Catchment area of Lake Malawi:

 Countries include. . Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania

Max. Length 560 km to 580
Max. Width 75 km
Surface area 29,600 km2
Average depth 292 m
Max. Depth 706 m
Water volume 8,400 km³
Surface elevation 500 meters above sea level

The water in Lake Malawi is typically slightly alkaline with a pH ranging from 7.7 to 8.6, a carbonate hardness of 107 to 142 mg L-1,and a conductivity of 210 to 285 µS cm-1. Given its tropical latitude, the water of this lake is generally warm, having a surface temperature that ranges from 24 to 29 degrees Celsius (75 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit), with a deep water temperature of about 22 °C (72 °F), year round.
Lake Malawi was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011 in an effort to protect one  of the largest and most bio-diverse freshwater lakes in the world.
Lake Malawi is an African Great Lake and the most  southern of the  lakes  in the East African Rift system. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, it is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It is the second  deepest lake in Africa, although its placid northern shore gives no hint of its depth. This great lake's tropical waters are reportedly the habitat of more species of fish than those of any other body of freshwater on Earth, including more than 1000 species of cichlids.
Lake Malawi is between 560 and 580 kilometres long, and about 75 kilometres wide at its widest point. The total surface area of this lake is about 29,600 square kilometres This lake has shorelines on western Mozambique, eastern Malawi, and southern Tanzania. The largest river flowing into this lake is the Ruhuhu River.Lake Malawi lies in a valley formed by the opening of the East African Rift, where the African tectonic plate is being split into two pieces. This is called a divergent plate tectonics boundary. Lake Malawi is variously estimated at about 40,000 years old Lake Malawi is home to numerous cichlid species there for is noted for being the site of evolutionary radiations among several groups of animals, most notably cichlid fish. Several hundred endemic species are found in the lake, many of which have become popular among aquarium owners due to their bright colors. Recreating a Lake Malawi biotope to host cichlids became quite popular in the aquarium hobby. The cichlids of the lake  are divided into two basic groups, loosely referred to as the haplochromines and the tilapiines. Within the first group, Haplochrominae, there are two subgroups.

Malawi Mbuna Cichlids