Lake Victoria is traditionally recognized as the source of the White Nile and is shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by surface area and the world’s largest tropical lake. The lake occupies a broad shallow basin between the Western and Eastern Rift Valley systems. Its waters drain north through the Victoria Nile, which eventually joins the White Nile and contributes to the Nile system.
John Hanning Speke named the lake after Queen Victoria during his 1858 expedition and argued that it was the Nile’s main source. The lake’s role in the Nile’s headwaters has been discussed alongside other sources, including the Kagera River and the highland streams feeding it. “Source” can therefore depend on whether one means the lake, its largest tributary, or the farthest headstream.
Lake Victoria supports major fisheries and millions of people, but invasive Nile perch, pollution, shoreline change, and fluctuating water levels have created serious environmental pressures.