Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, or Lake Niassa after the Yao word for "lake" (officially called Niassa in Mozambique), is the most southerly lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. Famously visited by the Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone, Lake Malawi has sometimes been referred by english-speaking people as "Livingstone's Lake."

The lake is about 560 km long and 75 km wide at its widest point, with a total area of approximately 29,600 sq km, and is bordered by Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania. Its outlet is the Shire River; its largest tributary is the Ruhuhu. About three quarters of the lake is in Malawi, including the waters next to the Tanzanian shore; the rest is in Mozambique.

The lake lies in the Great African Rift Valley, a large graben caused by crustal extension. It probably formed about 40,000 years ago.

See also "Missionary work in Malawi" page.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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