| Cahora Bassa | |
|---|---|
 A partial view of Cahora Bassa from space. | |
  Cahora Bassa Location in Mozambique | |
| Location | Mozambique |
| Coordinates | 15°40′S 31°50′E / 15.667°S 31.833°E |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Zambezi River |
| Primary outflows | Zambezi River |
| Catchment area | 56,927 km2 (21,980 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Mozambique |
| Max. length | 292 km (181 mi) |
| Max. width | 38 km (24 mi) |
| Surface area | 2,739 km2 (1,058 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 20.9 m (69 ft) |
| Max. depth | 157 m (515 ft) |
| Water volume | 55.8 km3 (45,200,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 314 m (1,030 ft) |
The Cahora Bassa lake—in the Portuguese colonial era (until 1974) known as Cabora Bassa, from Nyungwe Kahoura-Bassa, meaning "finish the job"—is Africa's fourth-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. In Africa, only Lake Volta in Ghana, Lake Kariba on the Zambezi upstream of Cahora Bassa, and Egypt's Lake Nasser are bigger in terms of surface water.