Lake Managua
The Lake Managua (also known like Lake Xolotlán , or Lago de Managua in Spanish) (located at) is a lake located at the Nicaragua. It is long of approximately 60 kilometers for a width of 30 kilometers. As for the name of the Lake Nicaragua, its name was allotted to him by the Spanish conquistadors, it comes from Mangue (the name that they gave to the tribues Mánkeme) and agua (" eau"). The town of Managua, the capital of the Nicaragua, is located at the south-west of the lake. The surface of the lake is of 1042 km ². The average depth is of 9,5 m and the maximum depth lies between 30 and 39 meters.
Its form, like all the volcanic lakes, is circular, only the peninsulas of Chiltepe and Panami stops its regular form. At the North-West, is located the principal island, Momotombito. The principal affluents are the Río Sinecapa and the Río El Viejo.
The lake was seriously polluted, partly by the company Kodak which poured mercury in the lake in the years 1950. But in spite of pollution, the inhabitants of Managua continue to live on the banks of the lake and to eat fish that they fish there.
The level of water suddenly went up 3 meters in five days during the Ouragan Mitch in 1998, destroying the houses of those which lived on its banks.
It is connected by the Fleuve Tipitapa to the Lac Nicaragua, whose dimensions are much more important and who is located 9 meters downwards. Connection between them stopped in 1910 because of a fall of the level of the water of the lake Managua; but it was restored in 1998, when ouragant it Mitch made assemble the water of the lake. However, because of extreme pollution, the Requin bulldog S which live in the lake Nicaragua do not migrate towards the Lake Managua.
External bonds
- the Lake Managua on the site of NASA
- the Lake Managua on Google Maps