Increasing concern as to how human activities impact Africa's lakes has led to documentation and quantification of the lakes and the environmental changes taking place. Through a combination of ground photographs, current and historical satellite images, and narrative based on extensive scientific evidence, this publication illustrates how humans have altered their surroundings and continue to make observable and measurable changes to Africa's lakes and their environment. This atlas underscores the importance of developing, harnessing and sharing technologies that help provide deeper understanding of the dynamics of the changes. The words and pictures within these pages also serve as a vivid reminder that Africa's lakes are a source of livelihoods for many African communities, contribute significantly to socioeconomic development of the continent, and sound policy decisions and positive actions by societies and individuals are needed to sustain the lakes and the well-being of its inhabitants. The information provided will not only be useful in the context of the selected locations, but will also underscore the intrinsic value of the harnessing, visualizing and communicating technologies to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics and impacts for Africa's lakes and their environmental changes.