The Strait of Tiquina is the passage that connects the larger and smaller parts of

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, ...

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 ...

Geography

The

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

is across at its narrowest point. It joins the upper lake, Lake Chucuito, and the lower (and smaller) lake, Lake Wiñaymarka (or Lake Pequeño, "little lake"). The entire lake is called

and is the largest lake, by volume, in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It is situated on the border of

and

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 ...

To save the distance around Lago Pequeno, buses and cars cross the strait on

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

s or

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s, the

passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

s usually separate from the heavier vehicles. The crossing runs between the towns of

San Pedro de Tiquina San Pedro de Tiquina is a town in the La Paz Department, Bolivia. It is also home to Bolivian Navy The Bolivian Navy ( es, Armada Boliviana) is a branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. As of 2008, the Bolivian Navy had approximately 5,000 p ...

and San Pablo de Tiquina.

Road blockades

The road for the crossing is on occasions blockaded by local residents protesting against increases in ferry tolls and demanding a road bridge. Local residents have campaigned for a bridge to be constructed but barge operators and the Government are against the proposal.

References

Tiquina Bodies of water of Bolivia Lake Titicaca Landforms of La Paz Department (Bolivia) {{LaPazBO-geo-stub