The highest large navigable lake in the world, shimmering high in the Andes.
Surface area
8,372 km²
Maximum depth
about 281 m
Elevation
3,812 m
Continent
South America
Countries
Peru & Bolivia
Did you know?
At over 3,800 m, Titicaca is the highest navigable lake on Earth, sitting above many mountain summits.
Little-known fact
The Uros people live on floating islands they weave from totora reeds, rebuilding them constantly as the reeds rot away.
Highlights
- Highest navigable large lake
- Perched high in the Andes
- Home to floating reed islands
Life in the Lake Titicaca
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Waterbirds
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Water plants & reeds
Common reed
The tall, feathery grass that forms the vast reedbeds fringing rivers and lakes, sheltering countless birds.
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