Lake Malawi

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lake-malawi

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Lake Malawi?Approximately 29,600 km² (11,400 sq mi)
2. How deep is Lake Malawi?Second deepest lake
3. What is the location?East African Rift Valley, bordering Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania
4. What is the global rank by volume?Fourth largest freshwater lake
5. What makes Lake Malawi the "Rainbow Fish Lake"?Lake Malawi has more fish species than any other lake, especially colorful cichlids that look like a rainbow.
6. Why are there so many different fish in Lake Malawi?A single ancestor of cichlids split into many species, each fitting a special spot in the lake, and many of them live only there.

East African Rift System: A divergent tectonic plate boundary characterized by rift valleys, volcanoes, and large lakes in eastern Africa.
Adaptive Radiation: The rapid diversification of a single ancestral lineage into multiple species that occupy different ecological niches.
Endemic Species: Organisms that are native and restricted to a particular geographic region, found nowhere else.
Meromictic Lake: A lake where the water layers do not mix, leading to distinct, stable upper and lower water bodies.