Lake George or Lake Dweru is a lake in Uganda. It covers a total surface area of 250 square kilometres and is a part of Africa’s Great Lakes system, although not considered one of the Great Lakes. Like the other lakes in the region, it was named after a member of the British royal family, in this case Prince George, later to become King George V of the United Kingdom. Lake George drains to the southwest into Lake Edward through the Kazinga Channel.
Lake Edward, Rutanzige or Edward Nyanza is the smallest of the African Great Lakes. It is located in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with its northern shore a few kilometres south of the equator.
Lake George is close by Queen Elizabeth National Park, which spreads from it in the north east to Lake Edward in the south west with Kazinga Channel joining the two water bodies. A British explorer Henry M.
Stanley is said to be the first European to have seen the lake in 1875, after ensuing the progression of the River Katonga right from Lake Victoria. Having thought it to be part of Lake Albert, Stanley called it Beatrice Gulf.
And on his second exploration tour in 1888 through 1889, Stanley comprehended that the two were autonomous lakes and chose to name it Lake George, the name it holds to the present day.
Lake George is provided water by a number of inflows from the wide-ranging mountain Rwenzori ranges and from the north-eastern agrarian zone. Nevertheless, the main entries are Mpanga and Dura from northeast plus Rumi, Nsonge and Mubuku.
The northern shores of the lake are largely featured with a thick papyrus marsh and its water levels are inconsistent. The Lake usually gets two seasons of rain; with rainfall peaks in May and October and minimal amounts falling from 3 – 194 mm.
Lake George is exceptionally gainful in terms of enabling fishing. Its major islands are Iranqara, Kankuranga and Akika. The lake’s bordering swampland are a Ramsar Wetland zone that is a habitat to the sitatunga antelope and other animal species. Worth still, Shoebill specie is among the resident birds along the lake.
Kazinga Channel is a 32-kilometre long water channel that connects Lake George in the east to Lake Edward in the west. The channel is among the most paramount geographical features in Queen Elizabeth National Park with a magnificent view of the most vital wildlife in the park.