Titicaca Lake
Titicaca Lake sits 12,500 feet (3,812m) above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the second largest lake of South America (after Maracaibo). By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America and it is is the second largest lake of South America (after Maracaibo). The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It is composed of two nearly separate sub-basins that are connected by the Strait of Tiquina which is 800m across at the narrowest point.
Location
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.
Characteristics
The lake is composed of two nearly separate sub-basins that are connected by the Strait of Tiquina which is 800 m (2,620 ft) across at the narrowest point. The larger sub-basin, Lago Grande (also called Lago Chucuito) has a mean depth of 135 m (443 ft) and a maximum depth of 284 m (932 ft). The smaller sub-basin, Lago Hui⢩marca (also called Lago Peque⯩ has a mean depth of 9 m (30 ft) and a maximum depth of 40 m (131 ft).[4] The overall average depth of the lake is 107 m (351 ft)
Name
The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown. It has been translated as "Rock Puma", allegedly because of its resemblance to the shape of a puma hunting a rabbit, combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara, and as well as translated as "Crag of Lead."
Climate
chilly and rainy or chilly and dry. In the evenings it becomes quite cold, dropping below freezing from June through August. In the day, the sun is intense and sunburn is common.
Manco Capac and Mama OcIlo legend
According to legend, this lake gave birth to the Inca civilization. Manco Capac and Mama OcIlo Spring from the frigid waters of the lake to found Cuzco and the beginning of the Inca dynasty. Later, during the Spanish Conquest, the lake allegedly became a secret depository for the empire's gold. Among the items supposedly buried on the lake's bottom is Inca Huascar's gold chain weighing 2,000 kilos (4,400 lbs.) and stored in Koricancha - the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco - until loyal Indians threw it into the lake to prevent it from falling into Spanish hands. Before the Incas, the lake and its islands were holy for the Aymarᡉndians,
Origin
Geologically, Titicaca's origins are disputed, although it was likely a glacial lake. Maverick scientists claim it had a volcanic start; a century ago, Titicaca was popularly believed to be an immense mountaintop crater. A few diehards today stick to the notion that the lake was part of a massive river system from the Pacific Ocean.
Islands
Uros
Uros people harvesting some totora, an aquatic plant used to make their famous floating islands. Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros, a group of about 41 artificial islands made of floating reeds. These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno. Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose. Many of the islands contain watchtowers largely constructed of reeds.
Amantaní
Amantan's another small island on Lake Titicaca populated by Quechua speakers. About 800 families live in six villages on the basically circular 15 square kilometres (6 sq mi) island. There are two mountain peaks, called Pachatayta (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth), and ancient ruins on the top of both peaks.
Some of the families on Amantaní¡¯pen their homes to tourists for overnight stays and provide cooked meals, arranged through tour guides. The families who do so are required to have a special room set aside for the tourists and must fit a code by the tour companies that help them. Guests typically take food staples (cooking oil, rice, sugar) as a gift or school supplies for the children on the island. They hold nightly traditional dance shows for the tourists where they offer to dress them up in their traditional clothes and participate.
Rivers that fed Titicaca lake
Five major river systems feed into Lake Titicaca, in order of their relative flow volumes these are: Ramis, Coata, Ilave, Huancané¬ and Suchez. More than 20 other smaller rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated. Also Lake Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano.
Having only a single season of free circulation, the lake is monomictic and water passes through Lago Hui⢩marca and flows out the single outlet at the Rio Desaguadero, which then flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poop㮠This only accounts for about 10% of the lake's water balance. Evapotranspiration, caused by strong winds and intense sunlight at altitude, balances the remaining 90% of the water input. It is nearly a closed lake
Fauna
Lake Titicaca's fish life consists principally of two species of killifish (Orestias)--a small fish, usually striped or barred with black--and a catfish (Trichomycterus). In 1939, and subsequently, trout were introduced into Titicaca. A large frog (Telmatobius), which may reach a length of nearly a foot, inhabits the shallower regions of the lake.
