lake in western Congo (Kinshasa), east of the Congo River and south-southeast of Lake Tumba. It covers approximately 890 square miles (2,300 square km) and is about 80 miles (130 km) long and up to 25 miles (40 km) wide. It empties south through the Fimi River into the Kasai. Shallow in depth and irregular in shape, with low, forested shores, it doubles or triples in size in rainy seasons. Inongo on the eastern shore is the main port. British-American explorer Henry (later Sir Henry) Morton Stanley was the first European to reach the lake, in 1882.