Kazinga Channel

This article is about a channel. For the parent national park, see Queen Elizabeth National Park. For the lake of which it empties from, see Lake George (Uganda).

0°12′S 29°53′E / 0.200°S 29.883°E / -0.200; 29.883

Lake Edward (larger) and Lake George (smaller) connected by the Kazinga Channel
Hippos at Kazinga Channel
Fishermen at the Kazinga Channel

The Kazinga Channel in Uganda is a wide, 32-kilometre (20 mi) long natural channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George, which are part of the African Great Lakes system. The channel is a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, boasting one of the world's largest concentration of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles.

Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park.jpg

Lake George is a small lake with an average depth of only 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) and which is fed by streams from the Rwenzori mountains. Its outflow is through the Kazinga Channel which drains into Lake Edward, with water levels fluctuating very little.

In 2005, a large number of hippos were killed in the channel as a result of an anthrax outbreak, which occurs when animals eat remnants of vegetation during the driest months, leading to the absorption of bacterial spores that can live for decades in dry soil.

Queen Elizabeth National Park. Hippo in Kazinga Channel

The channel is described as a popular wildlife tourism area.[1]

  1. ^ "Uganda cracks down on 'dissenting' Rwenzururu kingdom". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-09-22.