The famous Lake Turkana (or Lake Rudolf or Jade Sea) is the world's largest
permanent desert lake and also the largest alkaline lake, supporting a rich wildlife. It is located roughly
466 miles by road north to Nairobi.
It is in the middle of vast lunar landscape of inactive lava beds and extinct
volcanoes. Lake Turkana is a world heritage site, and extraordinary to behold.
The climate is hot and very dry.
It is the north most of the Kenya's rift valley lakes. It contains the algae which form an array of green and blue hues, so it is also known as the Jade sea. The Omo river in Ethiopia feeds the Lake Turkana, its level varies with the level of rainfall received in Ethiopia. Turkwel and Kerio rivers also flow into it but there is no outlet of the lake. The water loss if mostly due to evaporation. On-shore and off-shore winds can be extremely strong as the lake warms and cools more slowly than the land.
Quick Facts of Lake Turkana:
Average depth: 30.2 m
Max depth: 109 m
Water volume : 203.6 km³
Surface elevation: 360.4 m
Islands: North Island, Central Island, South Island (volcanic)
History of Lake Turkana, Kenya:
Around 2 million3 million years ago, the lake was larger and the area more fertile. An Austrian explorer first discovered it in 1888 when he found human bones and skulls. About eighty years later Richard Leakey discovered the fossil remains at his excavation at Koobi Fora dating back 3 million years which made this even more famous.
It was probably when the mankind was evolving and learning to walk upright. The visitors who come here can find a huge population of about 22,000 Nile crocodiles. You can also find zebras, camels, reticulated giraffes, hippos, snakes and fishes. Seasonally you can find migrating birds including flamingos. Some birds more common to Turkana are the Little Stint, the Wood Sandpiper, and the Common Sandpiper. The African Skimmer nests in the banks of Central Island. The White-necked Cormorant ranges over the lake. The best time to travel to view migratory birds is between October to April. Crocodiles hatch from April till May.
