506 THE GREAT CENTRAL AFRICAN LAKES. 



Baker. Since then numerous additions have been made 

 to our knowledge of these regions; but it still remains 

 to be proved whether or not the Nile may not flow 

 into these lakes by some more distant and as yet 

 unknown sources, farther to the southwards. 



The Victoria Nyanza is situated on the equator 

 (which nearly bisects it) where it is crossed, by the 

 parallels 32 to 34 of East Longitude and its size is 

 about 230 miles by 220, with a water area of 27,000 

 square miles. * This immense lake also lies within 

 the region of constant rains, and though the area of 

 its catchment basin has as yet never been ascertained, 

 it is certain that it must continually pour forth a vast 

 volume of water, which passes over the Murchison 

 Falls in about Lat. 2 18' N., Long. 31 50' E. Some 

 twenty-five miles lower down, the river enters the 

 Albert Nyanza, whose functions as one of the sources 

 of the Nile are stated by the Encyclopedia Britannia* 

 to be those of a great backwater, with an area of about 

 2,000 square miles, f At this point of its course, the 

 river is known by the Arabs as " Bahr-el-Gebel, " or 

 the River of the Mountains, and continuing its course 

 northwards, it is joined about Lat. 9 N. by two im- 

 portant tributaries, the " Bahr-el-Ghazel " or " Gazelle 

 River " and the " Sobat " after which it is known, as 

 far as Khartum, as the " Bahr-El-Abyad " or "White 

 Nile, " so called from its clay coloured waters, which 

 have a somewhat milky appearance. The length of 

 its course from the lakes to Khartum is about 1800 

 miles, and it is navigable to Gondokoro situated in 

 Lat. 4 54' N. about 1420 miles above Khartum at 



* Encycl. Brit., Qth Edition, Vol. xvii., p. 504 (Art. "Nile"), 

 f Ibid., p. 504. 



