Baringo Lake
| Baringo Lake | ||
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| Geographical location | East Africa , Kenya | |
| Tributaries | Ol Arabel, Makutan, Tangulbei, Endao, Chemeron, Perkerra, Molo | |
| Drain | none proven | |
| Islands | 13 | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 0 ° 38 ′ N , 36 ° 4 ′ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 970 m | |
| surface | 108 km² | |
| Maximum depth | 4.1 m | |
| Middle deep | 2.6 m | |
| Catchment area | 6820 km² | |
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particularities |
Freshwater lake |
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The Baringo ( Lake Baringo ) is a lake in the eastern arm of the East African Rift , and just as the Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake, while all the other lakes in the eastern arm of the trench strongly alkaline are. The name of the lake comes from the word Mparingo , which means something like lake in the language of the indigenous people of the Ilchamus .
geography
The lake is located in the eastern part of the East African Rift Valley ( Great Rift Valley ). The body of water has no surface drainage and an underground drainage has not yet been proven. It is assumed, however, that it has an underground drain and that the hot springs on the Silali volcano , located about 50 km to the north, are fed by the lake, as otherwise the water would have long since been salty. The hydrological budget of the lake with evaporation rates of 1650 to 2300 mm / a and precipitation rates of 450 to 900 mm / a is extremely negative, as is the case with all lakes in the East African Rift. Similar to the basin of Lake Naivasha, the precipitation deficit is compensated for by the inflow from high precipitation in the 6820 km² catchment area (precipitation from 1100 to 2700 mm / a). Thus, the Baringo Lake, like the Naivasha Lake, is a freshwater lake in which many fish are found. They serve as food for many birds.
The lake is located entirely in Baringo County in Kenya , about 285 km north-northwest of the capital Nairobi .
Flora and fauna
A special feature of the lake is the endemic cichlid species Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis . The lake is home to a remarkable variety of birds. There are numerous crocodiles and hippos in the lake . A special tourist attraction is the feeding of fish to fish eagles .
environment
The lake level of the Baringo lake is subject to considerable fluctuations.
history
It is believed that Joseph Thomson was the first European to see the lake in 1883 . Count Sámuel Teleki and Ludwig von Höhnel visited him in 1887 on their trip. Carl Peters and Adolf von Tiedemann traveled the lake in 1890 as part of the Emin Pascha expedition . Peters signed a contract with the residents of the lake to bring it under German control. However, the treaty was not ratified. In 1893 the geologist John Walter Gregory undertook an expedition to Baringo, where he recognized the fault of the East African Rift. He was also the first to suspect that the lake has an underground drain.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Carl Peters: The German Emin Pascha Expedition . R. Oldenbourg, Munich / Leipzig 1891.
- ↑ http://www.lofty-tours.com/nationalparks/lake-baringo/
