15 Lake Maracaibo Facts: Freshwater, Bull Sharks & Many More!

Lake Maracaibo is a vast brackish bay (or brackish water tidal estuary) in Zulia, Venezuela.

Lake Maracaibo, also called el Lago Maracaibo, is one of the largest natural lakes in the continent of South America. The 3.4 mi (5.5 km) wide Tablazo Strait links it to the Gulf of Venezuela at its northern end.

As a result, Lake Maracaibo experiences a rare lightning phenomenon called the Catatumbo lightning. Numerous rivers flow into it, the greatest of which is the Catatumbo River.

This largely freshwater lake is a relic of the Orinoco's shifting channel. It receives a direct flow of water from the Caribbean Sea through the Maracaibo Strait and Tablazo Bay.

The Catatumbo River, which flows into Lake Maracaibo, is an important artery of communication for items from the surrounding area and the bay countries' Colombian-Venezuelan highlands. A 3.4 mi (5.5 km) long channel links it to the Caribbean Sea in the north.

Oceangoing boats can enter the lake through a dredged channel. The main settlements on the lake are Cabimas and the port of Maracaibo.

The lake's basin is home to almost a quarter of Venezuela's population. According to Columbia Encyclopedia, the Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, which spans the lake's mouth, is one of the world's longest bridges.

The nearby Maracaibo Basin has significant crude oil deposits, making the lake an important source of revenue for Venezuela. Thousands of derricks emerge from the ocean, with thousands more along the beach, while underwater pipelines transfer petroleum to land-based storage tanks. The lake's basin provides almost two-thirds of Venezuela's total petroleum production.

Catatumbo lightning, a weather phenomenon that regularly occurs near Lake Maracaibo, creates more lightning than anywhere else on the earth. Catacumbo lightning strikes at the mouth of the Catacumbo River, which drains into Lake Maracaibo. Lightning might even strike one of the lake's numerous oil production plants, which are prone to catch fire.

If you want to read some fun facts about Lake Maracaibo, one of the great lakes of Africa, you should read further to learn more. There's lots of information available on Malawi Lake and its beautiful water.

The History of Lake Maracaibo

Lake Maracaibo has a rich history.

The Guajiros, who are still present in great numbers on the large tidal bay, were the earliest known settlers. They were resettled in the western border region with Colombia. During a journey with Amerigo Vespucci, Alonso de Ojeda (also called Alonso de Maracaibo) was the first European to find the bay on Aug 24, 1499.

According to legend, Ojeda's expedition saw clusters of indigenous huts erected on stilts in the water (Spanish: palafitos) and linked to each other and the lake coast by boardwalks on stilts. Because the stilt dwellings reminded Vespucci of Venice (Italian: Venezia; Spanish: Venecia), he dubbed the area 'Venezuela,' which translates to little Venice in Spanish.

Some think that the suffix of 'uela' was meant to be derogatory as well as a diminutive word (e.g., cazuela/cazo, plazuela/plaza).

On the western side, the port town of Maracaibo was built in 1529.

The Action of Lake Maracaibo, a significant battle in the Venezuelan War of Independence, took place in the bay in July 1823. In 1914, Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, a precursor of Royal Dutch Shell, started drilling wells in the nearby lake basin.

Fishing in Lake Maracaibo

Of course, fishing in lakes is mostly a given, right?

As it is one of the largest lakes in South America, fishing in Lake Maracaibo is inevitable. However, due to multiple oil spills and weed infestation, the lake comprises dark patches in addition to salty water that makes fishing a little difficult in any part of the lake.

Still, the locals continue fishing as a day-to-day activity to earn a living or for food.

Infestation in Lake Maracaibo

As of Jun 18, 2004, duckweed, especially Lemna, covered a substantial percentage (18%) of the surface of Maracaibo Lake. Despite attempts to remove the plant, which can double in size every 48 hours, it now covers more than half of the lake. 

The only method to get rid of this duckweed infestation is to physically pick it out of the lake, as no chemical or biological treatment has yet to be discovered.

The government has been paying $2 million each month to clean the lake floor, and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., the state-owned oil corporation, has set up a $750 million cleaning fund.

However, the current attempts barely keep up with the plant's development.

How the plant ended up in the coastal saltwater of Maracaibo Lake still remains a mystery.

Although duckweed is not poisonous to fish, some experts are afraid that as it decays, it can diminish oxygen levels in the lake, killing fish in enormous numbers. Administrators state the duckweed has not harmed fish yet, but it's hurting the fishing economy, which has great economic importance and is the major profit center in the area.

Also, the plant clogs the engines of small boats, making it hard for fishers to launch their boats across the lake's coast. Duckweed poses a further hazard to the ecology by suffocating out other plants and shading significant areas of the lake. The most recent duckweed epidemic in the Lago de Maracaibo basin occurred in 2010.

Safety Measures When Visiting Lake Maracaibo

So, how can you keep yourself safe when you're at the lake?

Although the lake cools down during the day, is not too deep (it's 196 ft (60 m) in depth), and has moist air, many rivers flow into it, making it a little dangerous, especially for normal water sports. Therefore, you should always be careful while traversing it.

Wear lifejackets and don't go too near the water. As the water is salty, avoid touching it with bare hands.