Africa's largest lake and the chief reservoir of the Nile, ringed by three nations.
Surface area
59,947 km²
Maximum depth
about 81 m
Elevation
1,135 m
Continent
Africa
Countries
Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania
Did you know?
Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and supports one of the biggest inland fisheries anywhere.
Little-known fact
The introduced Nile perch wiped out hundreds of unique cichlid fish species — one of the fastest mass extinctions ever recorded.
Highlights
- Africa's largest lake
- A chief source of the Nile
- Site of a dramatic fish extinction
Life in the Lake Victoria
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Nile perch
One of the largest freshwater fish, growing to 2 m; introduced to Lake Victoria with devastating results.
Hippopotamus
Africa’s river giant spends its days submerged and is, pound for pound, among the continent’s most dangerous animals.
Nile crocodile
Africa’s largest crocodile and a patient ambush hunter little changed since the age of dinosaurs.
Waterbirds
African fish eagle
The ringing call of this black-white-and-chestnut raptor is the iconic “voice of Africa” by the water.
Great white pelican
A huge waterbird that fishes in co-ordinated flotillas, herding fish into its enormous pouch.
Water plants & reeds
Papyrus
The towering reed of the Nile that the ancient Egyptians turned into the world’s first paper.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here