Lake Cote
| Lake Cote | |
|---|---|
  Lake Cote Location in Costa Rica | |
| Coordinates | 10°34′53″N 84°54′42″W / 10.581389°N 84.911667°W |
| Type | crater lake |
| Max. length | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.983 km2 (0.766 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 680 m (2,230 ft) |
Lake Cote (Spanish: Lago Cote), originally known as Lake Cóter, is a fresh water crater lake located in the northern highlands of Costa Rica. It is currently the largest natural lake in Costa Rica at 1.98-square-kilometre (0.76 sq mi). Its depth varies between 6 and 18 meters.[1][2]
Location[edit]
Located in Cote district, Guatuso canton, of Alajuela province, between the Arenal Volcano and Tenorio Volcano. Nearby is located the largest lake in Costa Rica, Lake Arenal, of artificial origin.[3]
Physical aspects[edit]
It is a crater lake of Maar type with a heart-like ovoid shape and a 1 km diameter. Average depth is of 6.30m and maximum depth is 18m at the center area.
It is the natural drainage of River Cote.
Average water temperature is around 21.9 °C and 27.9 °C.
Uses[edit]
The lake is used for tourism, subsistence fishing, hydropower electricity generation and as a conservation area. It is regarded as a sacred place by the local Maleku people.[3]
Cote UFO[edit]
On 4 September 1971, during an aerial survey by the National Geographic Institute of Costa Rica, what looks like a UFO was photographed over Lake Cote (see photo).[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Haberyan, Kurt A.; Horn, Sally P.; Umaña V., Gerardo (March 2003). "Basic limnology of fifty-one lakes in Costa Rica". Revista de Biología Tropical. 51 (1): 107–122. PMID 15162686. Gale A120392501.
- ^ Umaña, Gerardo (5 July 2014). "Ten years of limnological monitoring of a modified natural lake in the tropics: Cote Lake, Costa Rica". Revista de Biología Tropical. 62 (2): 567–578. doi:10.15517/rbt.v62i2.8446. PMID 25102640.
- ^ a b Chaves, Gerardo (2 February 1997). "Cóter: Paraíso lacustre". Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ Lewis-Krau, Gideon (30 April 2021). "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously". The New Yorker. The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 June 2023.