Lake Kitangiri

Lake Kitangiri
Lake Kitangiri
LocationSingida Region and Simiyu Region, Tanzania
Coordinates4°06′S 34°17′E / 4.10°S 34.28°E / -4.10; 34.28
TypeRift Valley lake
Wembere River, Manonga River
Sibiti River
Basin countriesTanzania
Max. length30 km (19 mi)
Max. width8 km (5.0 mi)
Surface area
11,500 ha (28,000 acres)
Average depth
3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft)

Lake Kitangiri is a small freshwater lake in the Singida and Simiyu Regions of Tanzania. It is 30 kilometres (19 mi) long and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) at its widest, covering an area of 11,500 ha (44 mi2).

Description

Lake Kitangiri is a freshwater lake that spans 30 kilometres (19 mi) in length and is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) at its widest, covering an area of 11,500 ha (44 mi2).[1]: 253  Its depth averages 3–5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft), which fluctuates by 1–3 metres (3.3–9.8 ft) throughout the year.[2]: 226  It occasionally floods the flat plains to its north and west.[3]: 65  The seasonal Wembere and Manonga Rivers drain into Lake Kitangiri during the rainy season.[4]: 334  Its outflow is the Sibiti River at its northern end, which seasonally drains into the southern end of Lake Eyasi.[1]: 253 

Lake Kitangiri was once part of a larger paleo-Lake Eyasi.[4]: 57  The paleolake may have been created when water from paleo-Lake Victoria flowed into the Eyasi–Wembere basin, and as its water level dropped it split into the modern Lakes Kitangiri and Eyasi.[4]: 63 

References

  1. ^ a b Hughes, R. H.; Hughes, J. S. (1992). A directory of African wetlands: with a chapter on Madagascar (PDF). Glan: IUCN [u.a.] ISBN 978-2-88032-949-5. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  2. ^ Bossche, J.-P. Vanden; Bernacsek, G. M. (1990), Source book for the inland fishery resources of Africa. 1: 1990, CIFA technical paper / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ISBN 978-92-5-102983-1, retrieved 17 June 2026
  3. ^ Vesey-Fitzgerald, Desmond Foster (1970). "The Origin and Distribution of Valley Grasslands in East Africa". The Journal of Ecology. 58 (1): 51. doi:10.2307/2258169.
  4. ^ a b c Harrison, Terry, ed. (1997). Neogene Paleontology of the Manonga Valley, Tanzania: A Window into the Evolutionary History of East Africa. Topics in Geobiology. Vol. 14. Boston, MA: Springer US. doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-2683-1. ISBN 978-1-4419-3265-5.