Lake Turkana

Where is Lake Turkana?

Countries on its shores: Kenya, Ethiopia.

Largest lake of: Kenya.

Middle of the lake: 3.58° N, 36.12° E

The story behind it

Lake Turkana is a long, narrow lake in the desert, about 290 kilometres long but only up to 32 kilometres wide. About 90 per cent of its water comes from the Omo River, which starts in Ethiopia. No river flows out: the water only disappears by evaporating in the heat. That makes it slightly salty, and it is not good to drink. Tiny algae give the lake its green-blue colour. Three volcanic islands rise from the water: North Island, Central Island and South Island. Nile crocodiles live on the shores; in 1968 scientists estimated there were about 14 000 of them. Near the lake, researchers have found many fossils of early humans, including the famous 'Turkana Boy'. The water level changes a lot: between 1975 and 1993 it fell by about 10 metres. The lake used to be called Lake Rudolf. Lake Turkana is the largest lake in Kenya.

Find it on the globe

Lake Turkana 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.