Lake Tanganyika
By: Arjun G
Age: 10
Sydney, Australia
By: Arjun G
Age: 10
Sydney, Australia
Today I would like to share with you one of my favourite Earth landmarks, the great Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika is the longest lake known to mankind with the length of 673 km. Do you know how much water this lake can hold? Can you estimate how many olympic size swimming pools you can fill with this lake? Well I was amazed when I did my calculation! 7.56 billion swimming pools can fit in Lake Tanganyika. Yes, you read that right folks, 7.56 billion swimming pools can fit in Lake Tanganyika.
The mass of this beast sized lake covers 4 nations Burndi, The democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and finally Zambia all in East Africa. In Africa this is the largest freshwater reservoir, and in the world the second largest.
In the mid 1800s, the great European explorers Sir Richard Burton and John Speke, were the first to discover Lake Tanganyika.
The reason for this massive lake is believed to be a crack in the earth in the continental crust of Africa, which led the lake to rise and lengthen making it the longest lake in the world and second largest lake in the world.The freshwater marine life in Lake Tanganyika is the Spotted Necked Otter, Turtles, Hippos, Crocs, Jellyfish and over 300 different species of fish.
The mass of this beast sized lake covers 4 nations Burndi, The democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and finally Zambia all in East Africa. In Africa this is the largest freshwater reservoir, and in the world the second largest.
In the mid 1800s, the great European explorers Sir Richard Burton and John Speke, were the first to discover Lake Tanganyika.
The reason for this massive lake is believed to be a crack in the earth in the continental crust of Africa, which led the lake to rise and lengthen making it the longest lake in the world and second largest lake in the world.The freshwater marine life in Lake Tanganyika is the Spotted Necked Otter, Turtles, Hippos, Crocs, Jellyfish and over 300 different species of fish.
Editors note
To learn more about Lake Tanganyika please click on the links below.
National Geographic- Article- "Ocean" Creatures That Evolved In The Huge Lake Under Threat
National Geographic - Video (1 hour)- Jewel of the Rift.
Who to Support
The Nature Conservancy
Lake Tanganyika Authority
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