Lake Tanganyika

Africa · freshwater · record-breaker · ancient

Longest freshwater lake. Lake Tanganyika stretches for about 410 miles, making it the longest freshwater lake in the entire world. That's like the distance across several countries laid end to end.

Incredibly deep water. It's the second deepest lake on Earth, with some spots going down over 4,500 feet. Only Lake Baikal in Siberia is deeper.

Shared by four nations. Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia all share this giant lake. Tanzania and the DRC control most of it.

Massive water volume. Lake Tanganyika holds the second largest amount of freshwater of any lake in the world, with only Siberia's Lake Baikal containing more.

Connected to the ocean. Water from Lake Tanganyika flows through the Lukuga River into the Congo River system, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean thousands of miles away.