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Lake Mai-Ndombe (French: Lac Mai-Ndombe) is a large freshwater lake in Mai-Ndombe province in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake is within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe area, the largest Wetland of International Importance recognized by the Ramsar Convention in the world.[1]

Lake Mai-Ndombe
seen from space (false color)
Lake Mai-Ndombe
LocationMai-Ndombe Province, DR Congo
Coordinates2°S 18.33°E / -2; 18.33
Primary outflowsFimi River
Basin countriesDR Congo
Surface area2,300 km2 (890 sq mi)
Average depth5 m (16 ft)
Max. depth10 m (33 ft)
Lake Mai-Ndombe and the Fimi River, in red
Lake Mai-Ndombe and the Fimi River, in red

Location


The lake drains to the south through the Fimi River into the Kwah and Congo Rivers. Known until 1972 as Lake Leopold II (Lac Léopold II) after Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Mai-Ndombe means "black water" in Kikongo. The lake is of irregular shape and ranges in depth from only 5 meters (mean) to 10 meters (maximum). Covering approximately 890 square miles (2,300 square km), it is known to double or triple in size during the rainy season. Its waters are oxygenated throughout their depth and the pH ranges from 4.2 to 5.5. Low, forested shores surround it with dense, humid equatorial rainforest prevailing to the north and a mosaic of forest and savanna to the south.[citation needed]


Biodiversity


Surveys have revealed a high biodiversity in and around the lake, with animals such as two species of otters, marsh mongoose, giant otter shrew, numerous waterbirds, crocodiles and turtles.[2]

Mai-Ndombe contains acidic, humic-rich blackwater and in general the fish of this lake have been poorly documented, even compared to other regions in the Congo River basin.[2] Although ecologically similar to Lake Tumba and occasionally directly connected by channels or swamps, there are some significant differences in the fish fauna that inhabits the two lakes, but also many shared species.[2][3] Initial surveys were performed by George Albert Boulenger more than a century ago and there have been relatively few later studies of the fish fauna in the lake.[2] For example, the first study of its northern part was only conducted in 2002.[4] More than 30 fish species are known, but the actual figure is presumed to be considerably higher.[2] There are five known endemics: the catfish Amphilius opisthophthalmus and the cichlid Hemichromis cerasogaster were scientifically described by Boulenger.[2] The remaining are relatively recent discoveries that only were described in the last few decades: In 1984, a new species of cichlid, Nanochromis transvestitus, named for the fact that it exhibits reverse sexual dichromatism, was scientifically described from the lake.[5] In 2006, another new species of cichlid, Nanochromis wickleri, was described,[4] and in 2008, a new catfish species, Chrysichthys praecox, was documented.[3]


Economic activity


Some of the main concession areas of the logging company Sodefor are to the north and south of Lake Mai-Ndombe.[6] On 28 November 2009, two logging barges sank causing the loss of 73 lives. The boat was not authorised to carry passengers, but was believed to have some 270 people on board at the time.[7]

Lake Mai-Ndombe and the river system is often used for transportation across the country because the land based road system is inadequate. Many passenger ferries carry hundreds of people each day. Many of these boats are old and not maintained. On Saturday, May 25, 2019, a passenger ferry with over 350 passengers sank in high winds. Over 45 passengers were confirmed dead in the first day and over hundred deemed still missing. In response the government said it would ban wooden passenger boats over 5 years old from traversing the lake.[8]


Bibliography



References


  1. "Logging concession different periods" (PDF). Institute for Environmental Security. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  2. Peck, E. (2013, updated 2015). Mai Ndombe Archived 2017-01-16 at the Wayback Machine. Freshwater Ecoregions of the World. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. Michael Hardman, Melanie L.J. Stiassny, "A sexually dimorphic species of Chrysichthys (Siluriformes: Claroteidae) from Lac Mai-Ndombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo", Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 175-184.[permanent dead link]
  4. Ulrich K. Schliewen, Melanie L. J. Stiassny, "A new species of Nanochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Mai Ndombe, central Congo Basin, Democratic Republic of Congo", Zootaxa Vol. 1169, No. 33, Apr. 10, 2006. Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Donald J. Stewart, Tyson R. Roberts, "A New Species of Dwarf Cichilid Fish with Reversed Sexual Dichromatism from Lac Mai-Ndombe, Zaïre", Copeia, Vol. 1984, No. 1, Feb. 23, 1984, pp. 82-86.
  6. "Carte Illustrative Actions Sociales". SODEFOR. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  7. BBC News article reporting the boat sinking
  8. CNN article about 2019 boat sinking



На других языках


[de] Mai-Ndombe-See

Der Mai-Ndombe-See (franz.: Lac Mai-Ndombe) ist ein großer Natursee in der Provinz Mai-Ndombe im Westen der Demokratischen Republik Kongo.
- [en] Lake Mai-Ndombe

[fr] Lac Mai-Ndombe

Le lac Mai-Ndombe (ancien lac Léopold II) est un lac de la province du Mai-Ndombe, en République démocratique du Congo. Il alimente la rivière Fimi, un affluent du fleuve Congo. Le lac Léopold II a été rebaptisé lac Mai-Ndombe en 1972. Mai ndombe signifie « l'eau noire » en Munukutuba. La taille du lac varie avec les pluies et peut doubler ou tripler en superficie selon la saison de pluie. Le lac demeure navigable toute l'année. Ses rives sont bordées de forêts denses au nord et d'un mélange de forêt et savane au sud. Ses ports sont Inongo et Ndongese.

[it] Lago Mai-Ndombe

Il lago Mai-Ndombe è un lago situato nel distretto di Mai-Ndombe della provincia di Bandundu, nella Repubblica Democratica del Congo, nell'area protetta di Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe. Il lago era conosciuto fino al 1972 come "lac Léopold II" (dal francese: lago Leopoldo II) in onore di Leopoldo II del Belgio. In lingua lingala Mai-Ndombe significa "acqua nera".

[ru] Маи-Ндомбе

Ма́и-Ндо́мбе[2][3] (фр. Lac Mai-Ndombe; до 1973 года озеро Леопо́льда II[4]) — пресноводное озеро в западной части бассейна реки Конго, на северо-западе Демократической Республики Конго. Длина составляет около 130 километров. Расположено на болотистой низменности. Площадь — 2300 км² (до 8200 км² в сезон дождей[2]). На севере в озеро впадают такие реки как Лутои, Локоро, Олонго-Нсонго, Донго-Мбала, Олонголуле, Ханджа и др[5][6]. Из озера Маи-Ндомбе вытекает река Фими, впадающая в левый приток Конго — Ква (приустьевой участок реки Касаи)[1][7]. Как и другие озёра бассейна Конго, Маи-Ндомбе является остатком гигантского бессточного озера, образовавшегося около 1 миллиона лет назад.



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