Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca (Spanish: Lago Titicaca) is South America's largest lake and, at 3821 m above sea level, it is the highest commercially navigable lake it the world.
Titicaca has a surface area of approximately 8300 square kilometres. Located in the Altiplano high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia, it has an average depth of between 140 and 180 m, and a maximum depth of 280 m.
More than 25 rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands – some of which are densely populated.
Titicaca is notable for a relatively large population of people who live on artificial islands made of floating reeds. These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno.
Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano. It is drained by the Desaguadero River, which flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poopó; however, this effluent accounts for less than five per cent of the water loss, the rest being accounted for by evaporation as a result of the strong winds and intense sunlight at this altitude.
The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown; it has been translated as "Rock of the Puma", combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara, and as "Crag of Lead". Locally, the lake goes by several names.
Because the southeast quarter of the lake is separated from the main body by the Strait of Tiquina, the Bolivians call this smaller part Lago Huinaymarca and the larger part Lago Chucuito. In Peru, these smaller and larger parts are referred to as Lago Pequeño and Lago Grande, respectively.
