Lake Junin (;

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

''Lago Junín'', named after the nearby town of Junin) or Chinchaycocha (possibly from

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

''chincha, chinchay'' north, northern, ''chinchay''

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

, ''qucha'' lake, lagoon, "northern lake" or "ocelot lake") is the largest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

entirely within

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian territory. Even though

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, ...

has a much larger area, its eastern half is located on

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

n territory. Lake Junin is an important

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

destination in the country.

Geography

Most of the lake is located in the Junin Province of the Junin Region, its northwestern tip belongs to the

Pasco Province The Pasco Province is one of the three provinces that make up the Pasco Region in Peru. The capital of this province is the city Cerro de Pasco. Boundaries *North: Huánuco Region *East: Oxapampa Province *South: Junín Region *West: Lima Regio ...

which is in the

Pasco Region Pasco () is a department and region in central Peru. Its capital is Cerro de Pasco. Political division The region is divided into 3 provinces ( es, provincias, singular: ), which are composed of 28 districts (''distritos'', singular: ''distrito ...

. The surface elevation of the lake is located at above sea level.Shoobridge, D. (February 2006). Protected Area Profile Perú - Junín National Reserve, ParksWatch Perú. The lake is on the upper reaches of the

Mantaro River The Mantaro River ( es, Río Mantaro, qu, Hatunmayu) is a long river running through the central region of Peru. Its Quechua name means "great river". The word "Mantaro" may be a word originally from the Asháninka language, who live downstream al ...

within the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

catchment. There is a

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

station which regulates the water level of the lake at the outflow of the lake, through the

Upamayo Dam Dams in Peru Buildings and structures in Junín Region Buildings and structures in Pasco Region Dams completed in 1936 Gravity dams ...

. In years of abundant rains, fluctuations in the water level are moderate, but in years of drought water level may drop leaving extensive areas exposed. The deepest part of the lake, which is located about off Huayre, is deep. The headwaters of streams flowing into Lake Junin have been named as the "most distant"

source of the Amazon River The main source of the largest river in the world has been a subject of exploring and speculations for centuries and continues to cause arguments even today. Determining the origin of the Amazon River has evoked broad debates among scholars, explo ...

, one of the three places proposed as the "true" source of the Amazon.

Pollution

Since 1933 there has been an inflow of mining residues into the lake, which has adversely affected the fish and bird fauna in parts of the lake. Sewage coming from the cities of Junín and Carhuamayo also pollutes the lake. These types of pollution are contributing to the natural

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

process of this wetland.

Fauna and flora

Lake Junin has two

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

birds: the critically endangered Junín flightless grebe (''Podiceps taczanowskii'') and the endangered Junín rail (''Laterallus tuerosi'').Schulenberg, Stotz, Lane, O'Neill, and Parker III. (2007). ''Birds of Peru.'' The two endangered species of frogs in the genus ''

Batrachophrynus ''Telmatobius'' is a genus of frogs native to the Andean highlands in South America, where they are found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It is the only genus in the family Telmatobiidae. Some sources recogni ...

'' are restricted to the vicinity of the lake, although only one of these, the entirely aquatic Lake Junín giant frog (''B. macrostomus''), is found in the lake itself.Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani and Young, editors (2008). ''Threatened Amphibians of the World.'' Three ''Orestias'' pupfish, '' O. empyraeus'', '' O. gymnota'' and '' O. polonorum'', and the catfish ''

Trichomycterus ''Trichomycterus'' is a genus of fish in the family Trichomycteridae, the largest genus of its family with over 170 species currently described. This genus is native to freshwater habitats in Central and South America. These fish are generally sm ...

oroyae'' are endemic to the lake basin and its vicinity (including associated streams, rivers and smaller lakes). Lake Junin is surrounded by emergent vegetation, which in some places can reach wide and become so dense that it is impenetrable. The fish fauna is abundant but consists of few species, including

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

. The introduced

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

have been implicated in the decline of the endemic frogs.

References

External links

Factsheet of the natural reserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junin Lakes of Peru

Lake Junin Lake Junin (; Spanish ''Lago Junín'', named after the nearby town of Junin) or Chinchaycocha (possibly from Quechua ''chincha, chinchay'' north, northern, ''chinchay'' ocelot, ''qucha'' lake, lagoon, "northern lake" or "ocelot lake") is the larg ...

Lakes of Junín Region Lakes of Pasco Region

Geography

Pollution

Fauna and flora

See also

References

External links