| Lake Fúquene | |
|---|---|
 View of Lake Fúquene | |
  Lake Fúquene | |
 Lake Fúquene is shown in the south of Boyacá, bordering Cundinamarca | |
| Location | Fúquene,Boyacá &Cundinamarca |
| Coordinates | 5°28′00″N73°45′00″W / 5.46667°N 73.75000°W /5.46667; -73.75000 |
| Type | Intermontane |
| Primary outflows | Suárez River |
| Basin countries | Colombia |
| Max. length | 9.1 kilometres (5.7 mi) (1957)[1] |
| Max. width | 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) (1957)[1] |
| Surface area | 30 square kilometres (320,000,000 sq ft)[2] |
| Average depth | 2.5 metres (8.2 ft)[2] |
| Max. depth | 4 metres (13 ft) (1957)[1] |
| Water volume | 82.5 cubic megametres (2.91×1021 cu ft)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 2,540 metres (8,330 ft)[2] |
| Islands | FormerlyIsla grande orChiguy/Chuiguí[3] |
Lake Fúquene is a heart-shaped lake located in theUbaté-Chiquinquirá Valley, part of theAltiplano Cundiboyacense, in the north ofCundinamarca,Colombia, at the border withBoyacá. TheAndean lake, at an average altitude of 2,540 metres (8,330 ft), was considered sacred in thereligion of theMuisca who inhabited the area before theSpanish conquest of the Muisca in the 1530s.[4]
Due to drainage of the waters foragriculture anddairy farming, the lake levels have dropped drastically in recent years and many flora and fauna species have disappeared.
In theChibcha language of the Muisca,Fúquene means "Place of swamps covered with fog", "Bed of the fox" or "Holy People", referring to the religious rituals of the Muisca. Muisca means "people" in Chibcha.[2][5][6][7]
Lake Fúquene, the lake in the Ubaté-Chiquinquirá Valley, one of the four major valleys of theAltiplano Cundiboyacense, was an important ritual lake in the culture of the Muisca. It formed the connection between the territories of thezipa in the south andzaque in the north andmerchants between the two parts of theMuisca Confederation would pass the lake.
WhenconquistadorGonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his troops arrived at the lake in 1537, the water level was 10 metres (33 ft) to 15 metres (49 ft) higher.[8]
Since 1934 about 70% of the lake surface has shrunk, from 100 square kilometres (1.1×109 sq ft) to 30 square kilometres (320,000,000 sq ft).[9] In this time, the lake level has dropped by 1 metre (3.3 ft).[9]
Around 47 bird species visit in Lake Fúquene, among themAgelaius icterocephalus bogotensis andFulica americana.[10] In 1940, more than 80 fauna species were foraging around the lake, a number that had reduced to 58 in 2014.[11]
In and around the lake 248 plant species have been identified.[12] Some of the flora species areScirpus californicus,Typha,[13]Ixobrichus exilis bogotensis,[12] andAlnus jorullensis.[14] In recent years, 40% of thebiodiversity has disappeared in the past 60 years.[15]
In 2014, around 207,000 inhabitants of the area lived around the lake.[11] Fiftydairy farming industries exist around it, with the most important inUbaté,Chiquinquirá andSimijaca.[11][15]
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