Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca (/tɪtɪˈkɑːkə/; Spanish: Lago Titicaca [ˈlaɣo titiˈkaka]; Quechua: Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America both in terms of the volume of water and surface area.
| Lake Titicaca | |
|---|---|
View of the lake from Isla del Sol | |
Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca | |
Map of Lake Titicaca | |
| Coordinates | 15°49′30″S 69°19′30″W |
| Type | Ancient lake, Mountain lake |
| Primary inflows | 27 rivers |
| Primary outflows | Desaguadero River Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 58,000 km2 (22,400 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Bolivia and Peru |
| Max. length | 190 km (118 mi) |
| Max. width | 80 km (50 mi) |
| Surface area | 8,372 km2 (3,232 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 107 m (351 ft) |
| Max. depth | 281 m (922 ft) |
| Water volume | 896 km3 (215 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 1,343 years |
| Shore length1 | 1,125 km (699 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 3,812 m (12,507 ft) |
| Frozen | never |
| Islands | 42+ (see article) |
| Sections/sub-basins | Wiñaymarka |
| Settlements | Copacabana, Bolivia Puno, Peru |
| References | |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Lago Titicaca |
| Designated | 20 January 1997 |
| Reference no. | 881 |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Lago Titicaca |
| Designated | 11 September 1998 |
| Reference no. | 959 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Titicaca has a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft). The "highest lake" claim is generally considered to refer to commercial craft. Numerous smaller lakes around the world are at higher elevations. For many years, the largest vessel afloat on the lake was the 2,200-ton (2,425 U.S. tons), 79 m (259 ft) SS Ollanta. Today, the largest vessel is most likely the similarly sized train barge/float Manco Capac, operated by PeruRail.