Lake Junin
Lake Junin, known as Lago Junin in Spanish and Chinchaycocha ("Northern Lake") in Quechua, is the largest lake entirely within Peru. Even though Lake Titicaca has a much larger area, its eastern half is located on Bolivian territory. Located at approximately 4,082 m above sea level, it is an important birdwatching destination in the country.
Most of the lake is located in the Junin Province of the Junin Region, its northwestern tip belongs to the Pasco Province, which is in the Pasco Region.
Lake Junin is surrounded by emergent vegetation, which in some places can reach 6 km wide and become so dense that it is impenetrable. The fish fauna is abundant but includes several introduced species.
The lake is within the Amazon catchment. There is a hydroelectric power station, which regulates the water level of the lake at the outflow of the lake, through the Upamayo river. In years of abundant rains, fluctuations in the water level are moderate, but in years of drought water level may drop 1.5 - 2 m leaving extensive areas exposed.
Since 1933 there has been an inflow of mining residues into the lake, which has adversely affected the fish and bird fauna in parts of the lake. Sewage coming from the cities of Junin and Carhuamayo also pollutes the lake. These types of pollution are contributing to the natural eutrophication process of this wetland.
Lago Junin is the only home of the critically endangered Junin grebe, Podiceps taczanowskii, one of the rarest birds in the world, also the endangered Junin Rail seems to be endemic to this lake [*].
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Lake Junin
