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Lake Victoria as seen from Rusinga Island.

Kisumu is Kenya's third largest town. It serves as a port on Lake Victoria.

Part of the beach area at Kisumu town.
 

Lake Victoria

Sometime in the 19th century, an English explorer, assigned to Eastern Africa came across a massive lake which turned out to be the source of the Nile.

The lake was named in honor of Queen Victoria, the reigning British monarch at the time. Further expeditions revealed the existence of more lakes and rivers in the region, which is now dubbed the “Great Lakes of Africa” region.

Today, Lake Victoria lies on the borders of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Kenya’s portion of the lake is situated in the western part of the country. The areas around the lake are highly populated for several reasons. First, the fertile highlands associated with the Rift Valley lie in close proximity. Second, the expansive lake surface induces regular heavy rainfall. Third, the borders with Uganda and Tanzania serve as a catalyst for inter state commerce.

Kisumu city is Kenya’s third largest urban area and is the hub of economic activities on the shores of Lake Victoria. From Kisumu its possible to travel by boat, ship or by road to other centers on the lake such as Jinja and Entebbe (both in Uganda) and the Tanzanian cities of Mwanza and Bukoba. Visitors can take lake tours to islands in the lake, some of which are inhabited while the rest contain only wildlife.

The lake waters provide sustenance to millions of fishermen who take to the lake daily to catch Nile Perch, Tilapia and many other fish species, some of which are exported to the European Union. Other animal species in the lake are crocodiles and hippo.

The land bordering the lake hosts wildlife in hills, forests and national parks. Lions, leopards and bird species thrive within the conservation areas. Near Kisumu city can be found the Impala nature park hosting an endangered type of antelope.

North and east of the lake, the land rises dramatically to the populated highlands. Agriculture is a serious activity here with vast tea, coffee, maize and sugarcane plantations. A paper production factory situated in Webuye town is utilizing the region’s forests.

As an economically vibrant region, there is no shortage of accommodation suitable to the needs of individual visitors. The choice is yours, be it a luxury hotel or a log cabin.

Geologically speaking, Lake Victoria is a gigantic puddle of water in the earth’s surface, surrounded by the highlands. The highlands in turn were built up by a combination of volcanism and the uplifting that contributed to the creation of the Rift Valley. Rivers which were existing by then got blocked and subsequently diverted themselves to form Lake Victoria. Excess water began pouring out of the lake at a point near Jinja town in Uganda. 

And that overflow of water marks the source of the River Nile.

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