Laguna de Leche (Spanish for "Milk Lagoon", also called ''Laguna Grande de Morón'') is the largest natural fresh water lake in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. It is located in the wetland of northern

Ciego de Ávila Province Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of Cuba, and was previously part of Camagüey Province. Its capital is Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is Morón, further north. The provinc ...

, north of Morón, and has a total surface of . (The man-made

Zaza Reservoir Zaza Reservoir ( es, Embalse Zaza, La Presa Zaza) is the largest man-made reservoir in Cuba. It is located in the Sancti Spíritus Province in central Cuba, south-east of the city of Sancti-Spíritus and north-west of La Sierpe. It has a water ...

, at , is the largest in-land water surface by area in the country.)

Overview

The white color is caused by the lake's

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

bed. Natural movements of the sea level cause disturbances in the water table, which releases

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

particles from the lake bed into the water. A channel built in 1940 (Chicola Channel) connected the lake to the

Bay of Buena Vista The Bay of Buena Vista ( es, Bahía de Buena Vista) is a bay on Cuba's northern Atlantic shore. It is located in the northern part of the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila, between mainland Cuba and the archipelago ...

, allowing for the sugar processed in Morón to reach the small port of Chicola. In the process, the lake was contaminated with sea water, and it lost its characteristic white color. The channel was closed in 1988, and the milky color gradually recovered. The

Caribbean flamingo The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that tre ...

finds a natural habitat in the lake and its islands

References

Geography of Ciego de Ávila Province Morón, Cuba Leche {{Cuba-geo-stub

Overview

See also

References