List of lakes of Bolivia
The geography and climate of Bolivia has led to the formation a wide variety of lakes, from salt saturated lakes in the Altiplano to oxbow lakes in the eastern lowlands. Many of Bolivias lakes are formed only seasonally during the austral summer and remains for the rest of the year as salt flats in the altiplano or swamps in the eastern lowlands.
Lakes in the Altiplano basin
All major lakes in the Altiplano belong to the same endorreic basin that when supplied with enough water ends at Salar de Uyuni. Many of the lakes in the altiplano show large fluctuations in area like Poopó Lake that has dried up several times through history. The salt flats of Coipasa and Uyuni have only very small surfaces where water can be observed through all year but are covered each year in summer by up to one meter of water.
Lakes with an area of more than 100 km² in the Altiplano
Name | Area (km²) | Surface elevation | Max depth | Salinity |
Titicaca | 3,790[i 1] | 3,810 m.a.s.l. | 281 m | Brackish |
Poopó Lake | 1,000 | 3,686 m.a.s.l. | | Brackish to salt |
Salar de Coipasa | 2,218 | 3,657 m.a.s.l. | - | Saturated in salt |
Salar de Uyuni | 10,582 | 3,663 m.a.s.l. | - | Saturated in salt |
Uru Uru | 214 | 3,686 m.a.s.l. | 1.5 m | Brackish to salt |
Lakes in the lowlands
Lakes in the lowlands with an area of more than 100 km²
Name | Area | Surface elevation | Max depth | Salinity |
Huaytunas | 329.5 km² | 146 m.a.s.l. | - | Fresh |
Rogaguado | 315 km² | 143 m.a.s.l. | - | Fresh |
Rogagua | 155.6 km² | 164 m.a.s.l. | - | Fresh |
Guachuna | 102.8 km² | 150 m.a.s.l. | - | Fresh |
El Océano | 100 km² | - | - | Fresh |
Example
Coipasa Lake
Notes
- ↑ 3790 km² of the Titicaca lake's total 8.562 km² are inside Bolivian borders
List of lakes in South America |
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- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
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