How did Henry Morton Stanley help settle the debate over Lake Victoria as the Nile’s source?

Henry Morton Stanley helped settle the debate regarding Lake Victoria as a source of the Nile by circumnavigating the lake during his 1874–1877 expedition. By doing so, he confirmed the earlier estimates made by John Hanning Speke regarding the lake's size and geographic importance.12

While Speke had previously identified Lake Victoria as a source of the Nile after discovering Ripon Falls in 1862, his findings were frequently challenged by other explorers, including Sir Richard Burton. Stanley’s thorough exploration provided the necessary verification to solidify the understanding of the lake's role in the Nile system. Furthermore, his later expeditions helped clarify other geographic uncertainties in the region, such as determining that Lake Tanganyika had no connection to the Nile and mapping the links between Lake Edward and Lake Albert.132