Lake Malawi - 30,044 Square Kilometers

Lake Malawi, also referred to as Lago Niassa in Mozambique and Lake Nyasa in Tanzania, is a very stunning African lake which makes our list. Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi form the basin countries of this lake, which is the southernmost lake inside the East African Rift Lake system. Along with being the 9th largest lake in the world with a total surface area of 30,044 square kilometers, the lake holds the distinction as being the 3rd largest and the 2nd deepest lake on the African Continent as well. With its deepest point reaching down 706 m, Lake Malawi has a length of 579 km and an average depth of 292 m. The primary inflow for Lake Malawi is the Ruhuhu River, and the primary outflow is the Shire River at its southern end. Formed at a height of about 500 meters above sea level owing to the separation of tectonic plates, this meromictic lake (a lake with surface and deep-water layers that don’t intermix) is famous for being the lake that hosts the highest number of species of fish in the world, including almost 1,000 cichlid species.

source by http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-largest-lakes-in-the-world.html