Our navigation bar is loading . . . . . .


Advertise on JCSM - Hear JCSM's Weekly Devotions via Podcast/RSS Feed! - Skip These Ads

You can advertise your site right here!Click here to learn more!

 10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings by Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.

 JCSM's Top 1000 Christian Sites - Free Traffic Sharing Service! Join the Online Christ-Centered Ministries!

-
Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

Click here and add this page to your favorites!

Return to the JCSM Study Center!

Encyclopedia Britannica



NYASA

This article appears in Volume V19, Page 929 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: NUM-ORC
NYASA , the third in size of the great lakes of Central Africa, occupying the southern end of the great rift-valley system which traverses the eastern half of the equatorial region from north to south. Extending from 9 29' to 14 25' S., or through nearly 5 of
latitude
 , the lake
measures
  along its major
axis
 , which is slightly inclined to the west of north, exactly 350 m., while the greatest breadth, which occurs near the middle of its length, between 11 30' and 12 20' S., is 45 M. In the northern and southern thirds of the length the breadth varies generally from 20 to 30 ni., and the total area may be estimated at I1,000 sq. m.
The lake lies at an altitude of about 1650 ft. above the sea. The sides of the valley in which Nyasa lies, which are somewhat irregular towards its southern end, take a decided character of fault scarps in the northern third, and are continued as such beyond the northern extremity. Apart from the
recent
  alluvium on the immediate shores, the lake lies almost entirely in granite and gneiss formations, broken, however, by a band of horizontally-bedded sandstones, which cuts the
axis
  of the lake in about I0 3o' S., the flat-topped, terraced form of the latter contrasting strangely with the jagged or rounded outlines of the former. Near the margin, overlying the sandstones, there are beds of limestone with remains of
recent
  molluscs, pointing, like the raised beaches which occur elsewhere, to an upward
movement
  of the coasts. Lacustrine deposits up to 700 ft. above the present lake-level have been discovered. Geologically, the lake is believed to be of no great age, a view supported by topographical evidence. The depth of the lake seems to vary in accordance with the steepness of the shores, increasing from south to north. The greater part of the northern half shows depths of over 200 fathoms, while a maximum of 430 fathoms was obtained by Mr. J. E. S. Moore in 1899, off the high western coast in about 11 40' S. A more complete
series
  of soundings, however, since made by Lieut. Rhoades, and published in the Geographical Journal in 1902, gives a maximum of 386 fathoms off the same coast in II to' S. The lake receives its water-
supply
  chiefly from the streams which descend from the mountains to the north, all the rest becoming very small in the dry season. Like other lakes of Central Africa it is subject to fluctuations of level, apparently caused by alternations of dry and wet
series
  of years.
At the north-western end is a plain of great fertility, traversed by the Kivira, Songwe and other streams, rising either among the volcanic masses to the north or on the western plateau. Just north of ta S. on the delta of the Rukuru, is the British station of Karonga, the northern port of call for the lake steamers, though with. but an open roadstead. Southwards the plain narrows, and in about tor S. the sandstone scarp of
Mount
  Waller rises sheer above the indentation of Florence Bay, the high western plateaus continuing to fall steeply to the water in wooded cliffs for more than 8o m. In this stretch occur the land-locked bays of Ruarwe (II 5' S.) and Nkata (11 36' S.), and the mouth of the Rukuru (to 43' S)., which drains the plateau from south to north. At Cape Chirombo (I 1 4o' S.) the coast bends to the west, and soon the plateau escarpments recede, and are separated from the lake along its southern half by an undulating plain of varying width. In I I 56' S. is the British station of Bandawe, and in 12 55' that of Kota Kota, on a lake-like inlet, forming a sheltered harbour. A little north of the latter the Bua river, coming from a remote source on the upper plateau, enters by a projecting delta. At Domira Bay, in 13 35', the coast turns suddenly east, contracting the lake to a comparatively narrow neck, with the British stations of Fort Rifu on the west, and Fort Maguire, near the headland of Makanjira Point, on the east. Beyond this the lake runs southwards into two bays separated by a granitoid peninsula, off which lie several small rocky islands. On this peninsula was placed the mission station of Livingstonia, the first to be established on the shores of Nyasa. From the extremity of the eastern bay the Shire makes its exit to the Zambezi. On the eastern side the plateau escarpments keep generally close to the lake, leaving few plains of any extent along its shores. The crest of the eastern water-shed runs generally parallel to the shore, which it approaches in places within 20 m. From the north point to to 3o' S. the coast is formed by the unbroken
wall
  of the Livingstone or Kinga range, rising where highest (9 41' S.) fully 6000 ft. above the water. On this coast, on a projecting spit of land, is the German station of Old Langenburg, some to m. from the northern extremity. In lo 3o' the plateau is broken by the valley of the Ruhuhu, the only important stream which enters the lake from the east. The formation is here sandstone, corresponding to that of
Mount
  Waller on the opposite shore. Just north of the Ruhuhu is the German station of Wiedhafen, on an excellent harbour, formerly Amelia Bay. South of the Ruhuhu the
wall
  of mountains recedes somewhat, and the remainder of the eastern shore shows a variation between rocky cliffs, marshy plains of restricted area and groups of low hills. In 11 16' is the deep inlet of Mbampa Bay, offering a sheltered anchor-age. South of it the coast forms a wide semicircular bay, generally rock-bound, and ending south in Maio Point (I2 to' S.), off which are the largest islands the lake possesses, Likoma and Chisamulu, the former measuring about 4 m. by 3. In the southern half the coast is highest in about 13 to' S., where the Mapangi hills rise to 3000ft.
Nyasa, reached in 1859 both by David Livingstone (from the south) and by the German traveller Albrecht Roscher (from the east), was explored by the former to about >, and to its
See Proc. R.G.S. (1883), p. 689; Geogr. Journal, vol. xii. p. 58o; J. E. S. Moore, ib. vol. x. p. 289, and " The Geology of Nyasaland," by A. R. Andrew and T. E. G. Bailey, with note on fossil plants, fish remains, &c., by E. A. N. Arber and others and bibliography in vol. 66 of Quart. Jnl. Geog. Society (May 1910). (E. HE.)


End of Article: NYASA


If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/NUM_ORC/NYASA.html">
NYASA
</a>
(Previous)
NYANZA (from the ancient Bantu root word anza, ... 		(Next)
NYBORG

 


 

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

The JCSM Study CenterAmerica's Christian FoundationSkeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and ExplainedNKJV Web Hosting and Services
JCSM's Sermons, Debates and the Bible on MP3The Online Christ-Centered MinistriesDo You Have A Web Site?  Your Ad Could Be Here!Seminary Notes and PapersThe Picturesque Photo Albums


Jesus Christ Saves Ministries, P.O. Box 70696, Pasadena, CA 91117

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Copyright © 1997-present.


Kingdom Debt Solutions - Be Debt Free! Sport Logos - Quality Athletic Equipment The JCSM Study Center Your Ad Could Be Here! Launch A Successful Internet Organization or Business! Learn Guitar, Bass, or Piano in San Diego county!

You can advertise your site right here!

Free & Cheap Cell Phones  |  Cheap Long Distance Phone Service Carriers  |  Talk America Local Phone Service  |  Ztel & MCI - Unlimited Long Distance
Compare Cell Phone Plans & Companies  |  International Calling Cards & Prepaid Phone Cards  |  Voice Over IP Broadband Internet Phone Service  |  Wireless Phone Plans & Cheap Cell Phones

Dr. Jason Gastrich

Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.

 

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries is directed by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  It was founded in 1997 and it exists to bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ.  JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, discussion boards, weekly html and mp3 devotionals, free email accounts, and much more.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA  92169
1-877-850-3878 or Email

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Copyright © 1997-2008.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Online First Aid and CPR Certification  .  The Online Christ Centered Ministries  .  The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained  .  The Inerrancy Discussion Board  .  Free Email Accounts  .  Home Equity Loans  .  JasonGastrich.com  .  The Missions, Apologetics, and Creation Bible Conference  .  Young Earth Creation Science  .  San Diego Music Lessons  .  10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings  .  Gastrich.net  .  Maximizing the Internet: 12 Keys to Success  .  Louisiana Baptist University  .  NKJV Web Hosting and Services  .  Michael Newdow  .  San Diego Soccer Training  . Christian Guitar Lessons  .  Jesus Christ Saves Ministries  .  Eternal Security