Ilopango lake

Ilopango lake
Geographical location	El Salvador
Tributaries	no
Drain	none
Islands	Islas Quemadas
	Data
Coordinates	13 ° 40 ′ N , 89 ° 3 ′ W Coordinates: 13 ° 40 ′ N , 89 ° 3 ′ W
Altitude above sea level	440 m
surface	72 km²
length	11 km
width	8 kilometers
Maximum depth	230 m

The Ilopango Lake ( Lago de Ilopango ; also called Lago de Apulo ) is a crater lake in El Salvador .

location

Lake Ilopango is located about 12 kilometers east of the capital San Salvador at about 440 meters above sea level. d. M .; it borders on the departments of San Salvador in the west, La Paz in the south and Cuscatlán in the east.

Emergence

The lake with no inflow or outflow was probably formed after the last major eruption of the Ilopango volcano in the 3rd to 6th centuries AD, during which the Maya city of Joya de Cerén was also buried by layers of rock and ash ( tephra ). The 72 square kilometers large and up to 230 meters deep Lago de Ilopango , whose water level is only regulated by rainwater, formed in the caldera that was created at that time .

In the years 1879/80 a volcanic lava dome was built in it - the small island Islas Quemadas - with a height of approx. 46 meters and a diameter of 152 meters. In 1928 the water rose again and destroyed many houses along the lake shore.

economy

The abundance of fish in the lake has served the surrounding villages as a protein-rich food source for centuries. At the end of the 20th century, tilapias ( Oreochromis niloticus ) were released, which may displace the native cichlids ( Amatitlania nigrofasciata , Astatheros macracanthus and Parachromis managuensis ). The western coast of the lake and the town of Asino Ilopango are popular destinations for day trippers from the capital, which has led to increasing water pollution.