Lake Malawi

Africa · freshwater lake · fish paradise · East African Rift

One of Africa's biggest lakes. Lake Malawi is the southernmost of the Great Lakes in East Africa, stretching between three countries: Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It's so enormous that you could explore it for weeks and still find new places.

Home to rainbow fish. More fish species live in Lake Malawi than in any other lake on Earth. Scientists have found over 1,000 different kinds of fish, many with brilliant colors that look painted on.

Born from Earth's cracking. Lake Malawi sits in the East African Rift, a giant crack in Earth's crust where the ground is slowly pulling apart. This is the same reason the lake is so deep and has such an unusual shape.

Fresh water treasure. Unlike some African lakes that are salty, Lake Malawi is fresh water, making it perfect for the millions of people who live nearby and depend on it for drinking water and fishing.

Three countries, one lake. The lake's shores belong to Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania, and it goes by different names in each country: Lake Malawi, Lake Nyasa, and Lago Niassa. The local people have lived around this lake for thousands of years.