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BANGWEULU
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BANGWEULU , a shallow See also:lake of See also:British Central See also:Africa, formed by the See also:head streams of the See also:Congo. It lies between ro° 38' and 11° 31' S. and is cut by 300 E. Bangweulu occupies the See also:north-See also:west See also:part of a central See also:basin in an extensive See also:plateau, and is about 3700 ft. above the See also:sea. The See also:land slopes gently to the depression from the See also:south, See also:east and north, and into it drain a considerable number of streams, turning the greater part into a morass of reeds and See also:papyrus. The See also:term Bangweulu is some-times applied to the whole depression, but is properly confined to the See also:area of clear See also:water. Only on its south-west and western sides are the See also:banks of the lake clearly defined. The greatest extent of open water is about 6o m. N. to S. and 40 M. E. to W. See also:Long narrow sandbanks almost See also:separate Chifunawuli, the western part of the lake, from the See also:main See also:body of water, while the water See also:surface is further diminished by a number of islands. The largest of these islands, Kirui (See also:Chiru), lies on the east See also:side of the lake See also:close to the swamp. Kisi (Chishi) is a small See also:island occupying a central position just south of 11° S., and Mbawali, 20 M. long by 3 broad, lies south of Kisi. South of Bangweulu the swamp extends to 12° ro' S. Into this swamp on its east side flows the Chambezi, the most remote head stream of the Congo. Without entering the lake the Chambezi mingles its See also:waters in the swamp with those of the Luapula. The Luapula, which leaves Bangweulu at its most See also:southern point, is about a mile wide at the out-flow, but soon narrows to 300 or so yds. West of the Luapulu and near its outflow lies Lake Kampolombo, 20 m. long and 8 broad at its southern end. A sandy track separates Bangweulu from Kampolombo, and a narrow See also:forest-clad See also:tongue of land called Kapata intervenes between the Luapula and Kampolombo. Various channels See also:lead, however, from the See also:river to the lake. The Luapula flows south through the swamp some 50 M. and then turns west and afterwards north (see CONGO). The See also:flood waters of the Chambezi and other streams, which See also:deposit large quantities of See also:alluvium, are gradually solidifying the swamp, while the Luapula is believed to be, though very slowly, draining Bangweulu. The waters of the lake do not appear to be anywhere more than 15 ft. deep. Though heard of by the Portuguese traveller, Francisco de Lacerda, in 1798, Bangweulu was first reached in 1868 by See also:David See also:Livingstone, who died six years later among the swamps to the south. It was partially surveyed in 1883 by the See also:French traveller, See also:Victor See also:Giraud, and first circumnavigated by Poulett Weatherley in 1896. See P. Weatherley in Geog. Journ. vol. xii. (1898) and vol. xiv. p. 561 (1899) ; L.A.See also:Wallace in Geog. Journ. vol. See also:xxix. (1907),with See also:map by O.L. Beringer. Giraud's See also:Les Lacs de l'Afrique equatoriale (See also:Paris, 1890) and Livingstone's Last See also:Journals (1874) may also be consulted. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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