Lake Victoria, or, in Bantu, Victoria Nyanza, is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Its area of 26,800 square miles (69,500 square kilometers) is exceeded only by that of Lake Superior. Lake Victoria lies in east-central Africa, partly in Kenya, partly in Tanzania, and partly in Uganda. The equator crosses the lake.
Lake Victoria is the chief source of the Nile River. The lake’s greatest depth is 270 feet (82 meters). Hundreds of species of tropical fish live in the lake. Two dams across the Nile, Nalubaale Dam and Kiira Dam, use water from Lake Victoria to generate hydroelectric power.
In 1858, the English explorer John Hanning Speke became the first European to reach Lake Victoria. He named the lake in honor of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
