Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile River

 Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and is the main source of the Nile River. It is found mainly in Tanzania and Uganda and overlooks Kenya. It is also known as Lake Victoria Nyanza. With an area of 69,484 square kilometers, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior in North America, with a maximum length from north to south of 337 kilometers, the greatest width of 240 kilometers and the widest point deep of the lake. 82 meters.  The lake contains many archipelagos and coral reefs, and also contains more than 200 species of fish, including tilapia, which are the most economically important.

The importance of Lake Victoria

Many residents of the neighboring countries of Lake Victoria depend on it for their lives and livelihoods, as there are about 30 million people from the three East African countries bordering the lake who depend mainly on it, and fishing is a popular activity.  home to more than 2 million people. living along the shores of the three countries together, the fish taken from Lake Victoria forms part of the diet of more than 22 million people, and the waters of Lake Victoria, which feed the Nile River, are used to produce hydroelectric power .  Power at Owen Falls in Uganda, where these plants can generate approximately 260 megawatts of electrical power. The water from the lake also supports agricultural and tourism projects along the Nile River.

The Nile River

The Nile has two main tributaries: the White Nile, which is the main source and waterway, and the Blue Nile, which carries two-thirds of the river's water volume and most of the sediment.  Lake Victoria is considered the beginning and source of the White Nile, as it is fed by several rivers that come from the surrounding mountains. British explorer Neil MacGregor in 2006 reached the farthest source of the Nile, which flows into Lake Victoria, the Kagera River.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world with a length of 6,853 km. It flows north through the tropical climate of East Africa to the Mediterranean, passing through 11 countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya.  The Blue Nile, which originates from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, is found with the White Nile. The Nile is located near the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The river flows north through the Egyptian desert, eventually converging through a large delta and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.