Lake Titicaca
| Lake Titicaca | |
|---|---|
View of the lake from the lake's Isla del Sol
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| Coordinates | 15°45′S 69°25′W / 15.750°S 69.417°WCoordinates: 15°45′S 69°25′W / 15.750°S 69.417°W |
| Type | Mountain lake |
| Primary inflows | 27 rivers |
| Primary outflows |
Desaguadero River Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 58,000 km2 (22,400 sq mi) |
| Basin countries |
Bolivia 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 | 893 km3 (214 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 1343 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 | |
| Designated | 26 August 1998 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Titicaca (Spanish: Lago Titicaca, Quechua: Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large, deep lake in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru. By volume of water and by surface area, it is the largest lake in South America.Lake Maracaibo has a larger surface area, but it is a tidal bay rather than a lake.
It is often called the "highest navigable lake" in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres (12,507 ft). Although this refers to navigation by large boats, it is generally considered to mean commercial craft. For many years the largest vessel afloat on the lake was the 2,200-ton, 79-metre (259 ft) SS Ollanta. Today the largest vessel is most likely the similarly sized, but broader, train barge/float Manco Capac, operated by PeruRail (berthed, as of 17 June 2013, at 15°50′11″S 70°00′53″W / 15.8364°S 70.0147°W, across the pier from the Ollanta). Numerous smaller bodies of water around the world are at higher elevations.
The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.
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Wikipedia