Photography

Before I conclude I want to leave you with some fascinating images I have discovered along my research.  These capture the true beauty of Lake Victoria including its landscape, people and wildlife. Thank you for taking the time to view my blog!

A beautiful sunset over Lake Victoria

This image shows the fisherman and their boars along the shoreline.

Lake Victoria not only provides the essentials of life for the people but it also provides fun and entertainment for the youth.  Here are children of Kenya having a great time along the shoreline.

Ssese Island, Lake Victoria
This island lies along the northwestern shoreline of the Lake in the country of Uganda.

The is a great shot of a Fish Eagle as it swoops down on its prey.

All images retrieved from (in order): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Lake_Victoria_1973_Sunset2.jpg, http://www.worldfishing.net/__data/assets/image/0008/458144/Fishing-boats-at-Lake-Victoria-in-Uganda..JPG, http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/86613/lake_victoria_5-kenya.jpg, http://images.travelpod.com/users/jaynewick/1.1291745679.40_kalangala-ssese-islands-uganda.jpg & http://www.game-reserve.com/images/wildlife/birds/fish_eagle_and_catch.jpg

Wildlife

Lake Victoria provides an oasis for all types of life.  It is home to endless numbers of species excluding the humans who live near by.  The lake provides resources for many types of fish, birds and land mammals.  Here I will provide you with some images of the animals I found to be the most interesting!

The Rothschild Giraffe makes its home in the land of Kenya and Uganda.  This giraffe is the mot endangered giraffe in the world with only a few hundred left in existence.

This is a male and female Jackson's Hartebeast and their offspring feeding in the wetlands of the lake.

This very large fish is known as the Nile Perch.  This pre 1960 the Nile Perch was contemplated on being introduced to the lake to lower the populations of less attractive fish for the fisherman.  Then in 1960 when the fish was discovered to have already been present in the lake the Nile Perch was manually introduced to the lake in great numbers.  Since this time the Nile Perch has become the game fish of choice for native fisherman and game fisherman. 

The Egrets of Lake Victoria include several species of Heron.  They hunt in the wetlands and marches surrounding the lake for small fish and other creatures.

This large hippopotamus relaxing in the waters probably makes its home in Kenya.  Here there is a large population of hippopotamus that congregate along its shorelines.

This is a crocodile and its young lying very low in the waters off the Ugandan shoreline.

All images and information retrieved from: Google Images and Wikipedia 

Transportation

As we already know Lake Victoria is located at the intersection of three countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.  With the lakes central location it makes for a method of transportation between these countries.  There are six major ports on Lake Victoria:

Kenya:
Kisumu (3rd largest city in Kenya)

Tanzania:
Mwanza
Bukoba

Uganda:
Entebbe
Port Bell
Jinja (also the largest city in Uganda)

These ports are the main destination for Lake Victoria ferries.  Since the 1900's these ferries have been the fastest and most economical method of transportation between the major cities.  These ferries carry everything from people to freight for trading.  The longer journey times can near 20 hours but this is still much quicker than traveling around the outside of the lake.


All information retrieved from: http://travelpace.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/ferry2.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Victoria, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Victoria_ferries 

Hydroelectricity

To start I would like to introduce to you the concept of hydroelectricity.  Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy source that produces energy through the use of flowing water.  This energy production is commonly used in the construction of hydroelectric dams.  These dams use the water flowing from the lake into the river as a means to generate power.  As shown above, the water passes through the dam with huge volume and power and spin numerous turbines that power generators.  These generators harvest energy and from here power is sent out to the people. Uganda has constructed two hydroelectric dams in the waters of Lake Victoria.  The most prominent dam is the Nalubaale Hydroelectric Power Station, which as you can see on the map below, was built where Lake Victoria feeds the White Nile.

Nalubaale Dam

The Nalubaale Dam was first though of in 1947 and was finally completed in 1954.  The power from this dams supplies energy to Uganda and stretches as far as some areas of Uganda and Tanzania.  Before the construction of the dam the relationship between Lake Victoria and the White Nile was regulated by a natural rock dam that limited the water flow.  When the lake reached a certain level water would flow over the rock wall and feed the White Nile.  With the construction of the Naluballe Dam the people of Uganda could now manually regulate how much water flowed through the dam to the river.  This did not become a problem until the population increase began demanding more and more power.  With this new power dam the officials began to let more water pass through the dam to create more energy.  The consequences have been that water level of the lake has dropped substantially. Between 2000 and 2006 the water level dropped by at least two meters.  This two meter decrease has huge effects on the wetlands surrounding the lake.  Animals that once made their homes in this area are forces to migrate.  This two meters equates to a loss of 70,000 square kilometers of water.

Location of the Nalubaale Dam

The idea and design of hydroelectric dams is a wonderful way to create a reusable and natural energy source but if used improperly it can create huge problems.  As we see here the water of Lake Victoria are directly affected by the negligent use of the water as a source of power.  The governments controlling the waters of Lake Victoria and the Nile will must act soon and regulate their water usage or they will soon find themselves in a larger problem with no power at all.







All information retrieved from:  http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/hydroelectric-dams-affecting-the-health-of-lake-victoria.html, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5250126, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalubaale_Hydroelectric_Power_Station, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity

Pollution

With the ever growing population our earth is experiencing, pollution is becoming a greater problem.  Well the same holds true for the waters of Lake Victoria.  The lake is currently suffering from severe pollution which can be attributed to the increase in its surrounding population.  The main source was found to be the dumping of raw sewage directly into  the lake.  Along with raw sewage traditional waste and fertilizers and chemicals from the farmland.  By dumping this waste into the lake there is an ongoing contamination which threatens the ability of the lake to provide clean drinking water and harvest the life that the fisherman so greatly depend on.  The image below shows the change in pollution from 1960 to the projected status in 2015.  The blue area is clean water and the color change indicated the effects of pollution.  The red areas are most affected and greatly effect the environment.

All information retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_lake_pollution/img/1.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Victoria & http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Density_evolution_Victoria.png/800px-Density_evolution_Victoria.png

History

Lake Victoria has been known to the indigenous people of its surrounding areas for thousands of years but was not discovered by the europeans until 1858.  A British explorer names John Hanning Speke discovered the lake after spending months trekking through thick dangerous rainforest in search of the source of the Nile River.  Speke names the Lake Victoria after the late Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.  Speke's claim that this lake was the source of the Nile was only a proclamation and not confirmed until 1875.  During this time another British explorer by the name of Henry Stanley spent two weeks traveling around the lake and finally confirmed Speke's hypothesis.  Stanley's findings were then sent back to England and they began to expand the colonization process towards the lake.

By 1902 England has built a railroad from Mombasa, Kenya to the lake to assist in trading.  Soon after the colonial powers had stripped Lake Victoria os its vast watersheds to plans cash crops such as coffee, sugar and tobacco.  With this increased trade the population surrounding the lake grew exponentially and the lake was looked at to support this population.  Fishing was now a major necessity and soon overfishing was present.  With the introduction of smaller mesh fishing nets the fisherman were catching fish of all ages drastically impacting their reproductive abilities.  With lake Victoria new obligation to irrigate cash crops and to provide fish for the population increase its resources were stretched thin.  This was the beginning of years of abuse that has lead Lake Victoria to it current fragile state.

All information retrieved from:  http://www1.american.edu/ted/victoria.htm, http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_victoria_sick.php, http://elev8.com/files/2011/05/past-present-future-sign1.jpg & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Victoria

Statistical & Geographical Information

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the world, only to be surpassed by Lake Superior in the North America.  As you can see in the maps the lake occupies land in three countries, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.  This lake plays an essential role in the lives of the people living near by.  The majority of these people are Bantu speakers, totaling several million within the 50 miles surrounding the lake.  Before we continue our journey into discovering more about Lake Victoria I wanted to provide you with some important statistics, they are listed below.

Area and Location

Location:  Africa
Countries:  Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda
Coordinates:  1°S 33°E
Primary Inflow:  Kagera River
Primary Outflow:  White Nile (AKA Victoria Nile)
Elevation:  3,717 feet

Measurements
Surface Area:  26,600 square miles
Volume:  2.2 billion acre-feet of water
Maximum Length:  209 miles
Maximum Width:  160 miles
Average Depth:  130 feet
Maximum Depth: 272 feet




All information retrieved from:  http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/afr/afr-05.html, http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_land/lake_victoria.shtml & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Victoria

Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog about Lake Victoria.  Throughout the rest of the semester I will be discussing Lake Victoria and many interesting facts surrounding it.  I will touch on many topics such as the general statistics and geographical information of the lake, its history, its role in the community and the wildlife that call it home, among others things.  I look forward to sharing many interesting facts with you all and reading all of your websites.


Best,
Tyler Steffes