Lake Izabal
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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 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 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, 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 attacks, and there are some ancient sunken ships nearby. It is home to several species including the Manatee, Jaguar, Spider Monkey, Blue-eye cichlids, and Howler Monkey, and is a popular place for birdwatching.


Culture

There are many indigenous communities 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