| Lake Managua Lago de Managua Lago Xolotlán |
|
|---|---|
| From space (January 1986). North is to the left | |
| Basin countries | Nicaragua |
| Max. length | 65 km |
| Max. width | 25 km |
| Surface area | 1,024 km² |
| Average depth | 9.5 m |
| Max. depth | 20 m |
| Surface elevation | 39 m |
| Settlements | Managua |
Lake Managua (also known as Lake Xolotlán) (located at ) is a lake in Nicaragua. The Spanish name is Lago de Managua or Lago Xolotlán. At 1,042 km², it is approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) long and 25 kilometres (16 mi) wide. Similarly to the name of Lake Nicaragua, its name was coined by the Spanish conquerors from "Mangue" (their name for the Mánkeme tribes) and agua ("water"). The city of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, lies on its southwestern shore.
The lake has been severely polluted, mostly by decades of sewage being dumped into the lake. Despite the pollution, some of the people of Managua still live along the lake's shores and eat the fish.
It rose 3 metres (10 ft) in five days during Hurricane Mitch in 1998, destroying the homes of many who lived on its edge.
It is also joined by the Tipitapa River to another lake, Lake Nicaragua; however, owing to the extreme pollution, the Bull sharks of Lake Nicaragua cannot migrate to Lake Managua . In 2007 the "malecón" area was dredged and the sediment hauled off on barges. A strong odor which permeated the area from the sediment disappeared. A stone rip-rap and concrete wharf was constructed and a sight seeing boat called "La Novia de Xolotlán" makes hour-long lake tours when there are sufficient tourists.
