Lake Amaramba ( pt, Lago Amaramba) is a shallow lake in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, near the border with

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. Located in the Nyasa plateau, it is north of

Lake Chiuta Lake Chiuta is a shallow lake on the border between Malawi and Mozambique. It lies to the north of Lake Chilwa and to the south of Lake Amaramba, which has no outlet, and the lakes are separated by a sandy ridge. Both lakes lie in a graben which ru ...

. The lakes are separated by a sandy ridge and a channel links the two lakes. On the western side of the channel, the connecting waterway is known as the River Msambiti while on the eastern side, it is known as the

Lugenda River The Lugenda or Lujenda (alternate: Msambiti River) is a river of northern Mozambique. It flows in a south-north direction from Lake Amaramba/Lake Chiuta and is the largest tributary of the Ruvuma River. It joins the Luambala River at . The river ...

. Lake Amaramba is intermittently linked to the Lugenda River, a tributary of the

Ruvuma River Ruvuma River, formerly also known as the Rovuma River, is a river in the African Great Lakes region. During the greater part of its course, it forms the border between Tanzania and Mozambique (in Mozambique known as ''Rio Rovuma''). The river is ...

Geography

Lake Amaramba is part

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

and part open water spread over a total area of . The open water area accounts for and swamp or marshy land accounts for . It is bound within geographical coordinates of and at an elevation of . The lake, formed in a shallow depression, is swampy on the southern and eastern side. The lake measures in length with an average width of . For the most part, it lies N.N.E. and S.S.W.Proceedings (1884), p. 718 The northern end of the lake bears W.N.W. with a width of to . The only conspicuous features visible east of the lake are the hills, separate from one another, named Mitumbi, Mero, Mangombo, Chikalulu and Lipembegwe. Its drainage basin lies partly in

with a minor stream entering the lake at its southern end. At its upstream end, Lake Chiuta feeds it through a long link channel. During the rainy season, the two lakes become one mass of water spread area. The outlet of the lake leads to the Lugenda River, which in turn joins the Rovuma River, a larger river system. The Amaramba Lake exhibits a feature of a wide river. However, the lake has a narrow width as compared to the Lake Chiuta on the upstream which has a triangular shape. The lake waters are a sustaining source of fresh water for the people in the region for growing crops and providing the means of inland transportation. The combined lakes, during the annual flood season, also make the land fertile through deposition of enriching silt.

Flora and fauna

The lake system (both Chiuta and Amaramba) had in the past very rich wild life but during the civil war suffered severe poaching and hunting. Aqua fauna in the lake also suffered due to overfishing caused by migrants from Malawi. Following this destruction, the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

( WWF) and

Oxfam GB Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

initiated measures to stop the illegal practices. A participatory approach involving people of the area, the local and provincial government and the Coastal Security Commission, was evolved to address the adverse ecological aspects created in the past, with the objective of enhancing production from the lake system without resorting to overuse of the resources of the lake. ;Revival measures The five-year programme envisaged for revival of resources of the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

of Lake Chiuta-Amaramba area, through a participatory approach, involves several measures. The first of these is to prevent resource overuse and introduce measures for increasing productivity to enhance economic conditions of the community thriving on the lake's resources. Establishing a formal lake reserve in Lake Chiuta-Amaramba would preserve the lake's fish and waterbirds and would increase aquatic resources for rightful use by the local community. Also of importance would be establishing checks and balances on the quality and quantity of produce removed from the lake. Protection of the surrounding forest area through an appropriate wildlife management mechanism would permit for diversification of wildlife species which would promote the base structure of the rural livelihood. The final revival measure of the program consists of creating an environment to market local products.

History

In 1882,

Henry E. O'Neill Henry Edward O'Neill Royal Geographical Society, FRGS, Royal Astronomical Society, FRAS, Royal Navy, RN, (1848–1925) was a Royal Navy officer and British explorer of central Africa. He served as Britannic Majesty, HBM Consul (representative), con ...

, H.B.M. Consul to Mozambique and 1885 recipient of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

Patron's Medal The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards. They are given for "the encouragement and promoti ...

, surveyed the area and subsequently published, ''Journey from Mozambique to Lake Shirwa, and discovery of Lake Amaramba'' itemizing nine villages and hamlets, named after their chiefs, at the lake's shores. Five of these were upon the eastern (Napulu, Cheinlola, Chekungwa, Chemaunda and Chengogwe), three upon the western (Akumhumbwa, Chemina and Chemataka), and one was located at the northern extremity (Akamtundu). The south-eastern shore of the lake is populated by Lomwe

Makua Makua may refer to: * Makua (person), an alaafin of the Oyo Empire * Makua people, an ethnic group in Mozambique and Tanzania * Makhuwa language, a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique * Makua languages, a branch of Bantu languages * Makua Rothman ...

. Currently, the nearest town to the lake is Cacova on its western side.

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book, last=Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain), title=Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and monthly record of geography, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cBASAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA718, volume=6, year=1884, publisher=Edward Stanford

External links