deposits in the west, perhaps linking via Songea to Liganga. Island of Unguja A short line lasted from 1879 to 1888. Mtwara (rebuilt) Mtwara (1 m) - port for groundnut scheme Lindi (1 m) -
Railway stations in Tanzania
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Railway stations in Uganda include: Towns served by rail Existing Bungoma - last town in Kenya Malaba, Kenya (border) Malaba, Uganda Tororo - near Kenya border; junction for north line Main Line Iganga Jinja - bridge over Victoria Nile ; copper smelter Iganga - washed away culvert (2008) Busembatia Kampala - national capital Kamwenge Kasese - railhead in southwest; cement works ; copper mine Branch line from Kampala Port Bell - port on Lake Victoria North Line Tororo - junction Mbale Kumi Aloi Soroti Lira Gulu, Lira and Gulu. Pakwach - port in north west on Albert Nile Arua - railway does/used to extend to here. border Uganda South Sudan Juba - national capital missing link (ferry) Wau Nalukolongo - workshops Kilembe - copper mine Proposed (connection to South Sudan - South to North) Lamu - port Garissa - river town Tororo, Uganda Malaba - junction Pakwach - river port on White Nile Gulu Kampala - capital Malaba - junction Nimule, South Sudan - border Juba - national capital Waw - river port on Jur River - break of gauge with Sudan Westwards from Kasese to Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Northwards from Gulu to Nimule, continuing to Juba in South Sudan; North-eastwards from Pakwach to Juba in the Sudan, continuing to Wau; Southwards from Masaka to Biharamulo in Tanzania. Hoima - proposed oil refinery Standard gauge 2017 Naivasha Narok Bomet Nyamira Kisumu Yala Mumias Malaba border. Tororo Butaleja Namutumba Iganga Luuka Mayuge Jinja Buikwe Mukono Wakiso Kampala districts. 2015 SG construction starts 2014 CRBC Deal original proposal including train ferry across Lake Victoria Tanga, Tanzania - Ocean port Musoma - Lake Victoria port revised proposal avoiding train ferry across Lake Victoria Tanga, Tanzania - Singida - Mutukula - Kampala Hub Out of service Busoga See also Railway stations in Sudan Railway stations in Kenya Transport in Uganda Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor References External links Maps UN Map UN Map East Africa UNHCR Atlas Map UNHCR Railway stations Railway stations
Railway stations in Uganda
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Wakiso District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira, the country's second largest city and suburb of Kampala, is in the district. Location Wakiso District lies in the Central Region of the country, bordering Nakaseke District and Luweero District to the north, Mukono District to the east, Kalangala District in Lake Victoria to the south, Mpigi District to the southwest and Mityana District to the northwest. Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located, lies approximately northwest of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in the country. The coordinates of the district are:00 24N, 32 29E. Demographics In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at 562,887. According to the 2002 national census figures, Wakiso District had a population of 907,988, making it the second-most populated district in the country. At that time, 53 percent of the population were children below the age of 18 years and 17 percent of the population were orphans. The national census and household survey of 2014 enumerated 1,997,418 people in the district. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the total population in the district, as of mid-year 2020 at 2,915,000. UBOS also calculated that the district population increased at an average annual rate of 6.7 percent, between 2014 and 2020. Administrative units Wakiso District is made up of two counties and a municipality: Kyadondo County, Busiro County. Entebbe City was split off and granted city status in 2020. The district is further subdivided into the following administrative units: Busukuma Gombe Kakiri Town Katabi Kasanje Kira Town Ssabagabo Masuliita Nabweru Namayumba Nangabo (includes Gayaza and Kasangati) Nansana Town Nsangi Ssisa Wakiso Town The district headquarters are located in Wakiso Town, approximately northwest of Kampala on the highway to Hoima. Wakiso District has a total area of . District leadership The leadership is entrusted in the District Executive Council, composed of: District Chairman District Vice Chairman District Secretary for Finance District Secretary for Production & Natural Resources District Secretary for Works & Technical Services District secretary Gender Resident District Commissioner Deputy Resident District Commissioner Tourist attractions The tourist attractions in the district include: Buganda Cultural Sites and Kabaka's Palaces Old Entebbe Town Entebbe Botanical Gardens Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) - Entebbe Entebbe International Airport State House - Entebbe (the Official Residence of the President of Uganda) Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria - Sanctuary for chimpanzees Bulago Resort Island Lake Victoria - the largest lake in Africa and the second largest fresh-water lake in the world Uganda Martyrs Basilica - Namugongo Mandela National Stadium - Namboole See also Districts of Uganda Lake Victoria References External links Wakiso District Profile at Ugandatravelguide.com Bulago Island Homepage Ngamba Island Homepage Google Map of the Wakiso District Districts of Uganda Central Region, Uganda Lake Victoria
Wakiso District
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Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, with a surface area of and an elevation of . The lake is fed by several rivers: the Molo, Perkerra and Ol Arabel. It has no obvious outlet; the waters are assumed to seep through lake sediments into the faulted volcanic bedrock. It is one of the two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley in Kenya, the other being Lake Naivasha. The lake is in a remote hot and dusty area with over 470 species of birds, occasionally including migrating flamingos. A Goliath heronry is located on a rocky islet in the lake known as Gibraltar. The existence of Lake Baringo was first reported in Europe by Ludwig Krapf and J. Rebmann, German missionaries stationed at Mombasa, about 1850; in J. H. Speke’s map of the Nile sources (1863) Baringo is confused with Kavirondo Gulf of Victoria Nyanza; it figures in Sir H. M. Stanley’s map (1877) as a large sheet of water N.E. of Victoria Nyanza. Joseph Thomson, in his journey through the Masai country in 1883, was the European to see the lake and to correct the exaggerated notions as to its size. Native tradition, however, asserts that the lake formerly covered a much larger area. Description The lake is part of the East African Rift system. The Tugen Hills, an uplifted fault block of volcanic and metamorphic rocks, lies west of the lake. The Laikipia Escarpment lies to the east. Water flows into the lake from the Mau Hills and Tugen Hills. It is a critical habitat and refuge for more than 500 species of birds and fauna, some of the migratory waterbird species being significant regionally and globally. The lake also provides a habitat for seven fresh water fish species. One, Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis (a Nile tilapia subspecies), is endemic to the lake. Lake fishing is important to local social and economic development. Additionally the area is a habitat for many species of animals including the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and many other mammals, amphibians, reptiles and the invertebrate communities. While stocks of Nile tilapia in the lake are now low, the decline of this species has been mirrored by the success of another, the marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) which was introduced to the lake in 1974 and which now provides the majority of fish from the lake. Water levels have been reduced by droughts and over-irrigation. The lake is commonly turbid with sediment, partly due to intense soil erosion in the catchment area, especially on the Loboi Plain south of the lake. A characteristic of the country in the neighbourhood of the lake are the “hills” of the termites (white ants). They are hollow columns 10 to 12 ft. high and from 1 ft. to 18 in. broad. The greater kudu, almost unknown elsewhere in East Africa, inhabits the flanks of the Laikipia escarpment to the east of the lake and comes to the foot-hills around Baringo
Lake Baringo
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River Kafu is a river in Uganda, in East Africa. On some older maps, the river is labelled as River Kabi. Location The Kafu River is located in the western part of Uganda. It starts from a swamp approximately , northeast of the village of Kitoma, in Kibaale District, Western Uganda. It flows eastwards at first, then it turns north, to empty into the Victoria Nile, approximately , upstream of the town of Masindi Port, in Masindi District, also in Western Uganda. The source of River Kafu is located near Kitoma, with coordinates: Latitude:1.1500; Longitude:31.0820. River Kafu enters the Victoria Nile near Masindi Port, with coordinates: Latitude:1.6475; Longitude:32.0945. On its course eastwards, northeastwards and northwards, the river traverses or forms the borders of the following districts : Kibaale District, Hoima District, Kyankwanzi District, Nakaseke District, Nakasongola District and Masindi District. Overview The swamp, out of which River Kafu arises, is also transversed by another river system called River Nkusi. River Nkusi however, arises elsewhere and passes through the said swamp and flows westwards to empty into Lake Albert, along the International border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At its source, River Kafu is an altitude of approximately . At its point of entry into River Nile, the altitude is approximately . The length of River Kafu is approximately , from source to end. External links Rivers and Lakes of Uganda See also Lake Albert Victoria Nile Masindi Port References Kafu Kibaale District Hoima District Kyankwanzi District Nakaseke District Nakasongola District Masindi District
River Kafu
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The White Nile ( ) is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No, at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal Rivers. In the wider sense, "White Nile" refers to all the stretches of river draining from Lake Victoria through to the merger with the Blue Nile: the "Victoria Nile" from Lake Victoria via Lake Kyoga to Lake Albert, then the "Albert Nile" to the South Sudan border, and then the "Mountain Nile" or "Bahr-al-Jabal" down to Lake No. "White Nile" may sometimes include the headwaters of Lake Victoria, the most remote of which being from the Blue Nile. The 19th-century search by Europeans for the source of the Nile was mainly focused on the White Nile, which disappeared into the depths of what was then known as "Darkest Africa". Course Headwaters The Kagera River, which flows into Lake Victoria near the Tanzanian town of Bukoba, is the longest feeder river for Lake Victoria, although sources do not agree on which is the longest tributary of the Kagera, and hence the most distant source of the Nile. The source of the Nile can be considered to be either the Ruvyironza, which emerges in Bururi Province, Burundi (near Bukirasaz), or the Nyabarongo, which flows from Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda. These two feeder rivers meet near Rusumo Falls on the border between Rwanda and Tanzania. These waterfalls are known for an event on 28–29 April 1994, when 250,000 Rwandans crossed the bridge at Rusumo Falls into Ngara, Tanzania, in 24 hours, in what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called "the largest and fastest refugee exodus in modern times". The Kagera forms part of the Rwanda–Tanzania and Tanzania–Uganda borders before flowing into Lake Victoria. In Uganda The White Nile in Uganda goes under the name of "Victoria Nile" from Lake Victoria via Lake Kyoga to Lake Albert, and then as the "Albert Nile" from there to the border with South Sudan. Victoria Nile The Victoria Nile starts at the outlet of Lake Victoria, at Jinja, Uganda, on the northern shore of the lake. Downstream from the Nalubaale Power Station and the Kiira Power Station at the outlet of the lake, the river goes over Bujagali Falls (the location of the Bujagali Power Station) about downstream from Jinja. The river then flows northwest through Uganda to Lake Kyoga in the centre of the country, thence west to Lake Albert. At Karuma Falls, the river flows under Karuma Bridge () at the southeastern corner of Murchison Falls National Park. During much of the insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army, Karuma Bridge, built in 1963 to help the cotton industry, was the key stop on the way to Gulu, where vehicles gathered in
White Nile
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The emblem of the East African Community is the emblem used since 2008 by the East African Community, an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the African Great Lakes region in eastern Africa. Description The emblem features a map of Lake Victoria with the member states Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda around it. This is surrounded by an industrial wheel with a leave arch on either side with the letters 'EAC' at the top. At the bottom of the emblem is a pictogram of a handshake. Below this is written in Kiswahili is "Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki" which translates as 'East African Community'. The colours used on the emblem are the same as those used on the flag of the East African Community which also features the emblem in its centre. History The first version of the emblem was adopted in 2003 by the Community Emblem Act, 2003 when the Community only consisted of three members: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In 2007 the Community expanded to include Burundi and Rwanda. In 2008 to take into account this expansion of membership the Community Emblems (Amendment) Act, 2008 was passed, which modified the emblem to include Burundi and Rwanda. Despite South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia having joined the Community in 2016, 2022 and 2023 respectively, the emblem has not been modified to include them on the map. References Emblem
Emblem of the East African Community
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The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the line is now in the hands of the Kenya Railways Corporation and the Uganda Railways Corporation. Construction Background Before the railway's construction, the Imperial British East Africa Company had begun the Mackinnon-Sclater road, a ox-cart track from Mombasa to Busia in Kenya, in 1890. In July 1890, Britain was party to a series of anti-slavery measures agreed at the Brussels Conference Act of 1890. In December 1890, a letter from the Foreign Office to the treasury proposed constructing a railway from Mombasa to Uganda to disrupt the traffic of slaves from its source in the interior to the coast. With steam-powered access to Uganda, the British could transport people and soldiers to ensure dominance of the African Great Lakes region. In December 1891 Captain James Macdonald began an extensive survey which lasted until November 1892. At the time there was only one caravan route across the length of the country, forcing Macdonald and his party to march across unknown routes with limited supplies of water or food. The survey led to the first general map of the region. The Uganda Railway was named after its ultimate destination, for its entire original length actually lay in what would become Kenya. Construction began at the port city of Mombasa in British East Africa in 1896 and finished at the line's terminus, Kisumu, on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, in 1901. Engineering The railway is gauge and virtually all single-track with passing loops at stations. 200,000 individual rail-lengths and 1.2 million sleepers, 200,000 fish-plates, 400,000 fish-bolts and 4.8 million steel keys plus steel girders for viaducts and causeways had to be imported from India, necessitating the creation of a modern port at Kilindini Harbour in Mombasa. The railway was a huge logistical achievement and became strategically and economically vital for both Uganda and Kenya. It helped to suppress slavery, by removing the need for humans in the transport of goods. Management In August 1895, a bill was introduced at Westminster, becoming the Uganda Railway Act 1896, which authorised the construction of a railway from Mombasa to the shores of Lake Victoria. The man tasked with building the railway was George Whitehouse, an experienced civil engineer who had worked across the British Empire. Whitehouse acted as the Chief Engineer between 1895 and 1903, also serving as the railway's manager from its opening in 1901. The consulting engineers were Sir Alexander Rendel of Sir A. Rendel & Son and Frederick Ewart Robertson. Workers Nearly all the workers involved on the construction of the line came from British India. An agent was appointed in Karachi responsible for recruiting coolies, artisans and subordinate officers and a branch office was located in Lahore, the principal recruiting centre. Workers were sourced from villages in the Punjab and sent
Uganda Railway
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Gurdwara Makindu Sahib (Sikh Temple Makindu) is located about 104 miles (170km) from Nairobi on the main Nairobi to Mombasa Road. It was built in 1926 by the Sikhs who were working on the construction of the Uganda railway line from the coast (Mombasa) inland to Lake Victoria and beyond to Uganda. Background Set in the forest off the main road, the complex houses a dining facility which provides free langar 24 hours a day. Rooms with beds - several with attached bathrooms - are available for tourists to stay for up to two nights. History Although the Sikh Temple Makindu was built in 1926, its roots are believed to have been present way before then. When the Uganda Railway was completed in 1902 at Port Florence (which is now Kisumu, Kenya), Makindu played a prominent role as a service point on the railway's advance from Mombasa. Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims would gather together in the evenings and sing the praises of God. They did so under a tree, the spot where the current Gurdwara now stands. It is also believed that the Gurdwara was funded by non-Sikhs along with Sikhs. In the years before 1926, the Gurdwara was a tin-roof little hut where the Sikhs used to pray everyday, and the Guru, Guru Granth Sahib was housed there. But when the Railway moved on from Makindu, the service point went into disuse and became unimportant. Sikh devotees who passed along the Gurdwara would leave offerings of money by dropping it through the locked Gurdwara's window. Now the Makindu Sikh Temple is the first and the second biggest after Kericho Sikh Temple and the most famous in East Africa. See also Gurdwara Langar Makindu Mombasa Nairobi References External links Aerial view via satellite - Google maps Gurdwaras in Africa Indian-Kenyan culture Religious buildings and structures in Kenya
Sikh Temple Makindu, Makindu
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The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania's two main railway networks. the Headquarters are located in Mchafukoge, Ilala District, Dar es Salaam Region. When the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was dissolved in 1977 and its assets divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, TRC was formed to take over its operations in Tanzania. In 1997 the inland shipping division became a separate company. MGR In November 2021, TRC received the three modern locomotives (H10 series) worth Sh22 billion to strengthen their Metre-gauge railway (MGR) line, ordered from Malaysia. Rail network TRC's gauge is and the length about . Two east–west lines linking the coast and the hinterland were built under colonial rule as German East Africa: the Central Line runs from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, and the Tanga Line from Tanga to Arusha. A north-south connection, from Korogwe to Ruvu, links the two lines. The main line runs to Lake Victoria where a connection operates via Lake Victoria train ferries with the Uganda Railway and Kenya Railways. From the Tanga line a line to Kenya is disused. There is a break-of-gauge at Dar es Salaam to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) line to Zambia. A second link is at Kidatu, where the TAZARA line meets the Kidatu branch. Former Marine Division TRC inherited ferry and cargo ship services on Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa and some ships on Lake Victoria. TRC introduced on Lake Victoria in about 1979, on Lake Tanganyika in 1982 and passenger and cargo ship on Lake Victoria in 1988. On 21 May 1996 Bukoba sank in of water about off Mwanza. She had many more passengers aboard than she was certified to carry and at least 800 people were killed. After the disaster criminal charges were brought against nine TRC officials including Bukoba'''s master and the manager of the Marine Division. In 1997 the Marine Division became a separate company, Marine Services Company Limited. Rail accidents On 24 June 2002 the Igandu train disaster killed 281 people, the second highest number of deaths in a train disaster in Africa (the highest being the Awash rail disaster). Privatisation, re-nationalization and recent plans In 2007 RITES Ltd of India won a contract from the Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) to operate passenger and freight trains on a concession basis for 25 years. The concession agreement was signed on 3 September 2007, to begin on 1 October 2007. The railway will be run as Tanzania Railway Ltd, with the government owning a 49% stake. There were moves to abandon the contract "due in part, to the fact that the Indian investor failed to pay over USD 6 million in concession fees to the Tanzania government in 2008" but RITES officials countered noting that the contract "misled Rites officials by indicating that the Railway Assets Holding Company (Rahco) was in possession of 92 working locomotives when, in actuality, only 55 existed"''. In 2010, the government terminated the contract and resumed control.
Tanzania Railways Corporation
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There are two major sources of fish in Uganda; one is from aquaculture, the other from fishing in rivers and lakes. Different types of fish flourish in different water sources. The waters of Uganda contain an impressive array of fish species—over 90 in all. This count does not include the Haplochromis complex, which itself is made up of more than 200 species. Fish that are the target of most commercial and subsistence exploitation include species like Nile perch (Lates niloticus), Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Pebbly Fish or Silversides (Alestes baremoze), Bagrus Catfish (Bagrus), Clarias Catfish (Clarias), Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus), the Silver Cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea), Lungfish (Protopterus), and the Haplochromines (Haplochromis). Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) are the most common fish species in Uganda. Other fish types include spat, cat fish, silver fish. Nile Perch The Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) is locally known as "Empuuta", especially in the central region. It weighs up to 80 kilograms. In Uganda, it is a native species to Lake Albert where it is locally known as Gur, and the River Nile below Murchison Falls. It was introduced into Lakes Kyoga and Victoria basins in the mid-1950s, but its presence in Lake Victoria was first noted in 1960. Although 'the Nile Perch was introduced into Lake Victoria in the early 1960s, it took more than 10 years to get fully established in the new ecosystem. Singida Tilapia The Singida Tilapia (Oreochromis esculentus) is locally known as "Ngege". It is a critically endangered species of cichlid endemic to the Lake Victoria basin, including some of its satellite lakes such as Lake Kyoga. Its common name refers to Lake Singida, but this population is the result of an introduction that happened in the 1950s. It is among the oldest types of fish in Uganda. Due to the introduced predatory Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and the highly competitive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), it has become very rare. Nile Tilapia The Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a species of tilapia, a cichlid fish native to the northern half of Africa and the Levante area (Lowe-McConnell, 1988). Numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. The Nile Tilapia reaches up to 60 cm in length, and can exceed 5 kg. Semutundu Catfish The Semutundu Catfish (Bagrus docmak) is locally known as "Semutundu" and a species of the bagrid catfishes, i.e. the genus Bagrus. In Uganda, it is widely distributed in the Rift Valley Lakes Edward, George, Albert, Victoria and the Nile system. It is grey-black above, creamy white below. It lives in both shallow and deep water. It feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Takes any live or dead bait fished on or near the bottom. Silver Cyprinid The Silver Cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea), also known as the Lake Victoria Sardine, is locally known as "Mukene". It is a small species of pelagic, freshwater ray-finned fish in the carp family (Cyprinidae) from East Africa, and can grow to a length of . Marbled Lungfish The Marbled Lungfish
Types of fish in Uganda
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The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H) is a defunct company that operated railways and harbours in East Africa from 1948 to 1977. It was formed in 1948 for the new East African High Commission by merging the Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours with the Tanganyika Railway of the Tanganyika Territory. As well as running railways and harbours in the three territories it ran inland shipping services on Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert, the Victoria Nile and the Albert Nile. Railways The Malayan Railway sold the EAR&H eight metre gauge USATC S118 Class steam locomotives in 1948, and another eight in 1949. The EAR&H converted them to oil burners and numbered them 2701–2716, making them the 27 class and allocating them to its Tabora Depot on its Tanganyika section. They entered service in 1949 and 1950, working the lines to Mwanza, Kigoma and Mpanda where their light axle loading was an advantage and their high firebox enabled them to run through seasonal flooding on the Kigoma and Mpanda branches. EAR&H built further S118 from spare parts in 1953 and numbered it 2717. The EAR&H withdrew them from service in about 1965, and they were moved to Dar es Salaam for scrapping in 1966. In 1955 and 1956, the EAR&H introduced new and much more powerful steam locomotives for its Kenya and Uganda network: the 59 class Garratt locomotives. These were the mainstay of the section's heaviest traffic between Mombasa and Nairobi until they started to be withdrawn from service between 1973 and 1980. The EAR&H extended the Uganda Railway from Kampala to the copper mines at Kasese in 1956. In 1962, it completed the northern Uganda railway from Soroti to Pakwach and from there to Arua in 1964, thus superseding the Victoria Nile steamer service. International ferries Proposed ferries from East Africa Harbour (E.A.H): Lagos Cairo Canada (Int. Oveaseas) Inland ferries In 1961, the EAR&H introduced the new Lake Victoria ferry RMS Victoria. This faster vessel doubled the speed of the circular service around the lake, allowing EAR&H to increase sailings from once to twice a week. Elizabeth II designated her a Royal Mail Ship, making it the only EAR&H ship to receive this distinction. In 1965 and 1966, the EAR&H introduced a train ferry service across Lake Victoria with the and . In 1967, the EAR&H made harbour improvements at Kisumu on the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria by scuttling the disused ferry to form a breakwater. Dissolution In 1977, the High Commission's successor, the East African Community, was dissolved and EAR&H's rail network was broken up into three national railways: Kenya Railways Corporation, Tanzania Railways Corporation and Uganda Railways Corporation. In Culture Kenyan-born singer Roger Whittaker wrote and recorded the song The Good Old EAR&H in about 1982, after a return visit to Kenya. See also Central Line (Tanzania) Rift Valley Railways Consortium Uganda Railway East African Railway Master Plan References Further reading External links Malcolm McCrow's EAR web site Flags of the EAR&HC Archive
East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
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Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is 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. In terms of volume, Lake Victoria is the world's ninth-largest continental lake, containing about of water. Lake Victoria occupies a shallow depression in Africa. The lake has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . Its catchment area covers . The lake has a shoreline of when digitized at the 1:25,000 level, with islands constituting 3.7% of this length. The lake's area is divided among three countries: Tanzania occupies 49% (), Uganda 45% (), and Kenya 6% (). Though having multiple local language names (; ; ; ), the lake was renamed after Queen Victoria by the explorer John Hanning Speke, the first Briton to document it in 1858, while on an expedition with Richard Francis Burton. The lake is home to many species of fish which live nowhere else, especially cichlids. Invasive fish, such as the Nile perch, have driven many endemic species to extinction. Geology Geologically, Lake Victoria is relatively young at about 400,000 years old. It was formed when westward-flowing rivers were dammed by an upthrown crustal block. During the Miocene era, what is now the catchment area of the lake was on the western side of an uplifted area that functioned as a continental divide, with streams on the western side flowing into the Congo River basin and streams on the eastern side flowing to the Indian Ocean. As the East African Rift System formed, the eastern wall of the Albertine Rift (or Western Rift) rose, gradually reversing the drainage towards what is now Lake Victoria. The opening of the main East African Rift and the Albertine Rift down warped the area between them as the rift walls rose, creating the current Lake Victoria basin. During its geological history, Lake Victoria went through changes ranging from its present shallow depression, through to what may have been a series of much smaller lakes. Geological cores taken from its bottom show Lake Victoria has dried up completely at least three times since it formed. These drying cycles are probably related to past ice ages, which were times when precipitation declined globally. Lake Victoria last dried out about 17,300 years ago, and it refilled 14,700 years ago as the African humid period began. Hydrology and limnology Lake Victoria receives 80 percent of its water from direct rainfall. Average evaporation on the lake is between per year, almost double the precipitation of riparian areas. Lake Victoria receives its water additionally from rivers, and thousands of small streams. The Kagera River is the largest river flowing into this lake, with its mouth on the lake's western shore. Lake Victoria is drained solely by the Nile River near Jinja, Uganda, on the lake's northern shore. In the Kenya sector, the main influent rivers are the
Lake Victoria
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Water hyacinth has become a major invasive plant species in Lake Victoria and while it is native to the continent of South America, human activity has introduced the greenery to Lake Victoria, where it is claimed to have negatively affected local ecosystems. History The exact time and place of introduction has been debated, but the plant is native to South America so it appears to have reached Lake Victoria due to human activity. As its flowers are reputed for their beauty, it might have been brought over as an ornamental for garden ponds by Belgian colonists in Rwanda and Burundi. The consensus is that water hyacinth entered Lake Victoria from Rwanda via the river Kagera, probably in the 1980s. The hyacinth has since spread prolifically, due to a lack of natural predators, an abundance of space, agreeable temperature conditions, and abundant nutrients, including increasing heavy metal pollution in the lake. Water hyacinths increased rapidly between 1992–1998, were greatly reduced by 2001, and have since resurged to a lesser degree. Management techniques include (hyacinth-eating) insect controls and manual beach cleanup efforts. A water hyacinth infestation is seldom totally eradicated. Instead, it is a situation that must be continually managed. Development Water hyacinth affects the Lake Victorian population in many negative ways. There are economic impacts when the weed blocks boat access. The effects on transportation and fishing are immediately felt. Where the weed is prolific, there is a general increase in several diseases, as the weed creates excellent breeding areas for mosquitoes and other insects. There are increased incidents of skin rash, cough, malaria, encephalitis, gastro-intestinal disorders, and bilharzia/schistosomiasis. Water hyacinth also interferes with water treatment, irrigation, and water supply. It can smother aquatic life by deoxygenating the water, and it reduces nutrients for young fish in sheltered bays. It has blocked supply intakes for the hydroelectric plant, interrupting electrical power for entire cities. The weed also interrupts local subsistence fishing, blocking access to the beaches. There are also indications that water hyacinths can provide benefits to the Lake Victoria Region. Water hyacinths have been planted in an attempt to purify eutrophicated water. Once established, the plants can be harvested and used for biogas production, fertilizer, and other things. In 2018 two biogas digesters were installed in the village of Dunga in Kenya, with many more slated to be installed in Kenya. References Environment of Africa Lake Victoria Pontederiaceae Invasive plant species by region
Water hyacinth in Lake Victoria
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African pluvial periods are an obsolete system of climatic periods previously used by paleontologists working in East Africa. Background The sedimentary deposits left by ancient lakes in East Africa had enabled Louis Leakey and post-war paleontologists to define major climatic periods considered wet, interspersed with drier periods. Of progressively decreasing durations, they each bore the name of the site where the first clues had been collected: Kageran (Kagera), Kamasian, Kanjeran (Kanjera) and Gamblian. Paleontologists believed that the quasi-arid zones then became wooded savannahs where animals and prehistoric hunter-gatherers could thrive. Chronology These ancient climatic periods were only very approximately dated: Kageran: Calabrian (Early Pleistocene) The Kageran takes its name from the Kagera River, which flows through Rwanda and northwestern Tanzania before flowing into Lake Victoria. Kamasian: Early Middle or Central Pleistocene; the Kamasian was more or less related to the Mindel glaciation Kamasian is a district of Kenya located in the Great Rift Valley. Kanjeran: Late Middle Pleistocene; the Kanjerian was more or less related to the Riss glaciation Kanjera is a site in Kenya located on the shores of Lake Victoria. Gamblian: Late Pleistocene; the Gamblian was more or less related to the Würm glaciation The term Gamblian was introduced by Louis Leakey in the 1930s. New climatic division These ancient climatic periods have been gradually replaced in the scientific literature by the isotopic chronology in force since the end of the 20th century, which defines the alternation of glacial and interglacial periods on a global scale. Interglacial periods are warmer and, therefore, wetter on average than ice ages. The latter, however, themselves experience alternations of more or less heavy rainfall, but at a much faster rate (on a geological scale) than what had originally been imagined for East Africa. See also Interglacial Sahara pump theory Abbassia Pluvial Mousterian Pluvial References Bibliography Climate of Africa Paleoclimatology Pleistocene
African pluvial periods
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Mainland Tanzania refers to the part of Tanzania on the continent of Africa; excluding the islands of Zanzibar. It corresponds with the area of the former country of Tanganyika. 26 of Tanzania's 31 regions are located on the mainland. Geography Northeast Tanzania exhibits a mountainous terrain and includes Mount Meru, an active volcano, Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano, and the Usambara and Pare mountain ranges. Kilimanjaro attracts thousands of tourists each year. West of those mountains is the Gregory Rift, which is the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley. On the floor of the rift are a number of large salt lakes, including Natron in the north, Manyara in the south, and Eyasi in the southwest. The rift also encompasses the Crater Highlands, which includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Ngorongoro Crater. Just to the south of Lake Natron is Ol Doinyo Lengai with an elevation of , the world's only active volcano to produce natrocarbonatite lava. To the west of the Crater Highlands lies Serengeti National Park, which is famous for its lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and buffalo plus the annual migration of millions of white bearded wildebeest. Just to the southeast of the park is Olduvai Gorge, where many of the oldest hominid fossils and artifacts have been found. Further northwest is Lake Victoria on the Kenya–Uganda–Tanzania border. This is the largest lake in Africa by surface area and is traditionally named as the source of the Nile River. Southwest of this, separating Tanzania from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is Lake Tanganyika. This lake is estimated to be the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia. The western portion of the country between Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi consists of flat land that has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Central Zambezian miombo woodlands ecoregion. Just upstream from the Kalambo Falls, there is one of the most important archaeological sites in Africa. Tanzania's Southern Highlands are in the southwestern part of the country, around the northern end of Lake Malawi. Mbeya is the largest city in the Southern Highlands. The centre of Tanzania is a large plateau, which is part of the East African Plateau. The southern half of this plateau is grassland within the Eastern miombo woodlands ecoregion, the majority of which is covered by the huge Selous National Park. Further north the plateau is arable land and includes the national capital, Dodoma. The eastern coast contains Tanzania's largest city and former capital, Dar es Salaam. Just north of this city lies the Zanzibar Archipelago, a semi-autonomous territory of Tanzania which is famous for its spices. The coast is home to areas of East African mangroves, mangrove swamps that are an important habitat for wildlife on land and in the water. History Tanganyika Tanganyika as a geographical and political entity did not take shape before the period of High Imperialism; its name only came into use after German East Africa was transferred to the
Mainland Tanzania
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Mountains of the Moon (Latin: Montes Lunae; , or Jibbel el Kumri) is a legendary mountain or mountain range in east Africa at the source of the Nile River. Various identifications have been made in modern times, the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo being the most celebrated. Ancient testimony People of the ancient world were long curious about the source of the Nile, especially ancient Greek geographers. A number of expeditions up the Nile failed to find the source. Eventually, a merchant named Diogenes reported that he had traveled inland from Rhapta in East Africa for twenty-five days and had found the source of the Nile. He reported that it flowed from a group of massive mountains into a series of large lakes. He reported the natives called this range the Mountains of the Moon because of their snowcapped whiteness. These reports were accepted as true by most Greek and Roman geographers, most notably by Ptolemy, who produced maps that indicated the reported location of the mountains. Late Arab geographers, despite having far more knowledge of Africa, also presumed the report was fact, and included the mountains in the same location given by Ptolemy. Modern identifications It was not until modern times that Europeans resumed their search for the source of the Nile. The Scottish explorer James Bruce, who travelled to Gojjam, Ethiopia, in 1770, investigated the source of the Blue Nile there. He identified the "Mountains of the Moon" with Mount Amedamit, which he described surrounded the source of the Lesser Abay "in two semi-circles like a new moon ... and seem, by their shape, to deserve the name of mountains of the moon, such as was given by antiquity to mountains in the neighborhood of which the Nile was supposed to rise". James Grant and John Speke in 1862 sought the source of the White Nile in the Great Lakes region. Henry Morton Stanley finally found glacier-capped mountains possibly fitting Diogenes's description in 1889 (they had eluded European explorers for so long due to often being shrouded in mist). Today known as the Rwenzori Mountains, the peaks are the source of some of the Nile's waters, but only a small fraction, and Diogenes would have crossed the Victoria Nile to reach them. Many modern scholars doubt that these were the Mountains of the Moon described by Diogenes, some holding that his reports were wholly fabricated. G.W.B. Huntingford suggested in 1940 that the Mountain of the Moon should be identified with Mount Kilimanjaro (despite Kilimanjaro being a solitary mountain rather than a mountain range and not feeding the Nile at all), and "was subsequently ridiculed in J. Oliver Thompson's History of Ancient Geography published in 1948". Huntingford later noted that he was not alone in this theory, citing Sir Harry Johnston in 1911 and Dr. Gervase Mathew later in 1963 having made the same identification. O. G. S. Crawford identified this range with the Mount Abuna Yosef area in the Amhara Region of
Mountains of the Moon (Africa)
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The Nile perch (Lates niloticus), also known as the African snook, Goliath perch, African barramundi, Goliath barramundi, Giant lates or the Victoria perch, is a species of freshwater fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout much of the Afrotropical realm, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana, and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of Lake Maryut in Egypt. The Nile perch is a fish of substantial economic and food-security importance in East Africa. Originally described as Labrus niloticus, among the marine wrasses, the species has also been referred to as Centropomus niloticus. Common names include African snook, Victoria perch (a misleading trade name, as the species is not native to Lake Victoria, though they have been introduced there), and many local names in various African languages, such as the Luo name mbuta or mputa. In Tanzania, it is called sangara, sankara, or chenku. In Francophone African countries, it is known as capitaine. Its name in the Hausa language is giwan ruwa, meaning "water elephant". Description L. niloticus is silver in color with a blue tinge. It has distinctive dark-black eyes, with a bright-yellow outer ring. One of the largest freshwater fishes, it reaches a maximum length of nearly , weighing up to . Mature fish typically range from , although many fish are caught before they can grow this large. Adult Nile perch occupy all habitats of a lake with sufficient oxygen concentrations, while juveniles are restricted to shallow or nearshore environments. A fierce predator that dominates its surroundings, the Nile perch feeds on fish (including its own species), crustaceans, molluscs, and insects; the juveniles also feed on zooplankton. Nile perch use schooling as a mechanism to protect themselves from other predators. Invasive species Nile perch have been introduced to many other lakes in Africa, including Lake Victoria and the artificial Lake Nasser. The World Conservation Union's Invasive Species Specialist Group considers L. niloticus one of the world's 100 worst invasive species. The state of Queensland in Australia levies heavy fines on anyone found in possession of a living Nile perch, since it competes directly with the native barramundi, which is similar and grows to long, while the Nile perch grows to long. The species is of great commercial importance as a food fish. The Nile perch is also popular with sport anglers, as it attacks artificial fishing lures, and it is also raised in aquaculture. Lake Victoria introduction The introduction of this species to Lake Victoria is one of the most cited examples of the negative effects alien species can have on ecosystems. The Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria in East Africa in the 1950s, and has since been fished commercially. In 2003, Nile perch sales to the EU reached 169 million euros. Sport-fishing in the region of Uganda and Tanzania provided additional income from tourism. Its introduction was ecologically disruptive and is attributed with causing the extinction or near-extinction of
Nile perch
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The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) also known as the Lake Victoria sardine, mukene, and omena (native language), dagaa (Swahili) is a species of pelagic, freshwater ray-finned fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae from East Africa. It is the only member of the genus Rastrineobola. Description A small silvery fish which has a strongly compressed body covered in large scales with a pearlescent sheen and a yellow tail, and can grow to a length of . The lateral line is below the midpoint of the body and runs to the lower part of the caudal peduncle. The cheek is covered by delicate suborbital bones. Distribution The silver cyprinid is known from the drainage basins of Lake Kyoga, Lake Nabugabo and the Victoria Nile that are located in Uganda, and Lake Victoria that is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Biology The silver cyprinid has a lake-wide distribution covering both inshore and offshore in Lake Victoria. It normally occurs between in depth, although both eggs and fry can be encountered as deep as . The adult fish stay close to the bottom in daytime and rise up towards the surface at night. The juvenile fish move away from the shore where they spend their larval stage in shallow water. In Lake Kyoga this species is found in open water apparently avoiding the water-lily swamps and it is normally caught in turbulent areas of the Victoria Nile. Its diet consists mainly of zooplankton and insects caught on the water surface. It is predated on by birds and the catfish Schilbe mystus, Clarias gariepinus and Bagrus docmak. It is thought that spawning occurs inshore and a mature female may have an estimated fecundity of >1,000 eggs. The eggs are planktonic. The silver cyprinid breeds throughout the year with two peaks, the first in August and the second in December-January. It is fast growing and reaches sexual maturity at ages which vary from 16 to 25 months. The silver cyprinid is parasitized by the fish cestode Ligula intestinalis and this parasite causes changes in the adult fishes behaviour in that they remain with the juveniles on the surface and undertake horizontal movements to and from the shores. In the mid-morning the parasitised fish have a tendency to move towards the shoreline, especially where there are sandy beaches, to search for food. The juveniles feed on zooplankton such as copepods and young stages of planktonic chironomids while the parasitised adults prefer insect larvae and shore dwelling adult insects such as corixid bugs. After nightfall the surface dwelling parasitised fish mix with the health adults when they move up the water column to top waters of the lake. The silver cyprinid is the only native fish species which has remained abundant in Lake Victoria since the introduction of the Nile perch, Lates niloticus and Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus to the lake. These two species have almost wiped out the ende zooplankton eating haplochromine cichlids thus reducing competition for this species. Fishery Dagaa/mukene/omena is an important fish for
Silver cyprinid
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Lake Albert, originally known as Lake Mwitanzige by the Banyoro, Nam Ovoyo Bonyo by the Alur, and temporarily as Lake Mobutu Sese Seko, is a lake located in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is Africa's seventh-largest lake, as well as the second biggest of Uganda's Great Lakes. Geography Lake Albert is located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the northernmost of the chain of lakes in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. It is about long and across at its widest, with a maximum depth of , and a surface elevation of above sea level. Lake Albert is part of the complicated system of the upper Nile. Its main sources are the White Nile, ultimately coming from Lake Victoria to the southeast, and the Semliki River, which issues from Lake Edward to the southwest. The water of the Victoria Nile is much less saline than that of Lake Albert. The lake's outlet, at its northernmost tip, is the Albert Nile section of the White Nile. The river later becomes known as the Mountain Nile when its course enters South Sudan. At the southern end of the lake, where the Semliki comes in, there are swamps. The Rwenzori Mountains are to the south of the lake and to the northwest, the Blue Mountains. The few settlements along the shore include Butiaba and Pakwach. Water characteristics Unlike the very deep Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Kivu, Lake Albert's water temperature is relatively stable throughout, typically around , and even its deeper sections contain oxygen. The water has a pH of around or just below 9 and an electric conductivity of around 720–780 μS/cm. These are both very high for a freshwater lake but nevertheless lower than Lake Edward. Animals Lake Albert is home to many aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, including the river hippopotamus, Ugandan kob, red as well as Nile lechwe, Nile crocodile, Nile monitor lizard, African softshell turtle, Central African mud turtle, and Williams' mud turtle. Also present is the giant African bullfrog and the rock python, which can be observed warming themselves on smooth rocks near the water’s edge. A number of terrestrial (but water-loving) snakes, lizards, and amphibians reside at the lake. Water birds are numerous, and include pink-backed pelican, goliath heron, white-faced whistling duck, African fish eagle, wattled plover, and greater flamingo. Several stork species are commonly seen patrolling the shallow areas; the saddle-billed, yellow-billed, open-billed, Hamerkop (hammerhead), European white, and the rare shoebill storks all frequent the lakeshore and shallows, and roost in surrounding tall trees. Fish and fishing There are 55 fish species in Lake Albert. After Nile crocodiles and larger carnivorous birds, the largest predator in the lake is the Nile perch (native; unlike in other Rift Valley lakes where it’s introduced & invasive), as well as the fearsome-looking elongate tigerfish, African tigerfish, and the electric catfish. Additionally, there are a number of air-breathing marbled lungfish, reedfish,
Lake Albert (Africa)
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Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda which is located on Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. The city is the location of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest commercial and military airport, which gained worldwide attention in 1976 Israeli rescue of 100 hostages kidnapped by the militant group of the PFLP-EO and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda. Etymology The word came from Luganda language e ntebe which means 'seat' / 'chair'. Entebbe was a cultural site for the Mamba clan and it was called "entebbe za Mugula" - Mugula was the title of a chief of a subdivision of the Mamba clan - and is now the location of the official office and residence of the President of Uganda, as it was for British governors before independence. Entebbe was the former seat of power in the country, but has now been replaced by Kampala. Location Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. The town is situated in Wakiso District, approximately south of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The metropolis is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria, covering a total area of , out of which is water. The coordinates of Entebbe are:0°03'00.0"N, 32°27'36.0"E (Latitude:0.0500; Longitude:32.4600). Neighborhoods within Entebbe City include Bugonga, Katabi, Nakiwogo, Nsamizi, Kitooro, Lunnyo and Lugonjo. Population During the 2002 national census, Entebbe's population was estimated at about 55,100 people. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population of the town at 76,500. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population of Entebbe at approximately 79,700. On 27 August 2014, the national population census put Entebbe's population at 69,958. History "Entebbe", in the local Luganda language, means a "seat" and was probably named that because it was the place where a Baganda chief sat to adjudicate legal cases. It first became a British colonial administrative and commercial centre in 1893 when Sir Gerald Portal, a colonial Commissioner, used it as a base. Port Bell went on to become Kampala's harbour. Although no ships dock there now, there is still a jetty, which was used by Lake Victoria ferries. Entebbe International Airport, the main international airport of Uganda, has been the site of some well known events, making it famous in Europe and abroad. It was from this airport that Queen Elizabeth II departed Africa to return to England in 1952 when she learned of her father's death and that she had become Queen. The airport was the scene of Operation Entebbe, a hostage rescue on 4 July 1976, when soldiers from the Sayeret Matkal, Paratroopers Brigade and Golani Brigade units of the Israeli Army freed over 100 hostages following a hijacking by a group of Palestinian and German militia. The city of Entebbe also hosted final resolution talks to end the
Entebbe
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Synodontis afrofischeri, known as Fischer's Victoria squeaker, the marbled Victoria squeaker, Fischer's catfish, or the Victoria synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It was first described by German zoologist Franz Martin Hilgendorf in 1888, based upon a holotype discovered in Lake Victoria. The specific name "afrofischeri" is in honor of the German researcher Dr. Gustav Fischer, a German explorer of Africa. Description The body of the fish is a marbled yellowish brown, although the amount of marbling varies between individuals, with some a uniform brown. The fish has a dark to black band that traverses from the eye to the mouth, and two irregular light vertical bands on either side of the adipose fin. Juveniles have a very similar appearance to juvenile S. fuelleborni juveniles. Like other members of the genus, this fish has a humeral process, which is a bony spike that is attached to a hardened head cap on the fish and can be seen extending beyond the gill opening. The first ray of the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated. The caudal fin is forked. It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw. In the lower jaw, the teeth are s-shaped and movable. The fish has one pair of maxillary barbels of varying length, extending far beyond the operculum, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched. This species grows to a maximum known length of TL Habitat In the wild, the species inhabits tropical waters with a temperature range of , a pH of 6.0 – 8.0, and dH range of 5-25. It is found at depths ranging from , usually . It is found in Lake Victoria, Lake Nagubago, the Victoria Nile, Lake Kyoga, the Kagera River, Lake Ihema, the Malagarasi River and possibly in the Kingani River. References External links afrofischeri Freshwater fish of Kenya Freshwater fish of Tanzania Fish of Rwanda Fish of Uganda Catfish of Africa Fish described in 1888 Taxa named by Franz Martin Hilgendorf Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Synodontis afrofischeri
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Kisumu County is one of 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Its borders follow those of the original Kisumu District, one of the former administrative districts of the former Nyanza Province in western Kenya. Its headquarters is Kisumu City which is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. It has a population of 1,155,574 (according to the 2019 National Census). The land area of Kisumu County totals 2085.9 km2. Kisumu County's neighbours are Siaya County to the West, Vihiga County to the North, Nandi County to the North East and Kericho County to the East. Its neighbour to the South is Nyamira County and Homa Bay County is to the South West. The county has a shoreline on Lake Victoria, occupying northern, western and a part of the southern shores of the Winam Gulf. Etymology The name Kisumu comes from the Luo word "Kisuma"Kikelo. Generally, Kisuma means "a place where people meet to exchange goods" but it does not necessarily mean the same word as "market" (chiro in Luo). The term was especially used during famine where a person could "visit" relatives who had some sort of harvest where the "visitor", when going back to his/her place, could be "escorted with" or given some grains and dried meat (aliya in Luo). The word originally comes from the verb "sumo", which means "getting material want through exchange" or as an assistance when one has minimal ability. It should be differentiated from 'fulo' where one rummages through the farm of someone else after the harvest to pick dropped or omitted crops to collect and take home for consumption". When Europeans and Indians came to the area of the present-day city of Kisumu, pronouncing the name "Kisuma" correctly proved difficult, and the name evolved into the current Kisumu. The local people however, now popularly call the place "Kisumo". Geography Kisumu County is located in western Kenya, far from the nation’s capital. (To the southwest, in neighboring Siaya County, lies the village of Nyang’oma Kogelo, birthplace of Barack Obama Sr.) The city of Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria, has historically functioned as a major center of Western Kenya commerce. Because of its location along Africa’s largest lake, the area is ideally situated for fishing and fish processing, but the central government has long controlled key concessions on the lake, and economic development has left many of the inhabitants behind. Fishing, sugarcane farming, and rice farming are the county’s principal industries. Climate The climate of the whole county is modified by the presence of Lake Victoria. The county has an annual relief rainfall that ranges between 1200 mm and 1300 mm in different sectors. The rain mainly falls in two seasons. Kisumu is known for its thunderstorms, which are the major type of precipitation and normally occur in mid-afternoon during the rainy season. The temperature of the surrounding towns and regions can vary greatly. On the western side, which includes the constituencies of
Kisumu County
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The Congo–Nile Divide or the Nile–Congo Watershed is the continental divide that separates the drainage basins of the Congo and Nile rivers. It is about long. There are several geologically and geographically distinct sections between the point on the border between the Central African Republic and South Sudan where the Congo and Nile basins meet the Chad Basin, and the southern point in Tanzania to the southwest of Lake Victoria where the boundaries of the Nile and Congo basins diverge and border several endorheic basins in the Gregory Rift, of which the largest are Lake Eyasi in the north and Lake Rukwa in the south. The people who live along the divide are diverse, mainly speaking Central Sudanic languages in the northern parts and Bantu languages further south. The European colonialists used the Congo–Nile divide as a boundary between British-controlled territories to the east and territories controlled by the French and Belgians to the west. This was decided at a time when few Europeans had visited the area, which had yet to be mapped. It separated members of the ethnic groups that live on both sides of the divide. Location Northern section: Sudan The Congo–Nile divide starts at the triple divide where the Congo, Chad and Nile basins meet. This point is located on the boundary between the Central African Republic and the Sudan, at the limit between the Vakaga and Haute-Kotto prefectures. From this triple point: the Umbelasha River flows to the North East into the Nile, through the Bahr al-Arab and the Bahr el Ghazal River. the Kotto River flows to the South into the Congo River, through the Ubangi River. the Yata River flows to the North West into Lake Chad, through the Bahr Oulou, the Bahr Aouk River and the Chari River. The Congo–Nile divide runs southeast and then south along the border between South Sudan and Uganda to the east and the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the west. The Ironstone Plateau region between South Sudan and the DRC is cut by many streams that have formed steep and narrow valleys. The vast Sudd wetlands in South Sudan are fed by the Bahr al Jabal river that drains Lake Albert and Lake Victoria in the south, and also from ten smaller rivers flowing from the Congo–Nile divide which together provide 20 billion cubic meters of water annually. The easily traveled northern section of the divide may have been the main route for Bantu expansion to the east and south in the Iron Age. The combination of deforestation due to seed agriculture, cattle ownership and changes in weapons technology with the introduction of iron may have allowed Bantu-speakers to migrate south through the region into Buganda no more than 1,500 years ago. From there, they would have continued yet further south. The people who now live along the Congo–Nile divide in South Sudan speak Central Sudanic languages, and include the Kresh people. They once lived to the west of the
Congo–Nile Divide
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The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) is an institution under the East African Community, with the aim to harmonise, develop and adopt conservation and management measures for the sustainable utilisation of living resources of Lake Victoria, and to optimise socio-economic benefits from the basin for the three partner states; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The LVFO headquarters are in Jinja, Uganda. LVFO collaborates closely with the national fisheries research institutes in the three partner states. LVFO was established in June 1994, on the basis of the CIFA Sub-Committee for the Development and Management of the Fisheries of Lake Victoria. CIFA is the FAO Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa. External links Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute Uganda National Fisheries Resources Research Institute Fisheries agencies Lake Victoria East African Community Environmental organisations based in Uganda 1994 establishments in Uganda Fisheries conservation organizations
Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization
76225087
Deepa Pullanikkatil (born 1976) is an Indian engineer who has lived most of her life in Africa and worked in development and environmental management. She is currently the Commonwealth National Climate Finance Advisor for Fiji and previously worked in Malawi, Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini on projects to alleviate poverty and effectively manage ecosystems. She holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Mahatma Gandhi University, a master's degree in environmental management from the University of the Free State, and a PhD in environmental science from North-West University in South Africa. Early life, education and family Deepa Pullanikkatil was born in 1976, in Kannur, Kerala, India, to Roopalekha Sukumaran and Rajagopalan Pullanikkatil. Her mother was the daughter of the writer Tatapuram Sukumaran and her father was a civil engineer. Her parents moved with Pullanikkatil and her older brother Deepak to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1978. The family relocated to Lesotho in 1988. Pullanikkatil completed her bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Mahatma Gandhi University in 1998 and earned a post-graduate diploma in management from the Amrita Schools of Business in 2000. Career Upon completing her studies, Pullanikkatil worked as a civil engineer on a hospital project in India and then on a water and sanitation project in rural Lesotho. In 2003, she was hired as a lecturer at Lerotholi Polytechnic, in Maseru, Lesotho, and worked her way up to head of the department. Her research work at the time focused on the impact of climate change on Lesotho's subsistence farming workers. While teaching at Lerotholi, Pullanikkatil earned a master's degree from the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 2009. The following year, she moved to Malawi and began working with the Rockefeller Foundation's programme, Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD). The programme was designed to allow interdisciplinary collaboration between academics and other partners, encouraging them to work together on initiatives for sustainable development. Pullanikkatil's partners within LEAD were undertaken with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to create a policy on climate change for the government of Malawi. During a presentation at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2014, Pullanikkatil and Doreen Othero of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, argued in favor of development efforts which coordinated environmental conservation projects with health and economic initiatives. They pointed out that goals to protect resources were often unreachable because of the failure to address the impact on the livelihoods and well-being of the communities concerned. In 2015, Pullanikkatil was hired to carry out a needs assessment for the technology required to address climate change for the government of Swaziland (since 2018, Eswatini), in a project coordinated through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Environment Programme. She completed her PhD with the thesis, "Ecosystem Services Mapping of Likangala River Catchment, Southern Malawi" that year, at North-West University. The thesis explored the impact of human activity on water quality in the Likangala River, concluding that urban pollution from
Deepa Pullanikkatil
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Lake Kanyaboli is the largest oxbow lake in Kenya and the second largest in Africa,formed after River Yala disconnected from its course at the meander stage, leaving behind a U-shaped lake. The lake is found in Siaya County in western Kenya and is home to a variety of fish species that have almost disappeared from Lake Victoria, the country's largest freshwater lake. Location The Yala Swamp at the mouth of the Yala River covers about along the northern shore of Lake Victoria. The swamp contains Lake Kanyaboli, a freshwater deltaic wetland with an average depth of , which is fed by the floodwaters of the Nzoia and Yala rivers and by the backflow of water from Lake Victoria. In the past the Yala River flowed through the eastern 20% of the Yala Swamp into Lake Kanyaboli, then into the main swamp, and then through a small gulf into Lake Victoria. Today the eastern part of the swamp has been drained, and the river flows directly into the main swamp. It is cut off from Lake Kanyaboli by a silt-clay dyke. Lake Kanyaboli now receives its water from the surrounding catchment area and from back-seepage from the swamp. Ecological value Lake Kanyaboli provides a refuge for several species of fish, some of which are no longer present in Lake Victoria. The introduction of the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) to Lake Victoria caused an ecological disaster which threatens to destroy the ecosystem of the lake. In the past the lake fishermen caught hundreds of species of fish, many of which were endemic. Today they rely on the Silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) locally known as "Omena" or "Dagaa" among East African communities, the Nile Perch and the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). In 1988 the World Conservation Union listed hundreds of the endemic fish species as Endangered. Some of these fish are still thriving in Lake Kanyaboli, including several unknown Haplochromis species, Singida tilapia (Oreochromis esculentus) and Victoria tilapia (Oreochromis variabilis). Threats and Conservation Lake Kanyaboli is among hundreds of ecosystems which are facing extinction threats in the country. Like its cousin oxbow lake in the Rift Valley, Lake Kamnarok, a game reserve which is currently at the edge of losing its value, Lake Kanyaboli is also underway to become an history. In early May, 2023, the lake broke all its dykes following the heavy rains in the region and lost its water at alarming rate for more than one week. The water swept everything on its way, destroying thousands of acres of farms and leaving hundreds of families homeless. According to the Nation Media report, the lake lost more than 50% of its volume, and if urgent action is not taken, then the lives of the communities that rely on it would be adversely affected. Notes Sources Kanyaboli
Lake Kanyaboli
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A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Tanzania east northeast of Nsunga, Kagera Region on September 10 at a depth of . The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong). Nineteen people were killed and 253 injured in Tanzania, while four people were killed in Kamuli and seven others were injured in the Rakai District of neighbouring Uganda. Tectonic setting The 5.9 magnitude earthquake near the west shore of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania occurred as the result of shallow oblique faulting within the lithosphere of the African plate. The focal mechanism solution for the earthquake indicates rupture occurred on a moderately dipping fault striking either northeast–southwest (right-lateral slip) or east–west (left-lateral slip). The location of the earthquake broadly places it in the East African Rift System, a 3,000-km-long Cenozoic age continental rift extending from the Afar Triple Junction (between the horn of Africa and the Middle East), to Mozambique. In this context, this earthquake is some 200 km or more to the east of the West Branch of the Rift System, which runs along the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and both Uganda (in the north) and Tanzania (to the south). The East Branch of the Rift System runs north-to-south through Kenya and Tanzania, several hundred kilometers to the east of the earthquake. The Victoria microplate lies between these two branches of the rift, and helps to accommodate the dominantly divergent (extensional) tectonics of the Rift System, where rift segments are connected by dominantly strike-slip transform faults. The earthquake is consistent with this mixed divergent and strike slip setting, and occurred somewhat centrally within that microplate, in an area with little to no recorded earthquakes over the past century. Historically, seismicity in the East African Rift is mainly concentrated along the branches of the rift system (i.e., at the edges of the Victoria microplate, and along the main rift running through Ethiopia in the north, and Malawi and Mozambique in the south). Over the preceding century, only one other earthquake has been recorded within 100 km of the earthquake – a M 4.3 event in Lake Victoria in December 2013. Further afield, 22 M6+ events have occurred within 500 km of the earthquake over the preceding century, most on the Western Branch of the Rift System to the west of this earthquake. These include a M 6.6 earthquake in March 1966 near Lake Edward on the Uganda-DRC border. Tanzania's largest historic earthquake over this time period was a M 7.2 event in July 1919, near Lake Tanganyika in the west of the country. A M 6.8 earthquake near the center of Lake Tanganyika in December 2005 resulted in half a dozen or more fatalities. Earthquake The 5.9 earthquake was located in the Tanzania-Uganda border, and was felt as far away as Rwanda and Burundi. It was the largest earthquake in Tanzania since 2000, and is one of the deadliest. Casualties and damage At least 19 people were killed and 253 others injured in Tanzania, with most
2016 Tanzania earthquake
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Mukono is one of the districts in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Mukono serves as the district headquarters and is home to the district's main commercial center. Location Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja District to the east, Kalangala District to the south-west, Kira Town and Wakiso District to the west, and Luweero District to the north-west. The town of Mukono is about by road, east of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. This is about west of the town of Njeru, where the Nalubaale Power Station is situated, on the Kampala–Jinja Highway. The geographical coordinates of Mukono District are 00°28'50.0"N, 32°46'14.0"E (Latitude:0.480567; Longitude:32.770567). Demographics The 1991 national population census estimated the district's population at 319,400. According to the 2002 census, the population was about 423,100, of whom 49.8 percent were males and 50.2 percent were females. At that time, its population growth rate was estimated at 2.7 percent per annum. In 2012, the population was estimated at 551,000. In August 2014, the national population census and household survey, enumerated the district inhabitants at 596,804. Tourist attractions The district has a favorable climate, abundant rainfall, rich flora and fauna, and proximity to urban areas. The major tourist attractions in the district include the following: Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. Many water sports are available there. Lakeside leisure sites are also available. Sezibwa Falls In the middle of the district runs the River Sezibwa, believed by Buganda legend to have been borne by Nakangu Tibatesa, the wife of Nsubuga Sebwaato in Kawuna, Ngongwe, around the time of the Christian biblical prophet Isaiah. The river flows into Lake Kyoga. The nature of its birth makes the river a cultural symbol of great importance to Buganda's heritage. The Sezibwa Falls are off the Kampala-Jinja Highway, east of the town of Mukono. The site also has a natural forest reserve, which has forest trails and nature walkways for birdwatching and forest exploration. Over 100 bird species and some wild animals, including rare species of monkeys, may be found at this location. The Sezibwa Falls are also a cultural site of the Baganda and have cultural artifacts, including caves, 100-year-old trees, and special rocks of deep cultural significance to the Baganda of Buganda in central Uganda. It is one of the official cultural sites of the Buganda Kingdom. See also River Nile Districts of Uganda References External links Website of Mukono District Local Government Home of Ssamba Foundation Districts of Uganda Central Region, Uganda Lake Victoria
Mukono District
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Biomphalaria choanomphala is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. Biomphalaria choanomphala has a discoidal, brownish-yellow shell with an approximate shell diameter of 6–10 mm. Biomphalaria choanomphala is a medically important pest, due to it being an intermediate host of the intravascular trematode genus, Schistosoma. Habitat and distribution Biomphalaria choanomphala is an African species found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, and ponds. Their head has a pair of tentacles with eyes at the base, and a siphon for breathing and waste elimination. It is known to prefer slow-moving water with vegetation, where it feeds on algae and detritus. Distribution of Biomphalaria choanomphala include: East Africa: Lake Victoria (Kenya, Tanzanian and Uganda). Ecology and behavior Biomphalaria choanomphala is known to be an intermediate host for the parasitic flatworms Schistosoma mansoni, which is responsible for causing intestinal schistosomiasis in humans. The snail's role as an intermediate host allows the parasite to complete its life cycle and infect humans who come into contact with contaminated water sources where it inhabits. In addition to its role in transmitting parasites, Biomphalaria choanomphala also plays an important ecological role in its freshwater habitat. The snail feeds on algae and detritus, helping to regulate the nutrient balance of the ecosystem. It also serves as a food source for many predators, including fish, birds, and other invertebrates. Conservation status and biological importance Biomphalaria choanomphala is not considered a threatened species, and its population is stable in its native range. However, the species' role as an intermediate host for schistosomiasis makes it an important target for disease control programs. Constant efforts are underway to reduce the incidence of schistosomiasis by controlling the snail population through chemical treatments and biological control methods. Phylogeny Biomphalaria choanomphala is a part of the "Nilotic Species Complex" alongside B. alexandrina, B. angulosa, B. smithi, B. stanleyi and B. sudanica. Ecological phenotypes Biomphalaria choanomphala has been the subject of multiple ecological and genetic studies, which have revealed its shell morphology can vary as a result of environmental factors. Several studies have shown that B. choanomphala snails found within Lake Victoria have very different conchological morphologies, but are very similar genetically, suggesting these snails are likely a single species expressing two ecophenotypes. Previous conchological morphology studies of Biomphalaria snails have categorised their species based on whether they exhibited a “lacustrine” (found within a lake) or a “non-lacustrine” shell morphology (found elsewhere). In the case of B. choanomphala, its commonly associated with having a lacustrine morphotype (morphotype-B), while the non-lacustrine morphotype (morphotype-A) is commonly mistaken for another African Biomphalaria species, B. sudanica. References Gastropods described in 1879 choanomphala Molluscs of Africa
Biomphalaria choanomphala
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Albrecht Roscher (August 27, 1836 – March 19, 1860) was a German explorer of Africa. He was murdered near Lake Malawi in 1860. Life Roscher was born in Ottensen on August 27, 1836. He attended grammar school at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Hamburg and then went on to study geography, science and medicine at the University of Leipzig. In his 1857 dissertation, "Ptolemy and the trade routes in Central Africa", Roscher, with goal of pinpointing the source of the Nile, used information gleaned from Ptolemy's map of the world to reconstruct the geography of Central Africa. This achievement attracted the interest of eminent geographers such as Heinrich Barth, Alexander Humboldt, Carl Ritter and August Petermann. Roscher soon embarked on a multi-year scientific expedition to Africa, arriving in Zanzibar in 1858, where he conducted botanical investigations and learned Swahili. In early 1859, he traveled down the coastline of what is now mainland Tanzania, exploring the waters around modern-day Dar es Salaam and charting the Rufiji delta. In June he landed at Kilwa. He remained there for two months while ill. He then joined an Arab slave caravan heading inland, arriving at Lake Malawi in October 1859, two months after the famed British explorer David Livingstone. On departing the shores of Lake Malawi in March 1860, Roscher was attacked and killed. There is speculation that his death resulted from Arab slave traders' fears that he would expose the practices of the Arab slave trade. His journals along with his geographical and anthropological observations were lost. References 1836 births 1860 deaths 19th-century German people 19th-century explorers 19th-century geographers Explorers of Africa German explorers German geographers German people murdered abroad Murdered explorers People educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums 1860 murders in Africa
Albrecht Roscher
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The Central Africa Medal was a British campaign medal awarded for service from 1891 to 1894 in Eastern and Central Africa, and from 1894 to 1898 for service in British Central Africa. Criteria Award of the Central Africa Medal was approved by Queen Victoria in Army Order No. 66, 1 April 1895. The initial award was for various military expeditions from July 1891 to June 1894, subsequently extended to the Unyoro Expedition in 1895. It was later authorised for service in British Central Africa from 1895 to 1898. The main causes of these expeditions were to suppress slave-trading or to punish raids on neighbouring tribes. Most medals were awarded to members of the Indian Army and British-led local forces. No British Army units were present, although some British officers and non commissioned officers seconded to local units received the medal, as did a small number of Royal Navy personnel. Appearance The medal is in diameter. It was issued in silver to combatants, while native porters and authorised servants received the medal in bronze. The medal uses the same design as the Ashantee Medal and the East and West Africa Medal, although with a different ribbon. The obverse depicts the left facing effigy of Queen Victoria wearing a diadem with a veil behind. On either side is the inscription VICTORIA on the left and REGINA on the right. The designer was Leonard Charles Wyon. The reverse bears a scene, inspired by the Ashanti War, of British soldiers fighting the Ashanti in the jungle. It was designed by Sir Edward John Poynter. The ribbon, wide, has three equal stripes of black, white and pale brown, also described as copper or terra cotta, worn with the black to the left when facing the wearer. The colours symbolise the troops who took part – African, European and Indian. The recipient's name and unit were usually engraved or impressed on the rim of the medal, although some were issued unnamed. Suspension and clasp The first version of the medal, authorised in 1895, has a swivel ring suspension and was issued without a clasp. This covered ten small Central African campaigns between 1891 and 1895, eight in the vicinity of Lake Nyassa in what is now Malawi, and two in the Unyoro and Mruli districts in Uganda. A clasp, Central Africa 1894–98, was authorised in August 1899. When the medal was issued with the clasp, it hung from a straight bar suspension, with existing recipients of the medal having the ring suspension replaced. The medal and clasp were awarded for a number of small expeditions between 1894 and 1898 near Lake Nyassa, and one in 1897 against Chief Mpezeni in present-day Zambia. References British campaign medals
Central Africa Medal
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The Yala Swamp is a wetland region of about in Western Kenya. Location The Yala Swamp at the mouth of the Yala River covers about along the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria. The swamp contains the Lake Kanyaboli, a freshwater deltaic wetland with an average depth of , which is fed by the floodwaters of the Nzoia and Yala rivers and by the backflow of water from Lake Victoria. The wetland is in Siaya and Busia counties in Kenya. It acts as a filter for waters that flow into Lake Victoria from two major rivers, the Yala River and Nzoia River. It is sometimes considered the source of the Nile. In the past the Yala River flowed through the eastern 20% of the Yala Swamp into Lake Kanyaboli, then into the main swamp, and then through a small gulf into Lake Victoria. Today the eastern part of the swamp has been drained, and the river flows directly into the main swamp. It is cut off from Lake Kanyaboli by a silt-clay dyke. Lake Kanyaboli now receives its water from the surrounding catchment area and from back-seepage from the swamp. The river's gulf has been cut off from the lake by a culvert, which created the Lake Sare through back-flooding. Ecology The swamps harbour endangered fish species Oreochromis esculentus and Oreochromis variabilis that have disappeared from Lake Victoria itself. The Sitatunga antelope (Tragecephalus spekii) still lives in the swamps’ papyrus. BirdLife International classifies the Yala Swamp among Kenya’s 60 Important Bird Areas. Some of the birds that live there are the blue-breasted bee-eater, the papyrus gonolek, the swamp flycatcher, the papyrus canary, the white-winged swamp warbler and the Baillon's crake. A 2005 report noted changes in Lake Sare that threatened the lake ecosystem through eutrophication and pollution. It recommended an inclusive management plan for the Yala swamp complex to prevent further degradation of the ecosystem. As of 2019 BirdLife International scored the threat to the swamp complex as high, and was pessimistic about action being taken. References Sources External links Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of a Tropical Wetland Lake Ecosystem:A Case Study of Lake Kanyaboli, Kenya by Romulus Abila more info at global response a case study of the Yala swamp by Romulus Abila of Maseno University Kenya Wetlands of Kenya Nature conservation in Kenya Swamps of Africa
Yala Swamp
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Arthur Asa Grandville Carscallen (1879–1964), was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, missionary, administrator, linguist, and publisher. Early years Born in Canada, Carscallen grew up in North Dakota, where he was baptized at age 20, just prior to starting studies at Union College from 1900 to 1901. He completed his Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) ministerial training in September 1906 at Duncombe Hall Training College in England. That same year, following his ordination, he embarked for Kenya, to begin missionary service for the SDA as superintendent of the British East Africa Mission, together with Peter Nyambo, an African Adventist worker from Nyasaland, now Malawi, who was a classmate of Carscallen at Duncombe Hall. Seventh-day Adventists in Kenya: Beginnings The first SDA missionaries to work in Kenya were Arthur Carscallen and Nyasaland native Peter Nyambo. Leaving England, the two traveled to Hamburg, Germany, sailing from there on 1 October 1906 to East Africa. Describing the journey to Africa, Carscallen wrote. "After an exceedingly hot trip through the Red Sea, we arrived in Mombasa nearly three weeks later." By November 27, 1906, Carscallen and Nyambo were able to open the first British East Africa Mission station in Kenya at Gendia Hill near the eastern shore of Lake Victoria on Kendu Bay with the assistance of Abraham C. Enns, a German missionary and gardener stationed in Tanganyika, today Tanzania. Enns had arrived in Tanganyika in 1903 and was working among the Pare people. Together, they chose a five‑acre plot, about three kilometers (two miles) inland from Kendu Bay for the mission site, which was situated among the Luo people in what is now South Nyanza, about which Carscallen says, "...we chose the site at Gendia among the primitive African tribe who spoke a Nilotic language." Carscallen and Nyambo worked quickly to construct the mission buildings. Nyambo remained at Gendia for about four years. Within 14 months Carscallen reported that he and Nyambo had erected the basic mission buildings and that he had learned the Luo language. As superintendent of the Mission, Carscallen and his staff established missionary stations along the eastern shore of Lake Victoria at Gendia Hill, Wire Hill, Rusinga Island, Kanyadoto, Karung, Kisii (Nyanchwa), and Kamagambo. The first 10 Jaluo Adventist adherents in Kenya were baptized on 21 May 1911. Publishing was central to the mission of the early Adventist Church. Thus, in 1913, Carscallen acquired a small press for the Mission during a trip home to the United States and returned to set up African Herald Publishing at Gendia in order to publish books, papers, and a monthly journal. Carscallen was one of dozens of church leaders who helped expand their faith worldwide through publishing ministries. The Dholuo language had never before been reduced to writing. To advance the literacy of the Jaluo people so that they could read the Bible, Carscallen produced a grammar textbook for the mission. Then, over the course of more than two years, Carscallen and the Mission staff translated portions of the New Testament from English to Luo, the
Arthur Carscallen
1995975
Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, Viscount of Serpa Pinto (aka Serpa Pinto; 20 April 184628 December 1900) was a Portuguese explorer of southern Africa and a colonial administrator. Early life Serpa Pinto was born at the Quinta das Poldras (Tendais) in Cinfães, a Portuguese village on the river Douro. He joined Colégio Militar at age 10. There he became the first student Battalion Commander in 1864, when he joined the Portuguese army and was sent to Portuguese Mozambique. In 1869 he took part in suppressing tribes in revolt around the lower Zambezi. Exploration Also in 1869, Pinto went to eastern Africa on an exploration of the Zambezi River. Eight years later he led an expedition from Benguela, Portuguese Angola, into the basins of the Congo and Zambezi rivers. The town of Menongue was named Serpa Pinto, after him, up to 1975. In 1877, he and Lieutenant Commander Capelo and Lieutenant Ivens, both of the Portuguese navy, were sent to explore the southern African interior. All three had African experience and seemed to be the right age and temperament for the work. They left Benguela in November. Soon after their departure, however, they parted company at Bié, Capello and Ivens turning northward whilst Serpa Pinto continued eastward, gradually shifting his course to the south. He crossed the Cuando (Kwando) river in June 1878 and in August reached Lealui, the Barotse capital on the Zambezi. There he received assistance from the missionary François Coillard, enabling him to continue his journey along the Zambezi to the Victoria Falls. He then turned south and arrived at Pretoria in northern South Africa on 12 February 1879. Capelo and Ivens emerged at Dondo, on the Cuanza River in northern Angola. Serpa Pinto was the fourth explorer to cross Africa from west to east, and the first to lay down a reasonably accurate route between Bié (in present-day Angola) and Lealui. In 1881 the Royal Geographical Society awarded him their Founder's Medal, "for his journey across Africa ... during which he explored five hundred miles of new country". In 1881 Serpa Pinto published his 2-volume Como eu atravessei a África, translated by Alfred Elwes and published in English as How I crossed Africa. In the same year French and German translations were also published. Nyasa Region In 1879 the Portuguese government formally claimed the area south and east of the Ruo River (which currently forms the southeastern border of Malawi), and in 1882 occupied the lower Shire River valley as far as the Ruo. The Portuguese then attempted to negotiate British acceptance of their territorial claims, but the convening of the Berlin Conference (1884) ended these discussions. In 1884, Serpa Pinto was appointed as Portuguese consul in Zanzibar, and given the mission of exploring and re-mapping the region between Lake Nyasa and the coast from the Zambezi to the Rovuma River and securing the allegiance of the chiefs in that area. In 1885, Serpa Pinto undertook an expedition in 1885 with Lieutenant Augusto Cardoso as
Alexandre de Serpa Pinto
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Santucci's armillary sphere is a Ptolemaic armillary sphere at the Museo Galileo in Florence, the largest existing in the world. Begun on March 4, 1588, and completed on May 6, 1593, this large armillary sphere was built under the supervision of Antonio Santucci at the request of Ferdinand I de' Medici. The sphere represents the "universal machine" of the world according to the concepts developed by Aristotle and perfected by Ptolemy. The terrestrial globe is placed at the center, and it also displays territories that were still relatively little known at the time: notably, it includes both Lake Albert and Lake Victoria in central Africa, which were apparently forgotten again until the explorations of Samuel Baker and John Hanning Speke over 250 years later. The device was restored in the 19th century but is now incomplete and some of its parts are mismatched. The wooden parts of the sphere are elaborately painted and covered with fine gold leaf. The sphere rests on a stand with four sirens. This model is similar to a smaller one built by Santucci in 1582 for King Philip II of Spain, now in the Escorial Library. References Further reading Meucci, Ferdinando. La sfera armillare di Tolomeo. Tipografia del Vocabolario, 1876. Astronomical instruments 1593 works 1590s sculptures 16th-century maps and globes
Santucci's Armillary Sphere
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The African humid period (AHP; also known by other names) is a climate period in Africa during the late Pleistocene and Holocene geologic epochs, when northern Africa was wetter than today. The covering of much of the Sahara desert by grasses, trees and lakes was caused by changes in the Earth's axial tilt; changes in vegetation and dust in the Sahara which strengthened the African monsoon; and increased greenhouse gases. During the preceding Last Glacial Maximum, the Sahara contained extensive dune fields and was mostly uninhabited. It was much larger than today, and its lakes and rivers such as Lake Victoria and the White Nile were either dry or at low levels. The humid period began about 14,600–14,500 years ago at the end of Heinrich event 1, simultaneously to the Bølling–Allerød warming. Rivers and lakes such as Lake Chad formed or expanded, glaciers grew on Mount Kilimanjaro and the Sahara retreated. Two major dry fluctuations occurred; during the Younger Dryas and the short 8.2 kiloyear event. The African humid period ended 6,000–5,000 years ago during the Piora Oscillation cold period. While some evidence points to an end 5,500 years ago, in the Sahel, Arabia and East Africa, the end of the period appears to have taken place in several steps, such as the 4.2-kiloyear event. The AHP led to a widespread settlement of the Sahara and the Arabian Deserts, and had a profound effect on African cultures, such as the birth of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. People in the Sahara lived as hunter-gatherers and domesticated cattle, goats and sheep. They left archaeological sites and artifacts such as one of the oldest ships in the world, and rock paintings such as those in the Cave of Swimmers and in the Acacus Mountains. Earlier humid periods in Africa were postulated after the discovery of these rock paintings in now-inhospitable parts of the Sahara. When the period ended, humans gradually abandoned the desert in favour of regions with more secure water supplies, such as the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia, where they gave rise to early complex societies. Research history Herodotus in 440 BC and Strabo in 23 AD discussed the existence of a greener Sahara, although their reports were at first questioned owing to their anecdotal nature. In 1850 the researcher Heinrich Barth discussed the possibility of past climate change leading to increased wetness in the Sahara after discovering petroglyphs in the Murzuq Desert, and further discoveries of petroglyphs led desert explorer László Almásy to coin the concept of a Green Sahara in the 1930s. Later in the 20th century, conclusive evidence of a past greener Sahara, the existence of lakes and higher Nile flow levels was increasingly reported and it was recognized that the Holocene featured a humid period in the Sahara. The idea that changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun influence the strength of the monsoons was already advanced in 1921, and while the original description was partly inaccurate, later widespread evidence for such orbital controls on climate was found.
African humid period
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Benin, a narrow, key-shaped, north–south strip of land in West Africa, lies between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Its latitude ranges from 6°30 N to 12°30 N and its longitude from 1° E to 3°40 E. It is bounded by Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east, and the Bight of Benin to the south. With an area of , it is slightly bigger than the nation of Bulgaria. It extends from the Niger River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south, a distance of . Although the coastline measures , the country measures about at its widest point. It is one of the smaller countries in West Africa, about one eighth the size of Nigeria, its neighbor to the east. It is, however, twice as large as Togo, its neighbor to the west. A relief map of Benin shows that it has little variation in elevation, averaging in elevation. Biogeography The country can be divided into four main areas from the south to the north. The low-lying, sandy, coastal plain, which has a highest elevation of is, at most, wide. It is marshy and dotted with lakes and lagoons connected to the ocean. The plateaus of southern Benin, with an altitude ranging between , are split by valleys running north to south along the Couffo, Zou, and Oueme Rivers, an area that has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic ecoregion. Then an area of flat lands dotted with rocky hills whose altitude seldom reaches extends around Nikki and Savé. Finally, the Atacora mountain range extends along the northwest border and into Togo with the highest point, Mont Sokbaro, at . Benin has fields lying fallow, mangroves, and remnants of large sacred forests. In the rest of the country, the savanna is covered with thorny scrubs and dotted with huge baobab trees. Some forests line the banks of rivers. In the north and the northwest of Benin the Reserve du W du Niger and Pendjari National Park attract tourists eager to see elephants, lions, antelopes, hippos and monkeys. The country formerly offered habitat for the endangered painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus, although this canid is considered to have been extirpated from Benin due to human population expansion. Woodlands comprise approximately 31 percent of Benin's land area. Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo Geographic coordinates: Continent: Africa Area: total: 112 622 km2 country comparison to the world: 102 land: 110 622 km2 water: 2 000 km2 Area comparative Australia comparative: slightly less than the size of Victoria Canada comparative: approximately 1 times the size of New Brunswick United Kingdom comparative: approximately smaller than England United States comparative: slightly larger than Virginia EU comparative: slightly larger than Bulgaria Land boundaries: total: 2 123 km border countries: Burkina Faso 386 km, Niger 277 km, Nigeria 809 km, Togo 651 km Coastline: 121 km Maritime claims: territorial
Geography of Benin
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Johann Jakob Erhardt, or John James Erhardt, (17 April 1823 – 14 August 1901) was a German missionary and explorer who worked in East Africa and India. Although he remained on or near the coast of East Africa, he contributed to European knowledge of the interior through gathering descriptions from local people who had traveled there. His map of the region stimulated dispatch of the expedition of Burton and Speke. Early life Erhardt was born on 17 April 1823 in Bönnigheim, then in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He was the son of a master tailor, and was apprenticed to a cooper. He worked with the Boennigheim Pietists, then joined the Basel Mission, where he was trained as a missionary until 1846. From 1846 to 1848, he studied with the Church Mission Society in London, where he was ordained in 1848. East Africa Erhardt was dispatched by the Church Mission Society to East Africa. On 10 June 1849 Erhardt and John Wagner arrived at the Rabbai Mpia mission station near Mombasa, where they joined Johann Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann. However, Wagner died on 1 August 1849. In the spring of 1850, Erhardt and Krapf travelled by dhow down the East African coast from Mombasa. The boat was small and food was scarce, poor quality and difficult to prepare due to the rain. However, they collected much information about the interior. Erhardt and Krapf went via Tanga, Kilwa, Lindi and Mikindani to Cape Delgado. The two missionaries, the first Europeans to investigate the coast in such detail, went unarmed and with few escorts, and were generally given a good reception by the Arabs, Swahilis, and local people they met. They mapped the Pangani River's mouth, the delta of the Rufiji River and the Ruvuma River. After the voyage, the two returned to the mission station, and in 1851 Krapf left for Europe to recuperate. In September 1853, Erhardt visited Vugha in the Usambara Mountains, capital of the Shambaa ruler Kimweri ye Nyumbai, where he saw two witches brought in and executed. Erhardt recorded the repulse of a Maasai raid at Mazinde by an allied army of Shambaa under Semboja, Kimweri's son, and of Wazigua, Parakuyo and "Arabs" (most likely Swahili). Erhardt's journey took from 9 August 1853 to December 1853, and he spent three months with the king. Erhadt spent six months in Tanga in 1854, where he studied the Shambala language. At Tanga, where caravans assembled before leaving for the interior, he learned of Ukerewe (Lake Victoria), Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa, and heard of the city of Ujiji. However, he was told by ivory traders that the great inland "Sea of Uniamesi" was just a westward extension of Lake Nyasa, reaching close to the mountains that formed the spine of the continent. Erhardt was struck by the fact that various travellers who had gone inland from different points on the coast had all come to an inland sea, and made a map based on available information, including the findings
Jakob Erhardt
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Zorkul (; ; ) is a lake in the Pamir Mountains that runs along the border between the Wakhan District in Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan and the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region of Tajikistan. It is part of both the Wakhan National Park of Afghanistan and the Tajik National Park. Geography Lake Zorkul extends east to west for about . The Afghanistan–Tajikistan border runs along the lake from east to west, turning south towards Concord Peak (), about south of the lake. The lake's northern part lies in Gorno-Badakhshan where it is protected as part of the Zorkul Nature Reserve. Out of the lake, towards the west, flows the Pamir River, tracing the Afghan–Tajik border. It is therefore a source of the Amu Darya (Amu River). The Great Pamir extends to the south of the lake. History The lake is on the path of the Silk Road. It was referred to as "Great Dragon Pool" () in Chinese historical records. The territory was conquered by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1750 and became part of the Durrani Empire. The lake and river were established in 1895 as the new frontier between the Russian Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan. A general treaty of friendship was signed between the two powers, agreeing that the lake area would be a nature reserve, and that neither empires will post national or international military forces within a certain distance of the frontier, nor establish settled communities in the area. Although there is a probable reference to the lake in Marco Polo's account, the first European known to have visited the lake was the British naval officer John Wood in 1838. Sir-i-kol became known to the British as Lake Victoria, after the British queen, although Wood declined to name it so. It was also known as "Lake Victoria in the Pamirs" to distinguish it from the much larger Lake Victoria in Africa. See also Chaqmaqtin Lake Sarikol Range References Lakes of Afghanistan Lakes of Tajikistan Afghanistan–Tajikistan border International lakes of Asia Landforms of Badakhshan Province Wakhan Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region Ramsar sites in Tajikistan
Zorkul
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The Hackney Brook is one of the subterranean rivers of London. Rising in Holloway, it crossed the northern parts of the current London boroughs of Islington and Hackney, before emptying into the River Lea at Old Ford. Course of the river The brook rose in two sources, both close to Holloway Road in Islington, travelled past the old Arsenal stadium and then along Riversdale Road immediately to the west of Clissold Park. In Hackney, the river ran through the northern part of Clissold Park, where its course is now marked by two lakes. It crossed the artificial New River, which flowed at right angles to the brook and left the park to the south (until the 1940s when the New River flow was terminated at the East Reservoir). The two Clissold Park lakes are now fed from the main water supply, not the brook. It then wandered through Abney Park Cemetery to cross at the bottom of the road Stamford Hill to run along the north side of Stoke Newington Common. In the 1860s, at this point, builders found very early evidence of human occupation in the form of 200,000-year-old palaeolithic flint axes, which were being made on the banks of the brook. These are among the earliest human artifacts found in Britain. From here, the brook followed the western side of Hackney Downs, then ran south-east to cross Dalston Lane and Mare Street in Hackney Central near Bohemia Place. Many 18th- and 19th-century illustrations show the ford here, which was at the bend in the road where the North London Railway bridge now crosses Mare Street. In central Hackney, the brook was joined by the Pigwell Brook which flowed down from Dalston, roughly following the line of Graham Road. From Hackney Central it ran through Homerton, reaching Hackney Wick where it turned south, parallel to the Lea, before reaching Old Ford, where Victorian OS maps show a confluence with the Lea immediately south of the Northern Outfall Sewer and immediately north of what the maps show as the location of the former 'Old Ford' across the Lea. In its heyday, until the late 1830s, the brook was a substantial river, 10 metres wide in full flood at Stoke Newington and perhaps 30 metres wide at its junction with the Lea. Its course can be seen on some old maps . Disappearance Although much of the Hackney Brook had already been covered over by 1856, local population growth in the area had turned the open portions into little more than an open sewer. In response to this, the Metropolitan Board of Works constructed its northern high-level sewer in 1860 to a design by Sir Joseph Bazalgette to contain the brook and its many tributaries and help flush sewage towards processing plants in the east of London. The sewer followed the course of the brook as far as Hackney Church Street (now Mare Street), but then struck south to cross Victoria Park, joining the larger sewer network at Old Ford. Proposed
Hackney Brook
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Shawnigan Lake is a lake on southern Vancouver Island, located to the west of Saanich Inlet and to the south of the Cowichan Valley region. Its aboriginal name in the Hul'qumi'num language is Showe'luqun. Geology and soils Bedrock around the southern two-thirds of the lake is meta-igneous rock of Lower Paleozoic age which is rich in mafic minerals except along southeastern shores where felsic minerals dominate. Bands of marble up to several meters thick are scattered within this metamorphic complex. Around northern shores are volcanic rocks of variable composition from the Jurassic period. Soils around the lake are mostly well drained or rapidly drained gravelly sandy loams or gravelly loamy sands with brown podzolic profile development. Some meet the definition of podzols under the current Canadian system of soil classification. A small area of peat lies near the southern end of the community of Shawnigan Lake. Ecology Fish in the lake include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon and smallmouth bass. Their populations are sufficient to support a recreational fishery. Features Memory Island Provincial Park, a small islet in the lake, was founded in memorial to two Lake residents lost during the Second World War. Also, a local park (Old Mill Park) contains the remains of a lumber mill that was built to support the fledgling village when it was founded nearly one hundred years ago. The mill burned in a fire several years after construction, and the old wooden supports from the mill are still visible in the lake. Climate See also List of lakes of British Columbia References Day, J.H., Farstad,L. and Laird, D.G. (1959). Soil Survey of Southeast Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands, British Columbia. B.C. Soil Survey, Rept. No. 6, Can. Dept. Agric. Muller, J.E. (1980). Geology Victoria Map 1553A. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Jungen, J.R. (1985). Soils of Southern Vancouver Island. Victoria: Ministry of Environment Technical Report 17. Shawnigan Lake at VancouverIsland.com Lakes of Vancouver Island Southern Vancouver Island Malahat Land District
Shawnigan Lake (British Columbia)
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Between 1874 and 1877 Henry Morton Stanley traveled Central Africa east to west, exploring Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and the Lualaba and Congo rivers. He covered from Zanzibar in the east to Boma at the mouth of the Congo in the west. The expedition resolved several open questions concerning the geography of Central Africa, including identifying the source of the Nile, which he proved was not the Lualaba and is in fact the source of the Congo River. Previous African journey This was Stanley's second journey in central Africa. In 1871–72 he had searched for and successfully found the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. In his publications, Stanley described greeting him with the famous words: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?", but his report in this is disputed. Objectives Stanley's journey had four principal aims, to: Explore Lake Victoria and its inflowing and outflowing rivers Explore Lake Albert and its inflowing and outflowing rivers Explore Lake Tanganyika, determining the direction of flow of the Ruzizi River at the north end of the lake Explore the Lualaba River downstream towards its outflow There was controversy among earlier explorers as to whether these lakes and rivers were connected to each other and the Nile. Richard Burton thought that Lake Victoria might have a southern inlet, possibly from Lake Albert, meaning that the source of the Nile was not Lake Victoria as explorer John Speke had argued. Samuel Baker thought that Lake Albert might have an inlet from Lake Tanganyika. Livingstone thought that Lualaba was the source of the Nile. Being sponsored by the New York Herald—at the instigation of editor James Gordon Bennett Jr.—and The Daily Telegraph newspapers, Stanley he was expected to write dispatches for them. He subsequently wrote a book of his experiences, Through the Dark Continent. Preparations On September 21, 1874, Stanley arrived in Zanzibar. He took with him three young Englishmen, Frederick Barker and the brothers Francis and Edward Pocock, and Kalulu, an African he had taken to England on his earlier trip and who was educated briefly in England. He also took 60 pounds of cloth, copper wire and beads (Sami Sami) for trading, a barometer, watches and chronometers, sextant, compasses, photographic equipment, Snider rifles and elephant gun(s), and the parts of a boat with single sail built by James Messenger. He named it the Lady Alice after his fiancée. In Zanzibar he recruited African porters to a total of 230 people, including 36 women and 10 boys. He recruited mainly from the Wangwana, Wanyamwezi and coast people from Mombasa. Circumnavigation of Lake Victoria On March 8 Stanley, with ten sailors and a steersman, left his camp site near Kageghi in Lady Alice. They explored and named Speke Bay, after the first European to see the lake. They also discovered the Simiyu River inlet in the south. Passing Ukerewe Island, he was attacked by Wavuma people in canoes but escaped after firing at his attackers. On April 4 he landed on the northern bank near the Ripon Falls, the
Henry Morton Stanley's first trans-Africa expedition
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This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series The history of rail transport in Zambia began at the start of the twentieth century. Northern Rhodesia The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was responsible for building the Rhodesian railway system in the period of primary construction which ended in 1911, when the main line through Northern Rhodesia reached the Congo border and the Katanga copper mines. Railway construction in British South Africa Company-administered Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) was undertaken by Rhodesian Railways, established in 1899, as an extension of the system in Southern Rhodesia. Railway development was driven by Cecil Rhodes, whose original intention was for a railway extending across the Zambesi to Lake Tanganyika, popularly considered as part of a great Cape-Cairo railway linking all the British colonies of Africa. However, Rhodes was as much a capitalist in his motivation as a visionary, and when little gold was found in Mashonaland in Southern Rhodesia, he accepted that the scheme to reach Lake Tanganyika had no economic justification. Railways built by private companies without government subsidies need enough of the type of traffic that can pay high freight rates to recover their construction costs. The agricultural products that fueled much of Rhodesia's early economic growth could not provide this traffic; large quantities of minerals could. Most early railways in Africa were built by the British government rather than Chartered Companies. The need to raise capital and produce dividends prevented most Chartered Companies from undertaking such infrastructure investments. However, in the early period of railway construction, BSAC obtained finance from South African companies including Consolidated Gold Fields and De Beers in which Rhodes was a dominant force. BSAC also benefited from the personal fortunes of Rhodes before his death. The railway reached Bulawayo in 1897, and was extended to the Victoria Falls in 1902. Lines were built in the or Cape gauge. The railway arrived in the future Zambia early in 1905, when the long Livingstone–Kalomo line was built in advance of completion in September of that year of the Victoria Falls Bridge from the then Southern Rhodesia to Livingstone. The first wagons on the line were hauled by oxen, then a single locomotive was conveyed in pieces by cableway across the gorge where the bridge was being built to start up operations to Kalomo in advance of the main line connection. The next section was to Broken Hill, (now Kabwe), which the railway reached in 1906. BSAC was assured that there would be much traffic from its lead and zinc mines, but this did not materialize because technical mining problems. The railway could not meet the costs of the construction loans, and the company faced major financial problems. The only area likely to generate sufficient mineral traffic to relieve these debts was Katanga. Another major bridge was required to cross the Kafue River and the long Kafue Railway Bridge, the longest on the Rhodesian Railways or Zambian Railways network, was completed in 1906. Initially, the Congo
History of rail transport in Zambia
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The Cuando River (or Kwando in the non-colonial spelling) is a river in south-central Africa flowing through Angola and Namibia's Caprivi Strip and into the Linyanti Swamp on the northern border of Botswana. Below the swamp, the river is called the Linyanti River and, farther east, the Chobe River, before it flows into the Zambezi River. Course The Cuando rises in the central plateau of Angola on the slopes of Mount Tembo, thence flowing southeast along the Zambian border. Along this reach it flows in a maze of channels in a swampy corridor 5–10 km wide (map 1: the border with Zambia is the eastern bank of this floodplain, not the river channel). As with all rivers in south-central Africa, its flow varies enormously between the rainy season when it floods and may be several kilometres wide, and the dry season when it may disappear into marshes. The Cuando continues in its marshy channel across the neck of the Caprivi Strip of Namibia (map, 2) and then forms the border between Namibia and Botswana as it continues southeast. Some 10,000 years ago, the Cuando merged with the Okavango River and they flowed south to Lake Makgadikgadi (which is a seasonal wetland in current times), but the land in that area was uplifted. As a consequence the Cuando now meets slightly higher ground (map, 4) and breaks up into many channels and swamps (called the Linyanti Swamp) dotted with alluvial islands, nearly disappearing into the Kalahari sands like the Okavango (map, 5). But instead it has diverted east and has been captured by the Zambezi. The flow turns sharply east, still forming the border with Botswana. In the dry season there are few open channels through the swamps and marshes. Beginning at this point it is known as the Linyanti (map, 6), and after it flows through a seasonal lake, Lake Liambesi (map, 7), it is called the Chobe (map, 8). The river then flows into the Zambezi just above the former Kazungula Ferry (map, 9), now replaced by the Kazungula Bridge. In years when the Okavango experiences a good flood some of the water escapes east along the normally dry channel of the Magwekwana River (also known as Selinda Spillway) into the Linyanti Swamp, thus entering the Zambezi basin. The Selinda Spillway and the Boteti River are the only outlets of the Okavango basin. On the north side of the Chobe River are the Caprivi Swamps, on the edge of which is the ruined capital of the Kololo people who conquered Barotseland in the 19th century. So much of the water of the Cuando, Linyanti and Chobe is lost to evaporation in the various swamps that its contribution to the flow of the Zambezi is very small except in occasional years when it floods excessively. The perennial river bifurcation of Selinda Spillway (or Magweggana River), on the Cuando River, connects the Kalahari Basin to the Zambezi Basin. Wildlife The Cuando system is noted for its wildlife and for most of
Cuando River
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The Opeongo River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is entirely within Algonquin Provincial Park and Opeongo River Provincial Park, except for a small portion around Victoria Lake, and is a left tributary of the Madawaska River. Course The river begins in Algonquin Provincial Park at the outflow from Annie Bay on the East Arm of Opeongo Lake in geographic Preston Township, in the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District, controlled by the Opeongo Lake Dam and flows southeast to Booth Lake. It exits the lake east controlled by the Booth Lake Dam, enters geographic Clancy Township, exits Algonquin Provincial Park into Opeongo River Provincial Park and reaches Victoria Lake. The river leaves the lake at the northeast over a dam and continues southeast, passes from Unorganized South Nipissing District into the geographic Dickens Township in the municipality of South Algonquin, passes through a series of rapids, takes in the left tributary Aylen River, turns southwest, and empties into Bark Lake on the Madawaska River, at the Ontario Highway 60 bridge and east of the community of Madawaska. The Madawaska River flows via the Ottawa River to the Saint Lawrence River. Recreation The river is used for recreational canoeing and kayaking. Tributaries Aylen River (left) Victoria Lake McNevin Creek (right) Shall Lake Oram Creek (right) Shall Creek (left) Crotch Lake Shirley Creek (left) Robin Creek (left) Bridle Creek (left) Booth Lake Rumley Creek (right) Cob Creek (right) McCarthy Creek (right) Chipmunk Creek (left) Tip Up Creek (left) See also List of rivers of Ontario References Other map sources: Rivers of Nipissing District Tributaries of the Ottawa River
Opeongo River
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Emil Holub (7 October 1847 – 21 February 1902) was a Czech physician, explorer, cartographer, and ethnographer in Africa. Early life Holub was born in Holice in eastern Bohemia (then within the Austrian Empire, now the Czech Republic), to the family of a municipal doctor. After studying at a German-language grammar school in Žatec (Saaz), he was admitted at Prague University where he obtained a degree as a doctor of medicine (1872). Expeditions in Africa Inspired to visit Africa by the diaries of David Livingstone, Holub travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, shortly after graduation and eventually settled in Dutoitspan near Kimberley to practise medicine. After eight months, Holub set out in a convoy of local hunters on a two-month experimental expedition, or "scientific safari", where he began to assemble a large natural history collection. In 1873, Holub set out on his second scientific safari, devoting his attention to the collection of ethnographic material. On his third expedition in 1875, he ventured all the way to the Zambezi river and made the first detailed map of the region surrounding Victoria Falls. Holub also wrote and published the first book account of the Victoria Falls published in English in Grahamstown in 1879. After returning to Prague for several years, Holub made plans for a bold African expedition. In 1883, Holub, along with his new wife Rosa (1865–1958) and six European guides, set out to do what no one had done before: explore the entire length of Africa from Cape Town all the way to Egypt. However, the expedition was troubled by illness and the uncooperative Ila tribesmen and Holub's team was forced to turn back in 1886. Holub mounted two exhibitions, highly attended but ending up in financial loss, in 1891 in Vienna and in 1892 in Prague. Frustrated that he was unable to find a permanent home for his large collection of artefacts, he gradually sold or gave away parts of it to museums, scientific institutions and schools. Later Holub published a series of documents, contributing to papers and magazines, and delivering lectures. His early death came in Vienna on 21 February 1902, from lingering complications of malaria and other diseases he had acquired while in Africa. Commemorations of Holub's legacy In 1884, Daniel Oliver published and described in Hooker's book Icones Plantarum (Hooker's Icon. Pl.) Vol.15 in table 1475, the plant Holubia saccata, a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Pedaliaceae. It was named in Holub's honour. In 1949, a monument to Holub by Jindřich Soukup was unveiled in his hometown of Holice. In 1952, Czech movie Velké dobrodružství (Great Adventure) was filmed about Holub's expeditions. In 1970, the town of Holice opened a museum dedicated to Emil Holub near the main post office with an associated monument nearby. Since 1999 the gymnasium in the town bears explorer's name. On 20 February 2002 the Czech National Bank issued a CZK 200 silver coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of Dr. Emil Holub's death Between 2002 and 2006,
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El Djouf () is a desert, an arid natural region of sand dunes and rock salt which covers northeastern Mauritania and part of northwestern Mali. El Djouf is a part of the Sahara Desert in the north. El Djouf is 320 meters (1,050 feet) above sea level. A meteorite of a rare type of carbonaceous chondrite was found in El Djouf in October 1989. Geographic features The El Djouf consists in a typical African type of broad shallow sedimentary basin, separated by divides formed by fault blocks, plateaus and mountain ranges, where rock waste eroded from higher surfaces has been deposited at the base. Other significant basins of this type are those of Lake Chad and the Victoria - Kyoga lake basin, as well as the Congo and Zambezi rivers. See also Geography of Mauritania Sahara Desert References External links El Djouf 001 in the World Meteorite Catalogue Database Sedimentary basins of Africa Geology of Mali Geology of Mauritania Landforms of Mali Landforms of Mauritania Deserts of Africa Ergs of Africa Basins of Africa Sahara
El Djouf