Lake Malawi
November 16, 2018
Photographer: Gabrielle Tepp
Summary Author: Gabrielle Tepp
Lake Malawi (also called Lake Nyasa) is the southernmost of the African Great Lakes. Located between Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi, it contains fresh water, similar to the Great Lakes of North America, and is stratified with water layers that don’t mix. Unlike their glacier-carved North American counterparts, however, the African lakes formed in a rift zone, where the tectonic plate is very slowly breaking apart. Mountains created by the rift’s border faults are visible in the photo. One consequence of the African lakes’ origin is that they're generally much deeper than the North American lakes, with Lake Malawi reaching 2,316 ft (706 m) at its deepest point.
Lake Malawi is known for the hundreds of species of cichlids that live within its warm waters. While the shallower southern part of the lake is also home to hippos, crocodiles, and other wildlife, conditions in the northern part of the lake aren't as conducive to their survival, and thus they're rarely encountered there. People, on the other hand, are still happy to enjoy a nice day or evening at the beach. Photo taken at Matema Beach, Tanzania on July 4, 2014.
Photo Details: Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T5i; Software: Digital Photo Professional; Exposure Time: 0.0063s (1/160); Aperture: ƒ/8.0; ISO equivalent: 100; Focal Length: 18.0mm.