July 1st, 2010 Category: Lakes

Central Africa - April 17th, 2010

Several lakes can be seen in Central Africa, by the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (upper right), Zambia (lower left), Tanzania (upper right) and Malawi (lower right). Most of these borders are near the three large lakes visible: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Rukwa and Lake Malawi.

Only the southern end of Lake Tanganyika (blue, upper left corner) and the northern end of Lake Malawi (blue, lower right corner) are visible; however, these lakes are quite large and are considered to be two of the Great Lakes of Africa. These great lakes are located in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift. Lake Rukwa (brown with sediments, above) is a Rift Valley lake although not considered one of the African Great Lakes.

Tags: Africa African Great Lakes Lake Malawi Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

February 23rd, 2010 Category: Rivers

Malawi - February 12th, 2010

The Zambezi River can be seen flowing across Mozambique, just south of the border with Malawi, in this orthorectified image. The Zambezi can be divided into three segments: the Upper, Middle and Lower Zambezi (visible here).

Lower Zambezi’s 650 km (400 mi) from Cahora Bassa to the Indian Ocean is navigable, although the river is shallow in many places during the dry season. This shallowness arises as the river enters a broad valley and spreads out over a large area.

Only at one point, the Lupata Gorge, 320 km (200 mi) from its mouth, is the river confined between high hills. Here it is scarcely 200 m wide. Elsewhere it is from 5 to 8 km (3 to 5 mi) wide, flowing gently in many streams. The river bed is sandy, and the banks are low and reed-fringed. At places, however, and especially in the rainy season, the streams unite into one broad fast-flowing river.

About 160 km (100 mi) from the sea the Zambezi receives the drainage of Lake Malawi through the Shire River, visible to the right upon opening the full image.

Tags: Africa Lower Zambezi Lupata Gorge Malawi Mozambique Shire River Zambezi River |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

February 21st, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Mountains, Rivers

Malawi - February 12th, 2010

The Shire River is visible meandering more or less vertically down the middle of this orthorectified image of the Southern Region of Malawi. The region, whose population was 5,876,784 as of 2008, covers an area of 31,753 km². Its capital city is Blantyre.

The Shire is the outlet of Lake Malawi and flows across Malawi and Mozambique into the Zambezi. Its length is 402 km; including Lake Malawi and the Ruhuhu, its headstream, it has a length of about 1200 km.

Here, west of the river, is the Majete Wildlife Reserve, situated in the Lower Shire Valley, a section of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, covering an area of 700 km2. Vegetation is diverse, ranging from moist miombo woodland in the western hills, to dry savannah in the east with prominent thickets along the riverbanks.

East of the river lie the Shire Highlands, with an elevation of 600–1,600 meters (1,969–5,249 ft), rising to elevations of 2,130 and 3,002 meters (6,988 and 9,849 ft) at the Zomba Plateau and Mulanje Massif respectively. In the extreme south, the elevation is only 60–90 meters (197–295 ft) above sea level.

Tags: Africa Blantyre Great Rift Valley Lower Shire Valley Majete Wildlife Reserve Malawi Mulanje Massif Shire Highlands Shire River Southern Region Zomba Plateau |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 22nd, 2010 Category: Mountains, Snapshots

Tanzania and Zambia - December 20th, 2009

The mountains running diagonally across this orthorectified image from the upper left to the lower right mark the border between Tanzania (above) and Zambia (below). Upon opening the full image, more hills and mountains can be seen further south in Zambia, near the border with Malawi.

While the north of Zambia is very flat with broad plains, eastern Zambia shows great diversity. The Luangwa Valley splits the plateau in a curve north east to south west. Hills and mountains are found by the side of some sections of the valley, notably in its north-east the Nyika Plateau (2,200 m/7,218 ft) on the Malawi border, which extend into Zambia as the Mafinga Hills, containing the country’s highest point, Kongera (2,187 m/7,175 ft).

Tags: Africa ASAR Kongera Mafinga Hills Malawi Nyika Plateau Orthorectification Tanzania Zambia |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 17th, 2010 Category: Rivers

Malawi - December 20th, 2009

The Shire is a river in Malawi and Mozambique. Its length is 402 km; including Lake Malawi and the Ruhuhu, its headstream, it has a length of about 1200 km. The Shire is the outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River, which can also be seen to the south, in Mozambique, upon opening the full image.

In this orthorectified image, hills and mountains in Malawi’s Chikawawa district can be seen east of the Shire. The district covers an area of 4,755 km² and has a population of 356,682. West of the river is the Thyolo district of Malawi, which covers an area of 1,715 km² and has a population of 458,976.

Tags: Africa ASAR Chikawawa Malawi Mozambique Orthorectification Shire River Thyolo Zambezi River |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 2nd, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Lakes

Malawi - December 20th, 2009

The Great Rift Valley traverses the country of Malawi from north to south. In this deep trough lies Lake Malawi, partially visible in the upper right corner of this orthorectified image. It is the third-largest lake in Africa, comprising about 20% of Malawi’s area. The Shire River flows from the south end of the lake and joins the Zambezi River 400 kilometers (249 mi) farther south in Mozambique.

West of the Great Rift Valley, the land forms high plateaus, generally between 900 and 1,200 meters (2,953 and 3,937 ft) above sea level. In the north, the Nyika Uplands rise as high as 2,600 meters (8,530 ft). The area to the west of the lake in northern and central Malawi has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion.

South of the lake lie the Shire Highlands, with an elevation of 600–1,600 meters (1,969–5,249 ft), rising to elevations of 2,130 and 3,002 meters (6,988 and 9,849 ft) at the Zomba Plateau and Mulanje Massif respectively. In the extreme south, the elevation is only 60–90 meters (197–295 ft) above sea level.

Tags: Africa ASAR Central Zambezian Miombo Woodlands Ecoregion Great Rift Valley Lake Malawi Malawi Mozambique Mulanje Massif Nyika Uplands Orthorectification Shire Highlands Shire River Zambezi River Zomba Plateau |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

October 16th, 2009 Category: Lakes, Volcanoes

Tanzania - September 6th, 2009

Mount Rungwe, visible near the top center edge of this orthorectified image, is an inactive volcano in the Mbeya region of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. With an altitude of 2960m it is southern Tanzania’s second highest peak.

Rungwe stands at the junction of the eastern and western arms of the Great Rift Valley of Africa. It dominates the mountainous country at the north-west end of the trough that contains Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa), bottom right.

The southeastern slopes of these mountains receive up to 3,000 mm of rainfall a year, the highest rainfall in Tanzania; the slopes are covered with a belt of tropical montane forest. Above the treeline, at about 2600 m, there is a belt of heathland. Much of the mountain was listed as a Forest Reserve as early as 1949.

Upon opening the full image, the city of Mbeya is visible at the top, as is Lake Ngozi, the second largest Crater Lake in Africa.

Tags: Africa Crater Lake Great Rift Valley Lake Malawi Lake Ngozi Lake Nyasa Mbeya Mount Rungwe Orthorectification Tanzania Volcanoes |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

September 21st, 2009 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Malawi - September 6th, 2009

The Shire River links the large Lake Malawi (above), with a surface area of 29,600 km², to the smaller Lake Malombe (below), with an area of about 450 km².

The section of the river connecting the two lakes is known as the upper Shire. The entire river, situated both in Malawi and Mozambique, is 402 km long. The river’s valley is part of the Great Rift Valley system.

Moving to the upper part of this orthorectified image, the hilly peninsula jutting out into Lake Malawi is the Cape McClear Nature Reserve of Lake Malawi National Park. It is the only national park in Malawi that was created to protect fish and aquatic habitats, although it does include a fair amount of land.

Tags: Africa Cape McClear Nature Reserve Great Rift Valley Lake Malawi Lake Malawi National Park Lake Malombe Malawi Orthorectification Shire River |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Comments (1)

September 9th, 2009 Category: Lakes

Central Africa - June 21st, 2009

The brownish green landscape of Central Africa is interrupted by several lakes. Lake Tanganyika is the largest, shared by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (left), Tanzania (upper right quadrant) and Zambia (lower central section). Most of the lake is possessed by Tanzania and the DRC.

Lake Rukwa, in Tanzania, can be seen east of Lake Tanganyika. Its waters, which have an average depth of only four meters, appear golden brown. The water level varies greatly with the seasons: Lake Rukwa often splits into two individual bodies of water, separated by a huge plain of marsh and swampland.

The two lakes south of Tanganyika are the dark blue Lake Mweru, on the border of Zambia and the DRC, and the similarly named Mweru Wantipa, whose waters are a reddish burgundy color. In the local dialect, “wa ntipa” means “with mud”; its name therefore distinguishes it from its bigger neighbour Mweru, whose waters are clearer.

West of Lake Mweru, near the left border, is the Upemba Depression. This area contains over fifty lakes, the largest of which is called Lake Upemba.

Finally, Lake Bangweulu and the Bangweulu Wetlands can be seen in Zambia, towards the bottom edge of the image.

Tags: Bangweulu Wetlands Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC Lake Bangweulu Lake Mweru Lake Mweru Wantipa Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika Lake Upemba Tanzania Upemba Depression Zambia |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment