Lake Nabugabo
Encyclopedia

Location

The lake is located in Masaka District
Masaka District
Masaka District is a district in Central Uganda. Its main town is Masaka, whose estimated population in 2011 was 74,100.-Location:The district is bordered by Bukomansimbi District to the northwest, Kalungu District to the north, Kalangala District to the east and south, Rakai District to the...

, Central Uganda
Central Region, Uganda
Central Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...

, approximately 23 kilometres (14.3 mi), by road, east of the town of Masaka
Masaka
Masaka is a town in Central Uganda, lying west of Lake Victoria. It is the chief town of Masaka District. Besides being the headquarters of Masaka District, the town is the regional headquarters and largest metropolitan area in Lyantonde District, Sembabule District, Lwengo District, Bukomansimbi...

. The coordinates of Lake Nabugabo are:00 22 12S, 31 54 00E (Latitude:-0.3700; Longitude:31.9000).

Overview

Lake Nabugabo is situated next to Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....

 and the area was chosen as a Ramsar Site (protected area) for its importance for the people and animals. Lake Nabugabo is a satellite lake of Lake Victoria, only about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from its shores.

High human population densities and a reliance on subsistence agriculture are reflected in the heavy dependency of the neighboring community around Lake Nabugabo on the lake ecosystem. The poor agricultural practices have impacts on the water quality and food production.

History

Lake Nabugabo was formed as a result of sand dunes resulting from strong winds. This lake is separated from Lake Victoria by a sand bar. An analysis of a 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) long sediment core collected near the center of the lake showed that Lake Nabugabo was isolated from Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....

, about 5,000 calendar years ago.

Flora and fauna

  • Almost three hundred (300) plant species have been recorded. The catchment area is home to two (2) endemic flowering plants not found elsewhere, and fourteen (14) species in Uganda
    Uganda
    Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

     are known only in this area. The most striking character of the rare Nabugabo plants is the relative dominance of carnivorous plants.
  • Indigenous fish (Cichlidae) is recorded. Three (3) other species were introduced into the lake in the 1950’s; namely Oreochromis niloticus
    Oreochromis niloticus
    The Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is a relatively large cichlid fish, which is native to Africa from Egypt south to East and Central Africa, and as far west as Gambia. It is also native to Israel, and numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range.It is also commercially...

    , Oreochromis leucosticus
    Oreochromis
    Oreochromis is a large genus of tilapiine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. Several species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range, and are important in aquaculture...

     and Tilapia zillii
    Tilapia
    Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...

    .
  • The fauna ecosystem consists of a wide variety of key animal communities. Hippopotamus
    Hippopotamus
    The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

     and Sitatunga
    Sitatunga
    The situtunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Ghana, Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.-Description:Situtunga stand about one and a...

     are found. Among the birds, King Fisher
    King Fisher
    King Fisher was a gunslinger of the American Old West.- Early life :John King Fisher was born in Collin County, Texas, to Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren Fisher. He had two brothers, Jasper and James, and his mother died when he was two years old. His father then remarried to a woman named Minerva...

     and Crested Crane are also found.
  • Lake Nabugabo is an important stop-over point for a number of species of migratory birds.

External links

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