In Tanzania, Lake Malawi is commonly called what?

In Tanzania, Lake Malawi is commonly called Lake Nyasa.

Lake Nyasa is Tanzania’s name for the large African Great Lake that is called Lake Malawi in Malawi and Lago Niassa in Mozambique. The lake occupies a long rift-valley basin and touches all three countries, although the precise international boundary in the northern part remains disputed.

The different names reflect colonial and national history. David Livingstone used “Lake Nyasa” after reaching the lake in 1859, and the name continued in territories that became Tanzania. After independence, Malawi adopted “Lake Malawi” as its official name, while Tanzania retained Lake Nyasa and Mozambique commonly used Lago Niassa.

The lake is one of Africa’s deepest and most biologically distinctive freshwater bodies. It is especially famous for its extraordinary diversity of cichlid fish. “Lake Nyasa” should not be confused with Lake Rukwa, Lake Natron or Lake Eyasi, which are separate lakes entirely within Tanzania.