Lake Jipe

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Lake Jipe
Kenya relief location map.jpg
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Lake Jipe
Africa relief location map.jpg
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Lake Jipe
Lake Jipe.png
Coordinates 3°27′0″S37°43′48″E / 3.45000°S 37.73000°E / -3.45000; 37.73000 Coordinates: 3°27′0″S37°43′48″E / 3.45000°S 37.73000°E / -3.45000; 37.73000
Primary inflows Lumi River
Primary outflows Ruvu River (→Pangani River→Indian Ocean)
Basin  countries Kenya and Tanzania
Max. length19 km (12 mi)
Surface area30 km2 (12 sq mi)

Lake Jipe is an inter-territorial lake straddling the borders of Kenya and Tanzania. On the Kenyan side, it is located south of the village of Nghonji while on the Tanzanian side, it is situated within Mwanga District, in Kilimanjaro Region. The lake is fed mainly by the Lumi River, which descends from Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as streams from the North Pare Mountains, being on the leeward side. [1] The lake's outlet forms the Ruvu River. [2] Kenya's unfenced Tsavo West National Park protects part of the lake's northern shore, while on the Tanzania side Mkomazi Game Reserve is nearby. [3] The lake is known for its endemic fish, as well as water birds, mammals, wetland plants and lake-edge swamps, which can extend 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Jipe's shore. [4]

Contents

Geography

The lake is accessible from the Tanzanian side via the B1 Highway from the village of Kifaru, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the Kilimanjaro Region capital of Moshi. [5] Jipe covers an area of roughly 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi), [1] and measures approximately 12 miles (19 km) long by 3–4 miles (4.8–6.4 km) broad. Jipe is a shallow backwater of the Lumi river, which afterwards becomes the Ruvu River, and enters in the Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir. After joining there with the Kikuletwa the stream flows as Pangani River in the Indian Ocean at Pangani. The lake lacks a current as the river that flows in, turns round and flows out again. Its water is only drinkable after it has been well boiled and skimmed. On its southern bank, the mountains of Ugweno rise 6,000–7,000 feet (1,800–2,100 m), contrasting markedly with the opposite shore, which is a flat plain, but little raised above the lake. [6] Mount Kilimanjaro's Kibo Peak is viewable from the lake. [6]

Demographics

Some 120,000 people depend on the lake for their livelihood. [1] The inhabitants of villages surrounding Lake Jipe are mainly involved in fishing, agriculture and animal husbandry. [1] To the south-east of the great mountain is the little agricultural colony of Taveta. Ki-taveta is the language used by the Bantu half of the population, and Maasai is the language of the remainder. Ki-gweno is the dialect of the northernmost area of the Pare Mountains known as Ugweno (Vughonu to its inhabitants) to the south of Lake Jipe. Lake water is used for irrigation of the surrounding farmlands. [7]

Fauna

The probability of long-time isolation from other wetlands is suggested by a fish endemic to the lake, the Jipe tilapia. [8] Jipe's waters are teeming with big fish, principally siluriforms and cyprinoids. Jipe forms a biodiversity rich ecosystem also known for the water birds that frequent its reedy shores; these include storks, egrets, pelicans, spur-winged plovers, ducks, and Egyptian geese. [6] Lesser jacana and the African swamphen are common on the lake and Madagascar squacco heron, black heron, African darter and African skimmers are often seen. [1] The vicinity of the lake is frequented by herds of game. Hippopotami and Nile crocodiles are plentiful.

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Kihaules mouse shrew Species of mammal

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Oreochromis jipe, the Jipe tilapia, is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish native to Kenya and Tanzania, where it is restricted to Lake Jipe and the Pangani River. The population in the Pangani River shows some morphological differences compared to the population in Lake Jipe, and it is sometimes recognized as a separate species, the Pangani tilapia. Whether regarded as one or two species, the Jipe–Pangani tilapia forms a species flock with the threatened Lake Chala tilapia from the same general region of Kenya and Tanzania.

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The River Lumi is located in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro in northereast Tanzania and a small part in southern Kenya in Coast Province. It originates on the east side of Mawenzi peak on the east side of, and flows so close to the River Rombo as almost to form a fork. The Lumi, however, maintains its southerly direction, and may thus be said to represent the upper course of the Ruvu, one of tho two main sources of the Pangani River. It flows around the Lake Chala and the Taveta town in the west and empties into the Lake Jipe. The fish species Barbus sp. 'Pangani' has only been found in the river's N'joro Springs, situated in the upper Pangani River drainage basin.

Pangani River River located in northeastern Tanzania

The Pangani River (pin-gi'nee) is a major river of northeastern Tanzania. It has two main sources: the Ruvu, which rises as Lumi at Kilimanjaro, passes through Lake Jipe, and empties into the Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir, and the Kikuletwa, coming from the west and mainly fed by Mount Meru in Arusha Region, which also enters into the Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir in Kilimanjaro Region. Just after leaving the reservoir the stream becomes the main Pangani, which empties into the Indian Ocean in Tanga Region at the Tangan port town of Pangani.

Ugweno

Ugweno is located within the Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, Africa. It is situated at 3° 39' 0" South and 37° 39' 0" East in the Pare Mountains. The people who live in Ugweno are known as Wagweno and their common language is Kigweno.

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The Rubeho Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains in Dodoma and Morogoro regions, southeast of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Rubeho Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

The Nguu Mountains are a mountain range in Tanga Region of Tanzania. The Nguu Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The mountains are covered in woodland, grassland, and forest.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lake Jipe Awareness Raising Strategy (2005 – 2007)" (PDF). ramsar.org. The United Republic of Tanzania: Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Wildlife Division. May 2004. p. 6. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Ndetei, Robert. "The role of wetlands in lake ecological functions and sustainable livelihoods in lake environment: A case study on cross border Lake Jipe - Kenya/Tanzania". Kenya Wildlife Service. p. 163. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  3. ↑ Briggs, Philip (1 August 2006). Bradt Tanzania: With Zanzibar,m Pemba & Mafia. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 227–. ISBN   978-1-84162-153-1 . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Maltby, Edward (2009). The wetlands handbook. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 854–. ISBN   978-0-632-05255-4 . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Briggs, Philip (1 August 2009). Northern Tanzania, 2nd: The Bradt Safari Guide with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 141–. ISBN   978-1-84162-292-7 . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Johnston, Sir, Harry Hamilton (1886). The Kilima-Njaro expedition: A record of scientific exploration in eastern equatorial Africa. And a general description of the natural history, languages, and commerce of the Kilima-Njaro district (Now in the public domain. ed.). K. Paul, Trench, and co. pp.  298, 494–. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Taita Taveta District profile" (PDF). Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-19.
  8. ↑ Briggs, Philip (1 September 2011). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Kenya. Penguin. pp. 189–. ISBN   978-0-7566-8445-7 . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
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