Lake Malombe

Lake Malombe
Seen from space
Lake Malombe Location within Malawi
Location	Southern Region
Coordinates	14°40′0″S 35°15′0″E
Primary inflows	Shire River from Lake Malawi
Primary outflows	Shire River
Basin countries	Malawi
Surface area	450 km2 (170 sq mi)
Average depth	6–8 ft (1.8–2.4 m)

Lake Malombe is a lake in southern part of Malawi. It is located on the Shire River, in the Southern Region around 14°40′0″S 35°15′0″E, about 20 km (12 mi) south of much larger Lake Malawi. It has an area of about 450 km² (170 mi²). In recent years the number of fishermen on the lake has risen substantially, and this has led to local decline in some fish species, especially the chambo cichlids which is an important source of food throughout Malawi. The lake is extremely shallow with an average depth of approximately eight feet, and during periods of dry weather the water level recedes and can even disappear.

The lake-bed was dry for several hundred years until it refilled in the middle of the 19th century.

References

• Community-based fisheries management, Lake Malombe
• "An evaluation of the Lake Malombe co-management programme" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-04-15. (94.1 KiB)