Lake Chiuta is a shallow lake on the border between

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. It lies to the north of Lake Chilwa and to the south of Lake Amaramba, which has no outlet, and the lakes are separated by a sandy ridge. Both lakes lie in a

graben In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults. Etymology ''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic conte ...

which runs northeast–southwest, east of the main

African Rift Valley The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of ...

. Lake Chiuta is 3–4 meters deep and ranges in size from 25 to 130 square kilometers, depending on the season and rainfall. Lake Chiuta and Amaramba is intermittently linked to the Lugenda River, a tributary of the Ruvuma River. Lake Chiuta can desiccate completely (Owen et al. 198?) Mean Depth: / average surface area: / average volume: / encatchment area: (Ojda 1994) Predominant commercial fish species are ''Oreochromis shiranus shiranus'' (Chambo), ''

Clarias gariepinus ''Clarias gariepinus'' or African sharptooth catfish is a species of catfish of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes. Distribution They are found throughout Africa and the Middle East, and live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and swa ...

'' (Mlamba), and ''

Barbus paludinosus The straightfin barb ('Enteromius paludinosus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. '' E. pleurogramma'' is sometimes included here, but while it is certainly extremely closely related, it appears to be a distinct cryptic ...

'' (Matemba). 37 fish species were recorded in total. (Ojda 1994) Dominating aquatic macrophytes are ''Potamogeton welwitschii'' + '' Ceratophyllum demersum'' (submerged), ''

Eleocharis dulcis ''Eleocharis dulcis'', the Chinese water chestnut or water chestnut, is a grass-like sedge native to Asia, tropical Africa, and Oceania. It is grown in many countries for its edible corms. The water chestnut is not a nut, but an aquatic v ...

'', '' Oryza barthii'', ''

Vossia cuspidata ''Vossia'' is a monotypic genus in the grass family, found in Asia and Africa. The only known species is ''Vossia cuspidata'', an aquatic grass native to Africa (from Senegal to Egypt, Somalia, south to Namibia), and to Assam, Bangladesh, and ...

'', etc. (Ojda 1994) File:L._Chiuta-N_01.jpg, Lake Chiuta - northern tip File:L._Chiuta-N_02.jpg, Lake Chiuta - middle part File:L._Chiuta-N_03.jpg, Lake Chiuta - Nafisi Inselbergs File:L._Chiuta-N_04.jpg, Lake Chiuta - fishermen viewed from Chiuta Isl. File:L._Chiuta-N_05.jpg, Lake Chiuta - checking gillnets File:Chiuta_Isl-1.jpg, Lake Chiuta - Chiuta Isl. File:Chiuta-Sulfur.jpg, Lake Chiuta - unique atmosphere

References

* Dawson, A.L. (1970). "The Geology of the Lake Chiuta Area". Geological Survey Dept., Ministry of Natural Resources Malawi. Government Printer, Zomba, Malawi * Owen, R.B & R. Crossley, 198?. "Recent sedimentation in Lakes Chilwa and Chiuta, Malawi". Dept. of Geography and Earth Science, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi * Ojda, Lutz W. (1994). "Der Chiuta See in Malawi - Studie eines fluktuierenden tropischen Ökosystems mit Fokus auf dessen maximalen fischereilichen Dauerertrags (MSY) und seiner wirtschaftlichen Bedeutung für die angrenzende Kawinga-Ebene" (Monographie) Dissertation / Universität Hamburg / IHF * Thieme, Michelle L. (2005). ''Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment''. Island Press, Washington DC. pp. 173–175. {{Authority control Chiuta Chiuta Malawi–Mozambique border Endorheic basins of Africa Chiuta Geography of Southern Region, Malawi