Lake Tanganyika is Africa’s second-deepest lake and forms part of the border between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The lake is one of the African Great Lakes and stretches roughly 670 kilometres from north to south. Its basin also touches Burundi and Zambia, although the largest sections of shoreline belong to Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
With a maximum depth of about 1,470 metres, Tanganyika is second only to Lake Baikal in depth among the world’s lakes. It is also one of the oldest lakes, with a geological history measured in millions of years.
Its deep, stable waters support many endemic fish species, especially cichlids. The lake drains southward through the Lukuga River toward the Congo River system. It is distinct from Lake Kivu, another Great Rift Valley lake farther north, which is known for dissolved methane and carbon dioxide.