UPSC Prelims 2026 Q39: Lake Turkana, the Jade Sea — Explained
Which of the following statements with reference to Lake Turkana is/are correct?
1. It is the largest desert lake in the world.
2. The lake is situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert.
3. The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also referred to as the 'Jade Sea'.
- 1 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — UNESCO's World Heritage listing for Lake Turkana National Parks calls the lake 'the largest desert lake in the world' and the most saline lake in East Africa. It lies in the dry lands of northern Kenya. It is also described as the world's largest permanent desert lake and its largest alkaline lake.
- 2: incorrect — Lake Turkana lies mostly in northern Kenya, and only its far northern tip crosses into Ethiopia. It does not touch South Sudan, which is near its north-western end but not on it. It also has nothing to do with the Sahara. It sits in the Rift Valley of East Africa, and the land around it is semi-desert, such as the Chalbi Desert to its east.
- 3: correct — Lake Turkana National Parks was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. It is made up of Sibiloi National Park and the Central Island and South Island National Parks. UNESCO describes the lake as 'fondly called the Jade Sea' because of its blue-green colour. Since 2018 the site has also been on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
How to eliminate
Start with Statement 2. It packs two specific claims together: South Sudan, and the eastern edge of the Sahara. If you know only that Turkana is a Rift Valley lake in Kenya (the Turkana Boy fossil came from northern Kenya), the statement fails. The Sahara also lies far to the north-west, not in the Rift Valley. Once Statement 2 is out, three of the four options are gone, and you are choosing between '1 only' and '1 and 3 only'. Statement 1 appears in every option, so UPSC treats it as a given and you do not need to check it. The last step needs one fact: the 'Jade Sea' nickname and the 1997 UNESCO listing. The nickname is distinctive and is often printed alongside Lake Turkana, so if it seems familiar, Statement 3 is likely true. Fact to remember: Lake Turkana is in Kenya, is the largest desert lake in the world, is called the Jade Sea, and has been a UNESCO site since 1997 (in danger since 2018).
Know more
Lake Turkana: a lake with no outlet in the Rift Valley
Lake Turkana lies in the eastern branch of the East African Rift, where the African plate is slowly splitting apart. It is about 249 km long and up to 44 km wide, and UNESCO calls it Africa's fourth-largest lake. The Omo River from Ethiopia supplies over 80% of the water flowing in. The lake has no outlet. Water leaves only by evaporation in a hot, dry climate, so salts build up, and that is why the lake is saline and alkaline. Its jade colour comes from algae in the water.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country | Kenya (northern tip in Ethiopia) |
| Old name | Lake Rudolf |
| Main inflow | Omo River (over 80% of inflow) |
| Outlet | None (closed basin) |
| Nickname | Jade Sea |
| UNESCO site | Lake Turkana National Parks, 1997; criteria (viii) and (x) |
| Parts of the site | Sibiloi NP, Central Island NP, South Island NP |
| In Danger list | Since 2018 |
Why it matters
- Human origins: Koobi Fora in Sibiloi National Park is one of the richest fossil sites in the world. The Turkana Boy skeleton (Homo erectus) was found west of the lake.
- Wildlife: The island parks are breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile, the hippopotamus and several snake species. More than 350 bird species have been recorded.
- Threats: Ethiopia's dams on the Omo, especially Gibe III (running since 2016) and Gibe IV (Koysha), change how much water reaches the lake and when. Irrigation upstream also takes water. These were the main reasons UNESCO put the site on the In Danger list. The IUCN's 2025 review rates its conservation outlook as 'Critical'.
Exam angle: UPSC likes questions about lakes with no outlet (Turkana, the Dead Sea, the Caspian) and about rift-valley lakes (Turkana, Tanganyika, Malawi). Learn each lake with its country, the river that feeds it and its UNESCO status.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- East African Rift: Statement 2 places the lake by the Sahara, but its real setting is the East African Rift Valley in northern Kenya, with semi-desert land around it.
- Divergent boundary: The East African Rift formed where plates are pulling apart, which helps explain how a rift-valley basin like Lake Turkana came to sit where it does.