Zimbawe Rock
zim-BAH-way ROK (approx.)
The atlas records 17 collection-point forms from Zimbawe Rock, across 14 genera.
13.9653°S 34.8017°E
Zimbawe Rock is a rock formation off Lake Malawi's Malawian shore, about 5 km north-west of Cape Maclear.
Where it is
Zimbawe Rock is in open water about 4.3 mi off the western shore, in the southern third of Lake Malawi (311 mi south of the lake's northern tip).
Nearest collection points: Three Peaks Reef 1.2 mi west · Domwe Island 2.3 mi south-east · Cape Maclear 3 mi south-east
Shore, third and distances are measured from the coordinates above against the lake’s mapped outline.
The water
Lake-wide measured chemistry of Lake Malawi — collection points share their lake's water; site-specific figures are shown only where the literature records them.
Nearest measured station: Monkey Bay (south basin) (~14 km) — Visibility (Secchi) 12.5 m
This site
Surface temperature here
Across Apr–Nov, monthly means run 75 °F to 81 °F — coolest in Jul. Measured by satellite 1995–2023: the daily median of clear readings within 10 km of the site (1430 clear days). The rainy-season months are usually too cloudy to measure and are left blank.
Temperature: ESA Climate Change Initiative, Lakes_cci v3.0 (Asfour et al. 2026; doi:10.5285/a56dba09df8a42ec9fba8b8c7a5e1f69). Chemistry on this page remains the lake's own.
The site
Site photographs place it off the tip of Domwe Island, with Mumbo Island visible in the distance.
Each entry below is the population of that species recorded here — the form aquarists keep and breed as a distinct, provenance-labelled line. Crossing forms from different collection points is considered hybridisation in the hobby.