Lake George lies in the western branch of the Great Rift Valley. It is a small shallow lake of about 250 km2 with an average depth of 2.4 m. It is supplied by inflows from the Rwenzori mountain range and from the agricultural area towards the northeast; major inflows include Rumi, Mubuku and Nsonge from Rwenzori and Mpanga and Dura from the northeast. The outflow is the Kazinga Channel which drains toward Lake Edward. The northern lake shore is lined with papyrus swamp. The level of water fluctuates very little.

At an altitude of 914 m above sea level, Lake George has its main catchment area in the Rwenzori range. Apart from the agricultural lands in the northeast, there are no major sources of allochthonous material. The lake experiences two rainy seasons with rainfall peaks in May and October and the monthly means range from 3 to 194 mm. The lake is highly productive and lucrative fishery goes on. The lake has been fairly well investigated (Q).