South America has the highest rainfall compared to the rest of the Earth. This created good conditions for the emergence of an abundant system of lakes and rivers. They play a serious role in various aspects of human life and the Earth, among them there is also a tourist component. Incidentally, some rivers and lakes in South America are virtually water-free. But for travelers, this does not make them less attractive. Even, rather, on the contrary - today many people are interested in South America.
The lakes of the mainland attract a lot of travelers annually. People come from all over the world to look at some of them.
Maracaibo
Today, many tourists are interested in exploring South America. Lakes also attract their attention. The largest of them is Maracaibo. But if we consider it as a geographical entity, it has the signs of a bay. Its main feature is a rather scary and unique natural phenomenon - these are Catatumbo lightning bolts.
At the confluence of the Katatumbo River, lightning is observed. Here they hit almost continuously for 9 hours. Almost half of the nights here are lit up with very bright flashes, they can be seen for 400 km.
This phenomenon is explained by the collision of methane rising up. It comes from local swamps, as well as from the Andes, from the descending air currents. At this moment, a potential difference forms in the clouds, which is constantly discharged in the form of celestial electricity.
Peach lake
On the island of Trinidad is Lake Peach Lake. No one in his right mind will swim in it, even if he is very interested in South America, whose lakes attract the attention of a huge number of tourists every year.
This is a huge natural reservoir of "live" asphalt, the total area of which is about 40 hectares. A gloomy, black, periodically gurgling surface in places, in some areas with islands of soil, it is not clear how it appeared here, on which curved, stunted trees grow, - in this place the landscape is surprisingly non-touristic.
People come here not to admire, but to see something unique and go to the local museum. There are exhibits received from the bitumen lake: Native American ceramics, bones of a huge sloth, as well as a section of a tree trunk, whose age was estimated at 4000 years.
Titicaca
This lake has several titles at once:
- it is the highest mountain lake in the world with the possibility of shipping;
- the second largest on the continent of South America (the lakes of the mainland are "scattered" throughout its territory);
- South America has the largest freshwater storage facility.
For lovers of adventure and travel, this lake is surrounded by a fleur of puzzles and legends. For example, treasure hunters believe that the treasures of ancient civilizations are buried at its bottom .
Red lake
Looking at the lakes of South America, it is impossible not to highlight the Red Lake. So often called the Laguna Colorado. This lake is located in a reserve called Eduardo Avaroa in Bolivia, at an altitude of almost 4200 meters.
Its uniqueness is based on two factors.
- First: in this place “live” algae, which produce substances that reliably protect them from ultraviolet radiation, therefore, changing the shade of water. The lake, depending on the temperature and time of day, can take on different shades - from scarlet to dark violet.
- Next: this is the place where thousands of flamingos live, among which there are representatives of rare species.
Uyuni
Some lakes in South America have a small amount of water. So in Uyuni, she appears extremely rarely. This is the largest salt-dried lake in the world, which was formed in the prehistoric period by the method of transformation of several reservoirs at once.
This giant salt marsh, with a total area of about 10.5 thousand km², is located in Bolivia, in the south of Altiplano, a desert plain. It contains large reserves of salt, lithium chloride.
Travelers who come here in the period of rain, the lake gives an amazing experience. At this time, a feeling of riding or walking through a huge mirror, flat and smooth, which spreads over great distances, is created.
There are many beautiful lakes on the mainland. Some of them are located in hard-to-reach regions, others are "tourist untwisted attractions." Like it or not, every traveler who is looking for unforgettable sensations and vivid impressions is worth seeing the large lakes of South America.