Lake Managua (, ), also known as Lake Xolotlán (), is a freshwater

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. At 1,042 km², it is approximately long and wide. Similarly to the name of

Lake Nicaragua Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada (, , or ) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua. Of tectonic origin and with an area of , it is the largest fresh water lake in Central America, the List of lakes by area, 19th largest lake in the world (by are ...

, its other name comes from the

Nahuatl language Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

, possibly from the Spanish

Tlaxcaltec The Tlaxcallans, or Tlaxcaltec, are an indigenous Nahua people who originate from Tlaxcala, Mexico. The Confederacy of Tlaxcala was instrumental in overthrowing the Aztec Empire in 1521, alongside conquistadors from the Kingdom of Spain. The ...

and

Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: ; singular ) are a Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire. The Mexica established Tenochtitlan, a settlement on an island ...

allies but most likely from the Nicarao tribes that had already settled in the region. The city of

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

, the capital of Nicaragua, lies on its southwestern shore.

Islands

There are two uninhabited

lake island A lake island is any landmass within a lake. It is a type of inland island. Lake islands may form a lake archipelago. Formation Lake islands may form in numerous ways. They may occur through a build-up of sedimentation as shoals, and become t ...

s: * , a

volcanic island Geologically, a volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term high island can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

. There is another nearby volcano, on the mainland:

Momotombo Momotombo is a stratovolcano in Nicaragua, located near the city of León. It stands on the shores of Lake Managua. An eruption of the volcano in 1610 forced inhabitants of León, in the Spanish Empire, to relocate about west. The ruins of the ...

. * Isla Rosa, an islet

Flooding

The level of Lake Managua rises significantly during periods of heavy rain. The highest water level was recorded during the flooding of 1933. The lake rose 3 metres (10 ft) in five days during

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was an extremely deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane, which became the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. Mitch caused 11,374 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately ...

in 1998, destroying the homes of many who lived on its edge. An even higher flooding occurred in September/October 2010. Since then, the city has prohibited residential use of the most flood-prone areas, those with the elevation below 42.76 meters above sea level.

Pollution

Lake Managua was described by some authors as "the most contaminated lake in Central America."Douglas Haynes, he Lake at the Bottom of the Bottom ''VQR'', Summer 2011 The lake had been severely polluted, mostly by decades of

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...

being dumped into the lake.Hazel Plunkett. ''Nicaragua: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture.'' Interlink Books, Dec 1, 2001. pg. 71 The city sewers have drained into the lake since 1927. It was only in 2009 that a modern wastewater treatment plant (built and operated by the British company

Biwater Biwater International Limited provides large-scale water and wastewater treatment solutions. It has completed over 25,000 projects in over 90 countries, being headquartered in Surrey, England. Adrian White (businessman), Adrian White, CBE, founded ...

) was opened in Managua, but even it treats only 40% of the city's wastewater. The lake today has no stable outlet, with only occasional floods to

through the

Tipitapa River The Tipitapa River (Río Tipitapa) is a river in Nicaragua that connects Lake Managua to Lake Nicaragua. Its flow is seasonally variable, and when Lake Managua, which is situated about ten meters higher than Lake Nicaragua, experiences high water l ...

. Pollutants are thus concentrated.Thorson, Thomas B.,
The Status of the Lake Nicaragua Shark: An Updated Appraisal
(1976). Investigations of the Ichthyofauna of Nicaraguan Lakes.Paper 41. Despite the pollution, some of the people of Managua still live along the lake's shores and eat the fish from it. In 2007 the 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 Riprap (in North American English), also known as rip rap, rip-rap, shot rock, rock armour (in British English) or rubble, is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. ...

and concrete wharf was constructed, and a sightseeing boat called ''La Novia de Xolotlán'' makes hour-long lake tours when there are sufficient tourists. Lake Managua was virtually dead, biologically speaking until a new wastewater treatment plant saved the lake and turned it into a recreational area for Nicaragua.

Wildlife

About 20 fish species still survive in Lake Managua. While joined to Lake Nicaragua, the

bull shark The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...

s of that lake cannot migrate to Lake Managua due to a waterfall on the

Gallery

File:LakeManagua_Tipitapa1.jpg, Lake view from

Tipitapa Tipitapa is a city and municipality in the Managua department of western Nicaragua. The area is located between Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua. History Tipitapa began as a settlement of local tribes. The first settlers were the Chorotegas, w ...

(2003) File:LakeManagua_Tipitapa3.jpg, View from

(2003).

and Momotombito Volcanoes in the background File:Momotombo.jpg,

Volcano on the lakeshore

References

External links

JPL NASA: PIA03365: Perspective View with Landsat Overlay, Lakes Managua (foreground) and Nicaragua (background)
{{Authority control

Managua Department