A vast brackish lake in Venezuela, connected to the sea and famous for its lightning.
Surface area
13,000 km²
Maximum depth
about 60 m
Elevation
0 m
Continent
South America
Countries
Venezuela
Did you know?
Over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, Lake Maracaibo sees lightning almost every night — the most lightning-struck place on Earth.
Little-known fact
This 'Catatumbo lightning' is so reliable it once served as a natural lighthouse for sailors.
Highlights
- A huge brackish lake
- The most lightning-prone place on Earth
- A natural lighthouse for sailors
Life in the Lake Maracaibo
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
West Indian manatee
A gentle, slow-moving “sea cow” that drifts through warm rivers and lagoons grazing on water plants.
Water plants & reeds
Water hyacinth
A beautiful but notorious free-floating weed that can choke entire waterways in a matter of weeks.
Mangrove
Salt-tolerant trees whose stilted roots build the nurseries of the great river deltas.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here