29,600 km2. The lake is 706 m at its deepest point, located in a major depression in the north-central part. Another smaller depression in the far north reaches a depth of 528 m. The southern half of the lake is shallower; less than 400 m in the south-central part and less than 200 m in the far south.

The lake has shorelines on western Mozambique, eastern Malawi, and southern