Lake Izabal (), also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

with a surface area of and a maximum depth of . The

Polochic River The Polochic River () is a river in eastern Guatemala. The 194 kilometers long river flows eastwards through a deep valley and flows into Lake Izabal at . The river is navigable for to Panzós. It was used many years ago to transport coffee and ...

is the largest river that drains into the lake. The lake, which is only a metre above sea level, drains into the

Gulf of Honduras The Gulf of Honduras or the Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. From north to south, it runs for approximately 200 km (125 miles) from Dangriga, Belize, to La Cei ...

of the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

through the smaller

Golfete Dulce Lake El Golfete is a long narrow lake in Guatemala. It lies at sea level and is fed by the Dulce River (Guatemala), Dulce River from Lake Izabal draining to the Amatique Bay in the Caribbean Sea. References

Lakes of Guatemala, El Golfete G ...

, which is at sea level, and the navigable Rio Dulce. The well preserved colonial Castillo de San Felipe de Lara guarded this lake against

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

attacks, and there are some ancient sunken ships nearby. It is home to several species including the

Manatee Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

Spider Monkey Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The g ...

, Blue-eye cichlids, and

Howler Monkey Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropical realm, Neotropics and are among the largest of the New World monkey, platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyte ...

, and is a popular place for birdwatching.

Culture

There are many

indigenous communities There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

surrounding the lake, namely the Mayas Q'eqchi'. The Castle of San Felipe de Lara, constructed in 1652 in honor of judge Antonio Lara Mangravo, was built to protect the region from pirates.

References

External links

Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrolagía (INSIVUMEH)Lake description

Izabal Izabal, Lake Geography of the Izabal Department {{Guatemala-geo-stub