Lake · Tanzania, Kenya
Lake Natron
Lake Natron is a very salty, shallow lake in Tanzania, right at the border with Kenya. Its water often looks red, and millions of flamingos come here to raise their chicks.
Picture credit: Richard Mortel (CC BY 2.0) · Richard Mortel (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lake Natron?
Countries on its shores: Tanzania, Kenya.
Middle of the lake: 2.42° S, 36.00° E
The story behind it
Lake Natron lies about 600 metres above sea level and is less than 3 metres deep. Its size changes a lot with the water level: sources give between 850 and 1 040 km². In dry times it can even split into a northern and a southern lake, and only its northern tip sometimes reaches into Kenya. The Southern Ewaso Ng'iro River and hot springs full of minerals bring water. So much of it evaporates that the lake is extremely salty and alkaline, which is the opposite of acidic. The water can become as hot as 60 °C. Tiny salt-loving living things colour it red. Around 2.5 million lesser flamingos come to breed here, and about three out of four lesser flamingos in the world are born on Lake Natron. Special kinds of tilapia fish live only in this area. About 20 km south of the lake rises Ol Doinyo Lengai, a volcano with very unusual lava.
Find it on the globe
Lake Natron is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Natron?
Lake Natron covers about 850 to 1 040 km², depending on the water level. It is about 57 km long but less than 3 metres deep.
Why is Lake Natron red?
Tiny salt-loving living things grow in the warm, salty water. They contain a red colouring, which turns large parts of the lake red.
Why is Lake Natron important for flamingos?
It is the only place in East Africa where lesser flamingos regularly breed. About three out of four lesser flamingos in the world hatch here.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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