CiteTurkana, Lake
Turkana, Lake,
c.2,500 sq mi (6,475 sq km), NW Kenya and SW Ethiopia, E Africa, in the Great Rift Valley alt. 1,230 ft (375 m). Surrounded by desolate, volcanic mountains, the 170-mi- (274-km-) long lake is the focus of interior drainage and has no outlet it is becoming increasingly saline. Fishing and tourism are important to local economy. Nearby is Kanapoi, an archaeological site with 4.1-million-year-old australopithecine fossils. It was formerly known as Lake Rudolf.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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