Question
Which of the following statements with reference to Lake Turkana is/are correct?
1It is the largest desert lake in the world.
2The lake is situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert.
3The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also referred to as the ‘Jade Sea’.
A1 only
B1 and 3 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Each Statement — Verified from UNESCO and Primary Sources
1
“It is the largest desert lake in the world” — TRUE
Confirmed verbatim by UNESCO’s official World Heritage listing: “The Lake is the most saline lake in East Africa and the largest desert lake in the world, surrounded by an arid, seemingly extraterrestrial landscape.”
Largest desert lake in the world
✓ Correct
Also confirmed by Wikipedia: “Lake Turkana is the world’s largest permanent desert lake and the world’s largest alkaline lake.”
Additional superlatives: 4th largest salt lake in the world by volume (after Caspian Sea, Issyk-Kul, Lake Van). Africa’s 4th largest lake. Surface area ~6,405 km².
✓ UNESCO official confirmation
World’s largest permanent desert lake · Also world’s largest alkaline lake · Most saline lake in East Africa
2
“Situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert” — TWO FACTUAL ERRORS
Error 1 — Wrong country: Lake Turkana is located in northern Kenya with its far northern tip extending into Ethiopia. It is NOT in South Sudan. The lake is in the Kenyan Rift Valley — Wikipedia: “a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya; the far northern end crosses into Ethiopia.”
“South Sudan” + “Sahara Desert” — two wrong facts
✗ Two errors in one statement
Error 2 — Wrong desert: Lake Turkana is surrounded by the Chalbi Desert (on its eastern side) and the arid East African Rift landscape — NOT the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is in North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Mali etc.). Lake Turkana is in East Africa, thousands of kilometres from the Sahara.
Basin countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan are all in the Turkana lake basin (the wider catchment) — but the lake itself is in Kenya and Ethiopia.
✗ Two wrong facts
Country = Kenya (not South Sudan) · Desert = Chalbi/East African Rift (not Sahara) · Sahara = North Africa, thousands of km away
3
“Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site and referred to as the ‘Jade Sea'” — TRUE
UNESCO WHS: Lake Turkana National Parks (Sibiloi National Park + Central Island + South Island) were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 (21st session, Reference No. 801) and extended in 2001. Currently on the Endangered list (since 2018) due to threats from the Gibe III Dam on Ethiopia’s Omo River.
UNESCO World Heritage Site + “Jade Sea”
✓ Correct
Jade Sea: UNESCO’s own website: “It is Africa’s fourth largest lake, fondly called the Jade Sea because of its breathtaking colour.” The striking turquoise-green colour comes from its high algae content combined with the alkaline water chemistry.
✓ Both confirmed by UNESCO officially
UNESCO WHS since 1997 (Ref: 801) · Endangered since 2018 (Gibe III Dam threat) · Called “Jade Sea” — officially on UNESCO’s own page
Lake Turkana — Complete Fact Sheet for UPSC
| Parameter | Detail |
| Location | Northern Kenya (mainly) · Far northern tip in Ethiopia · NOT South Sudan · Kenyan Rift Valley / East African Rift System |
| Surrounding landscape | Chalbi Desert (east) · Arid East African Rift landscape · NOT the Sahara (which is in North Africa) |
| Size records | World’s largest permanent desert lake · World’s largest alkaline lake · Africa’s 4th largest lake · 4th largest salt lake by volume |
| Surface area | ~6,405 km² · 248–290 km long · 16–50 km wide |
| Type | Saline · Alkaline · Endorheic (closed basin — no outflow) · Water lost only by evaporation |
| Inflows | Omo River (primary, from Ethiopia) · Turkwel River · Kerio River |
| UNESCO status | World Heritage Site since 1997 · Reference No. 801 · Criteria: Natural (viii) and (x) · On Endangered list since 2018 |
| Endangered reason | Gibe III Dam on Ethiopia’s Omo River → reduced water flow → lake shrinking → ecosystem damage |
| Nickname | “Jade Sea” — turquoise-green colour from algae + alkaline water chemistry |
| Fossil significance | Koobi Fora deposits — rich in mammalian fossils, paleo-human remains · Contributed more to understanding of paleo-environments than any other African site · “Cradle of Humankind” significance |
| Previous name | Lake Rudolf — named by Hungarian explorer Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék in 1888 after Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary |
| Basin countries | Kenya · Ethiopia · South Sudan (basin/catchment area) — but lake itself is in Kenya + Ethiopia only |
Memory Trick
🧠 Remember It This Way
Statement 2 has TWO deliberate wrong facts — spot both: South Sudan (wrong country — it’s Kenya) + Sahara (wrong desert — it’s East African Rift / Chalbi). UPSC planted both errors to maximise student confusion. Even if you only know one error, you can eliminate Statement 2.
Kenya’s Jade Sea: Lake Turkana = Kenya = Jade Sea = Rift Valley. Remember this cluster. It is NOT in the Sahara (North Africa) — it is in the East African Rift Valley, surrounded by the Chalbi Desert and volcanic landscapes.
South Sudan confusion: South Sudan IS in the basin/catchment area (tributaries flow through it) — which may be why UPSC used this. But the lake itself is in Kenya. The Omo River (main inflow) comes from Ethiopia, not South Sudan.
Endangered UNESCO site: Lake Turkana is on the UNESCO Endangered list since 2018 — due to the Gibe III Dam on Ethiopia’s Omo River. This is important for Mains/current affairs context. The dam reduces water inflow, shrinking the lake and threatening local ecosystems.
