Which African lake is traditionally regarded as the source of the White Nile?

Lake Victoria is traditionally regarded as the source of the White Nile.

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by area and the world’s largest tropical lake. It is bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Water leaves the lake through the Victoria Nile at Jinja in Uganda, then continues through Lake Kyoga and the Albert Nile before joining the White Nile system.

The lake occupies a shallow depression between the western and eastern branches of the East African Rift. Unlike the much deeper rift lakes nearby, Victoria is relatively shallow and receives water from rainfall as well as rivers and streams. Its large surface area makes it particularly sensitive to changes in climate, land use, and pollution.

The phrase “source of the Nile” can be misleading because the Nile has multiple headwaters and definitions of its ultimate source. The Kagera River is commonly identified as the lake’s largest inflow, while the White Nile begins downstream. John Hanning Speke identified Lake Victoria as the main reservoir of the Nile in the nineteenth century, though his claim was disputed at the time.