Lake Malawi
A Rift Valley trough with a fish-species record.
Where the lake is
The pulsing dot marks the lake's position (Malawi / Mozambique / Tanzania).
among the 18 lakes in this section
Another African rift lake, like Tanganyika.
Malawi is Africa's second deepest lake and the record holder for fish diversity. It holds more than three times as much water as the larger Lake Victoria.
About the lake
Malawi (Nyasa) fills a long trough at the southern end of the East African Rift. It reaches 706 m, making it Africa's second deepest lake after Tanganyika. Across 29,500 km², it holds 8,400 km³ of water.
The lake is renowned for biodiversity. UNESCO reports that it contains more fish species than any other lake on Earth, including hundreds of cichlid species. Most are found nowhere else.
Lake Malawi: Questions
UNESCO identifies Lake Malawi as the record holder. It contains hundreds of fish species, mainly cichlids, and most occur nowhere else.
It reaches 706 m. That makes it Africa's second deepest lake after Tanganyika, which reaches 1,470 m, and one of the deepest lakes in the world.
About 8,400 km³ across 29,500 km². That is more than three times the volume of the much larger Lake Victoria.