The lake is named after the cityMaracaibo, which lies on the east side of this channel. In Maracaibo, this channel is about 8.5km wide.General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge spans this channel. It is one of the longest bridges in the world.[6]
The lake has a size of about160 kilometres (99mi) by110 kilometres (68mi). 135 rivers flow into the lake. The biggest of them isCatatumbo River, which is 500km long. Others includeEscalante River andChama River.
In the northern part of the lake, there isbrackish water. The southern part of the lake isfreshwater. There are many islands in the lake.
In most parts of the lake, the water is very shallow. For this reason, acanal has been built, so that oceangoing ships are able to access theports of Maracaibo and Cabimas.
In 1914,crude oil was found in the lake, nearCabimas. The surroundingMaracaibo Basin contains large reserves of it; the lake is a major profit center for Venezuela.[7][8] Almost a quarter of Venezuela's population live in the basin around the lake.[9]
Lake Maracaibo is not very deep, on average, it only has a depth of5 metres (16ft). Its biggest depth is45 metres (148ft). Its water is very warm, usually30°C (86°F). During the day, a lot of waterevaporates from the lake. At night, the air around the lake cools down faster than the air over the lake. This leads to the formation of clouds. Because of the difference intemperature,thunderstorms are frequent. Largeflocks ofcattle graze in the area around the lake. Very often, they are hit by lightning. Lightning may also hit one of the many oil extraction facilities in the lake, which often catch fire.
This weather phenomenon is known asCatatumbo lightning. It regularly occurs at Lake Maracaibo and produces more lightning than any other place on the planet.[10]
False color image to show the pollution of the lake: The dark patches in the bluish area areoil spillsMuch of the lakeshore is contaminated with waste
The environment of the lake has several problems. Part of the lake is infested with theduckweedLemna. Duckweed are plants that float freely on the water. The problem withLemna is that it spreads very fast. Its cover of the water can double in 48 hours. The plants can only be removed physically. In mid 2004, about 18% of the lake was covered with it.
Duckweed is nottoxic tofish, but it takesoxygen out of the lake as it decays. This kills fish. Though officials say the weed has not harmed fish yet, it is harming the local fishing industry. The plant clogs the motors of small boats, making it impossible for fishers to launch their vessels.
Duckweed also threatens the localecosystem because it shades the lake: Other plants in the lake do not get enough light, and die off. In certain conditions, the weed may concentrateheavy metals andbacteria such asSalmonella andVibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causescholera. Even though it causes many problems, the weed may also have some use: Duckweed can be treated to feedpoultry, or to makepaper.
The lake has other problems. Untreatedsewage is released into it, andoil drilling operations cause pollution withcrude oil.
↑Albrecht, R. I.; Goodman, S. J.; Buechler, D. E.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Christian, H. J. (2016). "Where are the lightning hotspots on Earth?".Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.97 (11):2051–2068.Bibcode:2016BAMS...97.2051A.doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00193.1.
