Which African Great Lake borders Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania?

Lake Malawi is the African Great Lake that borders Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

Also called Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, it lies in the East African Rift and stretches roughly 560–580 kilometres. The lake is about 29,600 square kilometres in area and reaches a maximum depth of 706 metres, making it Africa’s third-largest and second-deepest lake.

Lake Malawi is famous for its extraordinary fish diversity, especially its cichlids; scientists have recorded at least 700 cichlid species. Its southern outlet is the Shire River, which eventually joins the Zambezi. Lake Malawi National Park, established in 1980 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, protects part of the lake and shoreline.

A common complication is the lake’s northern border: Malawi and Tanzania dispute whether the boundary runs along Tanzania’s shore or through the lake. That disagreement does not change the lake’s standard geographic identification or its three bordering countries.