Amatitlán Lake

Lake Amatitlán is a lake located within the Amatitlán caldera in south-central Guatemala, fairly close to Guatemala City. It lies in the central highlands, 1,186 m above sea level. Its maximum depth is 33 m and an average of 18 m. The lake is 11 km long and 3 km across at its widest; with an area of 15.2 square kilometers and a water volume of 0.286 cubic kilometers.

The lake's primary inflow is the Villalobos River, and the lake is drained by the Michatoya River, an important tributary of the María Linda River. The town of Amatitlán is situated at the head of the Michatoya river. A dam with a railway on top was constructed at the narrowest point, thus effectively dividing the lake into two water bodies with different physical, chemical and biological characteristics: a north-western and a south-eastern basin.