Lake Titicaca (Spanish: Lago Titicaca), at 3821 m above sea level, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. There are higher lakes and tarns in the Andes and Himalayas mountain ranges, but they are too small to be considered navigable [1]. With a surface area of approximately 8300 square kilometres Titicaca is South America's largest freshwater lake. The partly-salt Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is bigger, at about 13,000 square kilometers, but some say it should be classified as a sea because it is connected to the ocean.

Located in the Altiplano high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia, Titicaca has an average depth of between 140 and 180 m, and a maximum depth of 280 m. The western part of the lake belongs to the Puno region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.

More than 25 rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands – some of which are densely populated.

Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros, nine artificial islands made of floating reeds. These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno. Another island, Taquile, is another tourist attraction featuring a different indigenous community. The Taquile locals are known for their handwoven textile products, which are some of the highest quality handicrafts in Peru.

Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano. It is drained by the Desaguadero River , which flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poopó; however, this effluent accounts for less than five per cent of the water loss, the rest being accounted for by evaporation as a result of the strong winds and intense sunlight at this altitude.

The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown; it has been translated as "Rock of the Puma", combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara, and as "Crag of Lead". Locally, the lake goes by several names.

Because the southeast quarter of the lake is separated from the main body by the Strait of Tiquina, the Bolivians call this smaller part Lago Huinaymarca and the larger part Lago Chucuito. In Peru, these smaller and larger parts are referred to as Lago Pequeño and Lago Grande, respectively.

Pop-culture references

A segment of the Disney feature Saludos Amigos featured Donald Duck at the water body.

Because portions of its name sound like vulgarities in English slang, Titicaca is the lake that Cornholio, alter-ego of Beavis of MTV's animated series Beavis and Butt-head, claims to come from.