Lake Victoria is traditionally regarded as the source of the White Nile near Jinja, Uganda.
The lake is Africa’s largest lake by surface area and the world’s largest tropical lake. Its waters drain north through the Victoria Nile from the lake’s northern shore near Jinja, although the Nile’s complex source system includes rainfall, tributaries, and lakes farther south and west.
Lake Victoria is shared by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. John Hanning Speke identified it as the lake associated with the Nile’s main source during his 1858 expedition, naming it after Queen Victoria. Later exploration and geographical debate refined understanding of the river’s headwaters.
Lake Victoria should not be confused with Lake Albert, which lies farther northwest and receives water from the Victoria Nile before the river continues as the Albert Nile. The White Nile eventually joins the Blue Nile at Khartoum, Sudan, forming the main Nile River.