Surface Area
Population
Climate
Economy
Language
Religion

SURFACE AREA

Lake Titicaca is 204 km long and 65 km wide, covering 8,562 km2. About 4,772 km2 of which correspond to Peru and 3,790 km2 to Bolivia. It consists of two bodies of water separated by the Strait of Tiquina. The largest part is located in the north of the lake and it is called Lake Maggiore or Chucuito, it has an area of 6,450 km2 and is the deepest part of Lake Titicaca, 283 m deep near Soto Island .

 

POPULATION

The almost constant temperature of the water (51°F/11°C) modifies the climate and makes possible the growing of potatoes and grains at the high altitude. Native balsas, small flat-bottomed reed boats with reed sails, dot the lake and are used for commerce and fishing. Steamer service connects the lake ports of Guaqui, Bolivia, and Puno, Peru. On the lake near Puno, Uros live on floating islands made of reeds. Near the lake's southern shore is the pre-Inca ruin Tiahuanaco. In the lake are the islands of Titicaca and Coati, the legendary birthplace of the Incas, which contain ruins of past civilizations.

 

CLIMATE

The cold sources and winds over the lake give it an average surface temperature of 10°C to 14°C (50°F to 57°F). In the winter (June-September), mixing occurs with the deeper waters, which are always between 10°C to 11°C (50°F to 52°F). Titicaca's level fluctuates seasonally and over a cycle of years. During the rainy season (summer, from December to March) the level of the lake rises, normally to recede during the dry winter months. It was formerly believed that Titicaca was slowly drying up, but modern studies have seemed to refute this, indicating a more or less regular cycle of rise and fall.

 

ECONOMY

The most important economic activities are fishing, agriculture and textile art.

 

LANGUAGE

The people speak Aymara, Quechua and Spanish. In the high, flat land, Aymara, “Altiplano Ayamara”, is the most important and spoken in the region. It is an Andean language, spoken by a million six hundred thousand people in the vicinity of Lake Titicaca. According to the latest census of Bolivia, Chile (1992) and Peru (1993). The Aymara language is spoken by 1,237,658 in Bolivia, 296,465 in Peru and 48,477 in Chile.

 

RELIGION

The population is mainly Catholic. The Indigenous people practice Catholicism, but continue to hold pagan festivals and ritual ceremonies.