Lake Pátzcuaro
| Lake Pátzcuaro | |
|---|---|
| Pátzcuaro Lake | |
| Lago de Pátzcuaro (Spanish) | |
View from Janitzio Island | |
Lake Pátzcuaro | |
| Location | Pátzcuaro, Michoacán |
| Coordinates | 19°36′54″N 101°39′00″W / 19.61500°N 101.65000°W |
| Catchment area | 929 square kilometres (359 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Mexico |
| Max. length | 50 kilometres (31 mi) |
| Max. width | 33 kilometres (21 mi) |
| Surface area | 126.4 square kilometres (48.8 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Water volume | 580 cubic hectometres (2.0×1010 cu ft) |
| Surface elevation | 2,035 metres (6,677 ft) |
| Islands | Jaracuaro, Uranden, Janitzio, Pacanda, Yunuen, Tecuena |
| Settlements | Pátzcuaro, Erongarícuaro, Quiroga, Tzintzuntzan |
| Official name | Humedales del Lago de Pátzcuaro |
| Designated | 2 February 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1447 |
Lake Pátzcuaro (Spanish: Lago de Pátzcuaro) is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.
Lake Pátzcuaro lies in an endorheic basin, which does not drain to the sea. A watershed area of 929 square kilometres drains into the lake, of which 126.4 are the water body. The Lake Pátzcuaro watershed extends 50 kilometres east–west and 33 kilometres from north to south. Lake Pátzcuaro lies at an elevation of 2,035 metres, and is the center of the basin and is surrounded by volcanic mountains with very steep slopes. It has an average depth of 5 metres and a maximum of 12. Its volume is approximately 580 million cubic metres.
The Lake Pátzcuaro basin is of volcanic origin. At times it has been part of an open and continuous hydrological system formed by Lake Cuitzeo, Pátzcuaro and Lake Zirahuén, which drained into the Lerma River. Today, like lakes Cuitzeo and Zirahuén, it is a closed basin, although ecologists consider it a sub-basin of the Lerma-Chapala basin.