| Lake Tota | |
|---|---|
| Satellite view. Aquitania is the town on the right | |
| Location | Boyacá |
| Basin countries | Colombia |
| Max. length | 12 km |
| Max. width | 7.2 km |
| Surface area | 55 km² |
| Max. depth | 62 m |
| Surface elevation | 3015 m |
| Islands | San Pedro, Sto. Domingo, La Custodia, Sta. Helena, Cerro Chico |
| Settlements | Aquitania |
Lake Tota (Spanish: Laguna de Tota), the largest lake in Colombia, located in the east of Boyacá department, is the source of the Upia River which flows into the Orinco River basin.
The major town on the lake is Aquitania, located on its eastern side. Other nearby villages include Tota, Iza and Cuitiva.
Lake Tota was an important religious center for the Muisca culture.
The area around Lake Tota is one of the major onion producing regions of Colombia.
The average water temperature of 13°C allowed for the introduction of rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) which created a valuable wild fishery (a mounted specimen in Restaurante Lucho, Aquitania, reportedly 12 years old, weighed 7 kg) and cage culture aquaculture, but predation on native fish species as led to the now accepted extinction of the pez graso or grease fish (Rhizosomichthys totae) believed native to only this lake.
Lake Tota is a breeding ground for several threatened or endangered bird species, including the Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis bogotensis), the Colombian Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis andina), the Bogotá Rail (Rallus semiplumbeus) and Apolinar's Wren (Cistothorus apolinari). The last confirmed sighting of the Colombian Grebe (Podiceps andinus), now considered to be extinct, was at Lake Tota.[1]