Lake Bangweulu . It is a freshwater lake located in Zambia . Its name means ” place where water and sky meet .” The lake is the source of the Luapula River and is fed by 17 rivers. It is located at 1,140 m of altitude, is approximately 75 kilometers long and covers an area of 9,840 km². Its average depth is 4 meters. Its surface is variable depending on the season.
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Lake Division
- 3 Population
- 4 Sources
History
In his endless search for the sources of the Nile , the famous explorer and missionary of the nineteenth century , David Livingstone , found several bodies of water in southern part of Central Africa . Lake Bangweulu, the source of the Luapula, was one of them.
Livingstone’s journey took place in the middle of the rainy season, for which he had to wade across the river among hundreds of mosquitoes and leeches. Although when he reached the lake the rainy season had stopped, the whole area was a flooded marsh. This led him to believe that the lake was much larger, so Livingstone mistakenly thought that he had reached the source, not only of the Luapula, but also of the Nile.
Chiri Island is located in the center of Lake Bangweulu and between the settlements on the shore of the lake are Lubwe, Chilubi and Samfya. The lake is 72 km long, including the surrounding marshes. Its fisheries are among the largest in Zambia and its main catches include bream and catfish. However, the fishing industry is not developed to its full potential.
Lake division
The lake and swamps are fed in the north by the Chambeshi River and flows south by the Luapula River, which feeds Lake Moero and the Congo River . The lake is divided into 3 parallel zones
- In the northwest, Lake Chifunabuli (50 km by 5 km, which joins the rest of the lake by a passage (Lifunge peninsula) 250 meters wide;
- In the southeast, Lake Walipupe (30 km by 13 km);
- Cen the center, Lake Bangweulu which is the main lake.
To the north, east and south of the lake are the Bangweulu swamps which are around 120 km long by 75 km wide. In times of floods, wetlands can reach an area of 15,000 km². South of the lake, there is a floodplain during the rainy season.
Population
The area is inhabited by the Bemba people. The lake has a fishing season and the population increases during this period. The lake is also populated by potentially dangerous crocodiles for fishermen. The town of Samfya is located southwest of the lake and is the regional center for transportation and tourism on the lake. The main population centers are on the islands of Chiluba, Mbabala and Chishi. The main city in the north of the lake is Nsombo.