Lake Naivasha | |
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Coordinates | 0°46′6.70″S 36°21′2.32″E / 0.7685278°S 36.3506444°E |
Basin countries | Kenya |
Surface area | 139 km2 (54 sq mi) |
Average depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
Max. depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
Surface elevation | 1,884 m (6,181 ft) |
Designated | 10 April 1995 |
Reference no. | 724[1] |
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, outside the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County, which lies north west of Nairobi. It is situated in the Great Rift Valley. The name derives from the local Maasai name ɛnaɨpɔ́sha , meaning "that which heaves," a common Maasai word for bodies of water large enough to have wave action when it is windy or stormy. Naivasha arose from a British attempt to pronounce the Maasai name. Literally, Lake Naivasha means "Lake Lake."