Lake Malawi, also known as
Lake Nyasa in
Tanzania and
Lago Niassa in
Mozambique, is an
African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the
East African Rift system, located between
Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the
ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. It is home to more species of fish than any other lake, including about 1000 species of
cichlids. The Mozambique portion of the lake was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011, and in Malawi a portion of the lake is included in the
Lake Malawi National Park. Lake Malawi is a
meromictic lake; permanent stratification and the oxic-anoxic boundary are maintained by moderately small chemical and
thermal gradients.