Lake Cuitzeo
Encyclopedia
Lake Cuitzeo is a lake
in central part of Mexico
, in the Michoacán State
. It is located at around 19°56′0"N 101°5′0"W. It has an area of 300-400 km². The lake is astatic, and the volume and level of water in the lake fluctuates frequently. It is the second largest freshwater lake in Mexico.
Lake Cuitzeo lies in an endorheic basin, which does not drain to the sea. The basin has an area of 4026 square kilometers, lying mostly in Michoacán, with the northern part of the basin in Guanajuato
state. Michoacán's capital, Morelia
, lies in the Cuitzeo basin south of the lake. The basin of the Lerma River
lies to the east and north, and the basin of the Balsas River
lies to the south, separated by the mountains of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
. The endorheic basin of Lake Pátzcuaro
lies to the west.
The lake is irregular in shape, with northern, western, and eastern sections connected by a central marshy area, which receives the main freshwater inflows. It has no natural outflow, but an outflow canal was constructed to the north, allowing the lake to drain into the Lerma River basin when the water level is high. The western section was divided in two by the construction of north-south highways. The western portion is saltier, and sustains unusual fisheries of clam shrimp
s (Eocyzicus digueti and Leptestheria compleximanus), as well as hemiptera
ns, and ephydrids.
The three main inflows to the lake are the Viejo de Morelia, Grande de Morelia, and Querendaro rivers. These rivers originate in the mountains to the south, and sustain an irrigated agricultural area south of the lake, entering the central portion of the lake as irrigation canals. The main crops are maize, cotton, and coffee.
About 40% of the basin is agricultural fields, 15% pasture, 20% pine-oak forests, and 15% tropical dry forest. The pine-oak forests lie at higher elevations, and are part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
ecoregion. The Bajío dry forests
ecoregion covers the lower-lying parts of the basin, extending north into the basin of the Lerma River.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in central part of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in the Michoacán State
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
. It is located at around 19°56′0"N 101°5′0"W. It has an area of 300-400 km². The lake is astatic, and the volume and level of water in the lake fluctuates frequently. It is the second largest freshwater lake in Mexico.
Lake Cuitzeo lies in an endorheic basin, which does not drain to the sea. The basin has an area of 4026 square kilometers, lying mostly in Michoacán, with the northern part of the basin in Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
state. Michoacán's capital, Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, lies in the Cuitzeo basin south of the lake. The basin of the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
lies to the east and north, and the basin of the Balsas River
Balsas River
The Balsas River is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán...
lies to the south, separated by the mountains of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
. The endorheic basin of Lake Pátzcuaro
Lake Pátzcuaro
Lake Pátzcuaro is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.The natives believe that the lake is the place where the barrier between life and death is the thinnest....
lies to the west.
The lake is irregular in shape, with northern, western, and eastern sections connected by a central marshy area, which receives the main freshwater inflows. It has no natural outflow, but an outflow canal was constructed to the north, allowing the lake to drain into the Lerma River basin when the water level is high. The western section was divided in two by the construction of north-south highways. The western portion is saltier, and sustains unusual fisheries of clam shrimp
Clam shrimp
Clam shrimp are a taxon of bivalved branchiopod crustaceans that resemble the unrelated bivalved molluscs. They are extant, and known from the fossil record, from at least the Devonian period and perhaps before...
s (Eocyzicus digueti and Leptestheria compleximanus), as well as hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
ns, and ephydrids.
The three main inflows to the lake are the Viejo de Morelia, Grande de Morelia, and Querendaro rivers. These rivers originate in the mountains to the south, and sustain an irrigated agricultural area south of the lake, entering the central portion of the lake as irrigation canals. The main crops are maize, cotton, and coffee.
About 40% of the basin is agricultural fields, 15% pasture, 20% pine-oak forests, and 15% tropical dry forest. The pine-oak forests lie at higher elevations, and are part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of central Mexico.-Setting:...
ecoregion. The Bajío dry forests
Bajío dry forests
The Bajío dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of west-central Mexico.The Bajío dry forests lie in the southwestern portion of the Mexican Plateau...
ecoregion covers the lower-lying parts of the basin, extending north into the basin of the Lerma River.