BARINGO, LAKE

lake in west-central Kenya. It is situated 3,200 feet (975 m) above sea level in the Great Rift Valley, east of the Kamasia (Ilkamasya) Hills. The lake has an area of 50 square miles (129 square km), is 11 miles (18 km) long and 5 miles (8 km) wide, and has an average depth of 17 feet (5 m). A freshwater lake with no visible outlet, its waters seep into lavas at its northern end, where a rocky shore contrasts with the alluvial flat on its southern border. A great variety of birds inhabit the lake, which is also home to hippopotamuses and crocodiles. The Kamasya and Njamus (Njemps) peoples of the Baringo basin catch species of tilapia (a perchlike fish) in the lake, herd cattle, and raise crops. The first European to reach the lake was Joseph Thomson in 1883.