Mwerusee
| Mwerusee, Lac Moero | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| The Luapula floodplains with the southern Mweru lake and the island of Kilwa (Orbit, 1993) | ||
| Geographical location |
 Zambia Democratic Republic of the Congo (southern East Africa )
 |
|
| Tributaries | Luapula , Kalungwishi , Lufukwe | |
| Drain | Luvua | |
| Places on the shore | Nchelenge , Kashikishi , Kafulwe Mission , Chiengi , Pweto , Loanza , Kilwa | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 8 ° 59 '44 " S , 28 ° 42' 58" E | |
|
||
| Altitude above sea level | 931 m | |
| surface | 5,120 km² | |
| Maximum depth | 27 m | |
| Middle deep | 7.5 m | |
|
particularities |
flat and rich in fish |
|
The approximately 5120 km² large Mwerusee or Lac Moero is located in southern East Africa exactly on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia .
description
The lake is about 150 km west of the shore of southern Lake Tanganyika . Its main tributary is the Luapula , which comes from the Bangweulus swamps further southeast , and the Kalungwishi , from the Mporokos Mountains near Kasama . Its outflow is the Luvua , which flows to the Lualaba and thus into the Congo . To the south of the lake are the islands of Kilwa and Isoka . The Mwerusee has an average depth of 7.5 m, with the deepest points of 20 and 27 m in its northeast. In the rainy season, the lake level rises by around 1.7 m.
The course of the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in and on Lake Mweru was controversial for many years and was incorporated into international law as the Luapula Province border dispute .
economy
The lake, rich in fish, used to be on the sidelines and is still part of the economic area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . But in 1987 a road was built in Zambia from Serenje via Samfya and Mansa , which leads on its eastern bank to Nchelenge and other places. The population around the lake has since grown due to influx from the impoverished Copperbelt , so that fishing can no longer be the sole livelihood of the people. The fish population has decreased dramatically.
Settlement area
The lake shores are densely populated. Where tributaries form larger floodplains, the settlements condense to places such as Nchelenge on the Luapula floodplains , Kafulwe Mission and Mununga on the Kalungwishiauen , Chiengi on silting lake floodplains. The bank on the Congolese side is mountainous and sparsely populated in the northwest. The Luvua , here 200 m wide, is a torrent with an enormous gradient from its outflow for kilometers. The hydropower that can be used here could generate electricity not only for Katanga , but also for northern Zambia. Only the town of Pweto lies on the edge of a plain and is an exception. To the south, the settlements are becoming more and more dense and form cities with Loanza and Kilwa . Not a single one of these has asphalt roads. The private houses are covered with grass. A special feature is a notable group of Chinese fishermen on the Zambian side.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b AR Bos, CK Kapasa and PAM van Zwieten: Update on the bathymetry of Lake Mweru (Zambia), with notes on water level fluctuations . In: 'African Journal of Aquatic Science . 31, No. 1, 2006, pp. 145-150.