The Kazinga Channel in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

is a wide, long natural channel that links

Lake Edward Lake Edward (locally Rwitanzigye or Rweru) is one of the smaller 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, ...

and Lake George, which are part of the

African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes (; ) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. The series includes Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by area; Lake Tangan ...

system. The channel is a dominant feature of

Queen Elizabeth National Park Queen Elizabeth National Park is a national park in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. Location Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) spans the districts of Kasese District, Kasese, Kamwenge District, Kamwenge, Rubirizi Distri ...

. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, boasting one of the world's largest concentration of

hippos A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water: * Hippopotamus * Pygmy hippopotamus Hippo or Hippos may also refer to: Toponymy * The ancient city of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Alg ...

and numerous

Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and ce ...

Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Lake George is a small lake with an average depth of only and which is fed by streams from the

Rwenzori The Rwenzori (also known as the Ruwenzori, Rwenzururu or Rwenjura) are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , ...

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 Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

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

The channel is described as a popular

wildlife tourism Wildlife tourism is an element of many nations' travel industry centered around observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural habitats. While it can include eco- and animal-friendly tourism, safari hunting and ...

area.

External links

*
Strolling Guides - Kazinga Channel
Some photographs and information. *

References

Rivers of Uganda Lake Edward Lake George (Uganda) Kasese District {{Uganda-river-stub