Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca (的的喀喀湖) lies between Peru and Bolivia, so the boundary cuts the lake roughly into two halves. It sits 3,811 m (12,500 ft) above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. By volume of water, it is also the largest lake in South America.

The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.

Lake Titicaca is fed by rainfall and melt water from glaciers on the sierras that have a common boundary with the Altiplano. Five major river systems feed into Lake Titicaca.

Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros, a group of 42 or so artificial islands made of floating reeds 蘆葦 (totora, a reed that grows in the shallow parts of the lake). These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno (普諾). Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose. Many of the islands contain watch towers largely constructed of reeds. Large or small boats were made from totora and they are used for navigation on the lake.