High above the oceans in the ring of snowy peaks of the Andes - this is where Titicaca, the most legendary and unique lake in South America. Any visitor to this continent certainly wants to see this natural wonder with his own eyes. In the article we will tell not only about Lake Titicaca: where it is located, what organisms live in it, but also dwell on the legends that hang around this wonderful place.
General facts
Titicaca is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in South America. The lake, with an area of 8300 square kilometers, is quite deep: there are sections up to 140 meters, and in some places the depth reaches all 280.
The water in the pond is cold: the highest rate is +12 degrees. This is due to the fact that the lake is fed by the meltwater of glaciers located on the tops of the mountains near the place where Titicaca is located. In total, 27 rivers flow into the reservoir, and 5 of them are very deep. In addition, the water level is replenished with precipitation in the region.
An interesting fact is that, abundantly filling, Titicaca is in no hurry to part with his waters: only one river flows from the lake - Desaguadero. However, it also carries up to 10 percent of the waters; the remaining 90 evaporate under the sweltering hot sun and dry winds.
As for the water level, it is stable: during the rainy season, Titicaca is replenished with water, and in the winter dry months it loses it. This balance allows the lake not to dry out (for a long time, research scientists have sounded the alarm).
Location geography
Where is Titicaca located? Where is it located in which country? It is impossible to answer unequivocally, because the reservoir belongs to two countries: Peru and Bolivia. The border between the states runs exactly along the coastline: the western part - Peru, the eastern - Bolivia.
Antiplano - the name of the plateau where Lake Titicaca is located. This place is not very calm due to the abundance of active volcanoes, the activity of which formed a complex relief. It is characterized by the presence of closed basins, one of which eventually became Lake Titicaca.
Externally, the reservoir looks like two full lakes, but this is not so, because the parts (the Big and Small Lakes) are connected by the Tikun Strait 800 meters long.
On a large area of the reservoir, 41 islands are located. The largest, Isla del Sol, is quite populated, there are other islands on which people live.
Origin
According to scientists, once Titicaca, where the largest reserve of fresh water in South America is located, was part of the oceans. It was a sea bay, located almost 4 thousand meters lower than now. Gradually, under the influence of geological processes, together with the Andes, he rose to his current height. It is no secret that these mountains of South America are young, and therefore, they tend to “grow”, rise up.
What allowed scientists to draw such conclusions? Firstly, the study of the animal kingdom of the lake, and secondly, traces of the surf, which were identified on the slopes, and the fossilized remains of animals - marine inhabitants. The whole process of raising the reservoir took place over 100 million years.
Climate
The area where Lake Titicaca is located is very high above sea level. Passes here the alpine climate zone. This explains the climatic conditions: there is no sweltering heat in summer, and winters are not frosty.
So, the average summer temperature is 18-21 degrees, and winter - 14-16 degrees. Such indicators are due to where Lake Titicaca is located, on which continent and in which hemisphere. Indeed, here the summer period is December-February, and the winter is June-August.
The water temperature is always unchanged: 10-14 degrees on the entire surface, but off the coast in winter the lake sometimes even freezes.
However, the waters of Titikaki from ancient times attracted people, because they had long noticed that the climate in the vicinity of the lake is milder than on the continent. Titicaca is a kind of buffer that makes the harsh weather of the cold desert more comfortable.
Animal world
The area where Titicaca is located is a real abode of birds, both constantly living and migrating. Here they live more than sixty species, and there are those that are on the verge of extinction. For example, here you can meet the almost disappeared Titicacan flightless grebe or thin-billed loaf. Chilean flamingos, Andean swallows and countless duck species were found here.
The most famous amphibian inhabitant can be called a unique frog, which is able to breathe underwater. This is a Titicacan whistler. He lives in a swampy area, hiding among stones or reeds. The animal rarely comes ashore. Watching him is a great success. In addition to the whistle, another 18 species of amphibians live on Titicaca.
Mammals are represented little - affected rather harsh climate and an altitude of almost 4 thousand meters above sea level. There are llamas, Andean foxes, a wolf and a skunk, a wild guinea pig and an amazing little whiskey animal - a rodent very similar to a rabbit.
As for fish species, many that existed here have become extinct or become very rare. The fact is that in the 30-40s of the XX century, people decided to improve the fishing industry in the lake by launching non-native fish species. As a result, they took root, crowding out the old-timers. The trout felt especially good here.
Reed islands
The area where Titicaca is located is inhabited by numerous tribes, including unique uru. They live on islands that they themselves weave from ordinary reeds.
It would seem a very fragile design. However, its thickness of 13 meters withstands people and their structures, by the way, made from the same reed. It grows abundantly on the shores of the lake, and therefore has become the material for the creation of such unusual islands. They have been making their cheers by hand for many centuries.
Why do the Indians need such structures, because Titicaca is very rich in islands of natural origin? The answer is simple: they motivate ur with the fact that at the slightest danger they can sail away to another place.
It is noteworthy that this tribe experiences a special thrill for the reed: it is used not only for equipping homes, but also for eating, clothes are made from it.
Mythology
A very mysterious place where Lake Titicaca is located. In which country was the Inca civilization born? Right here. And the lake was the center of the universe - so the ancient tribes believed.
After a large-scale catastrophe, akin to the Great Flood of the Bible, the supreme god Viracocha arose from the depths of Titicaca. He stopped the complete disappearance of the planet. For a long time Viracocha wandered among the Amantani islands until he chose two of them. These were Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. On the first, he ordered the sun to rise, on the second - the moon. And then on top of the mountain Tiwanaku created people. It is noteworthy that the locals still worship these places. On the islands located in the middle of the lake, ancient sanctuaries have been arranged that attracted pilgrims for centuries.
Archaeologists have unequivocally proven that many shrines existed before the Incan civilization. The latter simply adopted structures for their similar cults. The Incan predecessor was Tiwanaku civilization, which left the annals of history in 1200 AD.
Island of the sun
Isla del Sol, or the island of the Sun, is one of the iconic islands of Lake Titicaca. Where is? In which country: Peru or Bolivia? It belongs to the latter. According to legend, it was on Isla del Sol that the founders of the Incan civilization Manco Kapak and his wife were born.
The island is hilly and rocky throughout the territory; here you can not find either roads or cars. All five thousand people live in fishing and tourism business.
Indeed, on Isla del Sol there are more than eighty objects of the ancient Inca architecture. We will analyze the main places of pilgrimage for tourists. Their interest in the place where Lake Titicaca is located, whose photos are presented in the article, does not wane.
The ruins of Chinkana - a building where once there was a school of ministers of the Inca cult, an ancient memorial stone was installed on their territory, from which, according to legend, the Inca civilization originates.
The steps leading to the village of Yumani are another attraction. According to legend, the path to the sources of eternal youth lies through them.
Pilko Kayna is a very interesting building. Archaeologists believe that girls from the island of Isla de la Luna were detained here in order to protect them from encroachment.
The literal translation is “the place where the birds sleep.” Outwardly, it is very reminiscent of a kind of bastion.