The Incas called
Cuzco “the navel of the world” and the
lake Titikaka
“The womb of Mankind” , lakeside dwellers of today regard themselves as
the “oldest people in the world”.Lake Titikaka in Bolivia is one really
amazing place to see. It covers approximately 9000 square km and like
many things in Bolivia it takes another highest championship: it is the
world’s highest navigable lake
(12,500 feet) 3,820 meters, its depth was recently measured at 457 Mt.
Lake Titikaka has long been known to be not only the largest but also
the most sacred in the world. Many cultures and civilisations have risen near it.
The
Tiawanaku culture
began its raise around the time of Christ and lasted over a millennium ,
extending far into Puno and Northern Chile. Tiawanaku ceremonial sites
were constructed along the shores of Lake Titikaka, indicating that the
lake was considered sacred at least 2,000 years ago.
The Incas
believed they originated from the lake Titikaka and that their bearded,
white leader/deity Viracocha began his acts of creation on this island .
Clearly lake Titikaka played a dominant role in Andean beliefs for over
two millennia.
The best known of Titikaka island are
Taquile and Uros,
the floating islands made of bulrushes, on the Peruvian side of the
lake and the islands of the Sun and of the Moon on the Bolivian side.
Bulrushes (totora) grow in the low waters of the lake , they have always
been of multiple use for the natives . The people from the Titikaka
region weave this plant very well to make rafts which seem to be made of
woven glob fibre; they cut swiftly through the waters of the great
lake. Birds nests among the bulrushes , providing eggs for human
consumption , the matted plants serve as a foundation to built bulrush
houses on. The most important geographical features of Titikaka include
the Copacabana peninsula which contains remains of cultures dating back
to long before the Spanish influence in South America .
Bolivia as country is a premier adventure travel
destination. It is the fifth-largest country in South America and one of
the most geographically diverse countries in the world.
The Altiplano, a high mountain plateau where
Andean civilization
first developed, lies between two ranges of the Andes mountains that
tower over 23,000 feet. Visitors come to this region to experience the
amazingly beautiful waters, landscapes, and cultures of Lake Titikaka.
Bolivia’s terrain ranges from spectacular Andean peaks to dense
Amazonian rain forests, such as the jungles of Madidi National Park,
Noel Kempf Mercado National Park on the border with Brazil.
In Bolivia, with the largest indigenous population in the Americas,
Andean culture is alive and strong. Visitors experience Bolivia’s great
indigenous heritage and enjoy traditional native architecture, clothing,
colorful markets, handcrafts, dances, music, and seeing the daily life
of Aymara communities. In La Paz, campesina women in bowler hats and
flared skirts sell their products in huge open air markets. In some
regions, you are more likely to hear the indigenous Aymara language than
Spanish. Being in Bolivia is like stepping back in time by many years.
That’s how Lake Titikaka looks from space. Here is
Google Earth Placemark for Lake Ttitikaka in Bolivia.
Quick Facts for Lake Titikaka:
Altitude: 12,500 ft (3,810m) above sea level; the highest navigable lake in the world, lying between Peru and Bolivia
Area: covers 3,205 square miles (8,301 square kilometers)
Length: 120 miles running northwest to southeast
Widest point: 50 miles
Avg. depth: 328 ft.
Fishes: being an alpine lake only two species are
native to the lake—killfish (Orestias) and catfish (Trichomycterus);
trout were introduced in the 1950s.
Other species: Large frog (Telmatobius) up to 1 ft. long
Other facts: -Fed by 25 rivers
-May tide as much 16ft.
-Forty-one islands
