Lake Chilwa is the second-largest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

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 northe ...

after

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest f ...

. It is in eastern Zomba District, near the border with

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 ...

. Approximately 60 km long and 40 km wide, the lake is surrounded by extensive

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

. There is an island in the middle of the lake called Chisi Island. The lake has no outlet, and the level of water is greatly affected by seasonal rains and summer evaporation. In 1968, the lake disappeared during exceptionally dry weather. When

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

visited the lake in 1859, he reported that its southern boundary reached as far as the Mulanje Massif, which would have made the lake at least longer than it is today. The

Danish International Development Agency Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is the brand used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark when it provides humanitarian aid and development assistance to other countries, with focus on developing countries. There is no disti ...

, in cooperation with the Government of Malawi has been working to ensure preservation of the lake and its wetlands. The Lake Chilwa Basin Climate Change Adaption Programme (LCBCCAP) has been introduced to conserve the sensitive area, which is not only an important wetland for local fauna, but also a major source for fish products in the region.

Wildlife

The most common fish species of Lake Chilwa are ''

Barbus paludinosus The straightfin barb ('Enteromius paludinosus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. '' E. pleurogramma'' is sometimes included here, but while it is certainly extremely closely related, it appears to be a distinct cryptic ...

'', ''

Oreochromis ''Oreochromis'' is a large genus of oreochromine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range and are important in aquaculture. Many others have very ...

shiranus chilwae'', ''

Clarias gariepinus ''Clarias gariepinus'' or African sharptooth catfish is a species of catfish of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes. Distribution They are found throughout Africa and the Middle East, and live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and swa ...

'', ''

Brycinus ''Brycinus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Alestiidae. Like other "African characids", they were formerly included in the Characidae but are actually somewhat more distantly related Characiformes. Like some other Alestiidae, they ...

imberi'' and ''

Gnathonemus ''Gnathonemus'' is a genus of elephantfish in the family Mormyridae. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * '' Gnathonemus barbatus'' Poll 1967 (Angolan mormyrid) * '' Gnathonemus echidnorhynchus'' Pellegrin 192 ...

''. The lake supports a waterbird population of around 1.5 million with about 160 different species. Some of these migrate along the

Asian - East African Flyway Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

from Siberia each year. With twelve bird species, the number is over 1% of their total flyway population. The surrounding human population is dense and growing, and waterbirds are hunted for food when the water level is low and fishing is problematic. Efforts are being made to ensure that hunting is done in a sustainable manner.

Economy

About 335 villages with over 60,000 inhabitants engage in

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

the lake, and pull in over 17,000 metric tons each year, 20% of all the fish caught in Malawi.

References

{{Authority control Biosphere reserves of Malawi Chilwa Chilwa Ramsar sites in Malawi Geography of Southern Region, Malawi Zambezian flooded grasslands Important Bird Areas of Malawi