Lake Kyoga is a large shallow
lakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
complex of
UgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, about 1720 km² (664.1 sq mi) in area and at an elevation of 914 m. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from
Lake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the
Nalubaale Power StationNalubaale Power Station, often known by its old name, Owen Falls Dam, is a hydroelectric power station across the White Nile near to its source at Lake Victoria in Uganda...
in Jinja. Another source of water is the
Mount ElgonMount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale.- Physical features :It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering an area of around 3500 km²....
region on the border between Uganda and
KenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. While Lake Kyoga is part of Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a Great Lake.
Lake KwaniaLake Kwania is in the Amolatar District and Apac District in Uganda. It is near or linked to Lake Kyoga and predominantly has fisheries. There are over 45 landings, although only 17 are officially recognized. Nile perch of up to 10 kg have been caught in gillnets...
is nearby.
The lake complex reaches a maximum depth at about 5.7 meters, and most of it is less than 4 m in depth. Areas less than 3 m deep are completely covered by
water liliesNymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...
, while much of the swampy shoreline is covered with
papyrusPapyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
and
water hyacinthThe seven species of water hyacinth comprise the genus Eichhornia. Water hyacinth are a free-floating perennial aquatic plant native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in...
. The papyrus also forms
floating islandA floating island is a mass of floating aquatic plants, mud, and peat ranging in thickness from a few inches to several feet. Floating islands are a common natural phenomenon that are found in many parts of the world. They exist less commonly as a man-made phenomenon...
s that drift between a number of small permanent islands. Extensive wetlands fed by a complex system of streams and rivers surround the lakes.
Lake KwaniaLake Kwania is in the Amolatar District and Apac District in Uganda. It is near or linked to Lake Kyoga and predominantly has fisheries. There are over 45 landings, although only 17 are officially recognized. Nile perch of up to 10 kg have been caught in gillnets...
is a smaller lake but deeper.
46 species of
fishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
have been recorded in Lake Kyoga, and
crocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s are numerous.
Excessive El Niño rains in 1997-1998 have resulted in exceptionally high water levels, causing large islands of papyrus and water hyacinth mats to become dislodged on the lake and to accumulate at the lake's outlet into the Victoria Nile. This blockage has caused the water level to become even higher, flooding about 580 km² of the surrounding land (DWD 2002) and resulting in population displacement and severe socioeconomic damage. In 2004, the
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian government granted Uganda a gift of 13 million USD to streamline the flow of the Nile at Lake Kyoga. , the outlet is still largely blocked.
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