Lake Bangweulu ('where the water meets the sky') is a freshwater lake in northern Zambia. The lake comprises a number of number of embayments (sections) and it is surrounded on nearly all sides, except the southwest, by the Bangweulu Wetlands, one of the world's great wetland systems, comprising permanent swamps with smaller lakes, lagoons and myriad channels (sometimes together referred to as the Bangweulu Swamps); seasonally-inundated grassy floodplains (also called the Bangweulu Flats); and dambos along the margins of dry land, the latter being covered mainly in miombo woodland. All may be considered as one ecosystem, or as a mosaic of interelated ecosystems. Situated in the upper Congo River basin on the flat Zambian plateau, the Bangweulu lake and wetland system covers an area of about 15,000 km2, of which the open water surface of the lake is about 3,000 km2. The wetlands minus the lake cover about 12,000 km2 and their boundary is highly variable, both within and between years. The seasonal difference between high and low water is of the order of 1–2 m but the extreme flatness of the topography means that the edge of the flood advances and retreats by up to 45 km over the floodplains, and the floodwater does not appreciably erode the terrain, nor deposit debris or a great deal of silt. The surface is at an elevation of 1,140 m and the dry land does not rise to more than a few tens of metres on the shores or the islands. The lake has an average depth of only 4 m, and a maximum depth of 10 m. The system is fed by about seventeen rivers of which the Chambeshi (the source of the Congo River) is the largest, and is drained by the Luapula River. The climate of northern Zambia has a wet season from October/November to April/May, with a dry season in the remainder of the year. Maximum flood levels are usually reached in May and minimum in December. Annual rainfall averages 1200 mm over the lake and wetlands. The system is crucial to the economy and biodiversity of northern Zambia, and to the birdlife of a much larger region, and faces environmental stress and conservation issues. Most of the wetlands are protected to some degree, as featured in the article Bangweulu wetlands conservation.
History
European exploration The lake was known to Europeans from reports by chiefs such as Kazembe and from Swahili traders, and it was sometimes referred to as 'Lake Bemba' from the name of the dominant tribe. In 1868 explorer and missionary David Livingstone was the first European to see the lake at the north end of the Lake Chifunabuli section. He was taken by canoe as far as Mbabala Island. His last expedition a few years later foundered in the swamps and their maze of shifting channels as he struggled to discover the rivers draining in and out of the lake. He died in 1873 in Chief Chitambo's village on the edge of the southern flood plain, about 100 km from the lake itself. The spot is marked by the Livingstone Memorial (see map). The lake was partially surveyed in 1883 by the French traveller, Victor Giraud, and first circumnavigated by Poulett Weatherley in 1896.It was a desire for the riches of Bangweulu's fisheries and game-rich floodplain which motivated King Leopold II of Belgium to insist, in border negotiations between his Congo Free State and the British in Northern Rhodesia, on a land corridor reaching Bangweulu from Katanga. This resulted in the shape of the Congo Pedicle (34) which, as it turned out, does not penetrate the area enough to be of the desired value. The first Christian missions in Bangweulu were founded in the early 1900s under the authority of Bishop Joseph Dupont of the Catholic White Fathers who was based north of Kasama.
Human settlement The area of the lake is inhabited by the Bisa in Chilubi and Mpika, the Bemba in Luwingu, the Unga in Lunga, the Kabende in Samfya, the Ngumbo in Lubwe, the BenaMukulu in Chungu and affiliated tribes who all speak Chibemba. The Bemba heartland of Paramount Chief Chitimukulu lies to the north-east, around Kasama.
Fishery The lake supports a seasonal fishing industry and the population may increase markedly during the season. In 1989 the average annual catch was estimated at 11,900 tonnes, caught by 10,300 people using 5305 dugout canoes, 114 plank and fibreglass boats, and only 54 outboard motors. In 2000 the catch was 13,500 t.
Natural gas pipeline In early 2004 a private European natural gas company finished preliminary plans to lay a pipeline which would cut directly through the Southeast portion of the lake. Part of this plan was a proposed dam to allow for partial drainage of the required part of the lake. This plan was met with harsh opposition from the local people as well as environmental activists. After much court-wrangling and lengthy hearings on the project, the plan was disposed of by the European company as they built a detour for their pipeline in the surrounding province.
Towns and districts The largest town, Samfya lies on the south-western shore and is the principal base for road and boat transport and tourism, as well as being the administrative centre for Samfya District covering about three-quarters of the lake and swamps. Chilubi District covers most of the rest, its boma is on Chilubi Island (6), which is bordered by the swamps to the east. Luwingu District just touches the lake at Nsombo, which is the principal town at the northern end of the lake. Mpika and Kasama districts just touch the eastern and southern margins of the floodplain, and Serenje District and the Congo Pedicle just reach the southern margin of the floodplain.
Sections of Lake Bangweulu Numbers in round brackets like so — (12) — refer to locations on the satellite image.
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