Lake Titicaca
Alpine lake in Peru and Bolivia
Lake Titicaca (; Spanish: Lago Titicaca [ˈlaɣo titiˈkaka]; Quechua: Titiqaqa and Aymara: Titiqaqa) is a large lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. It is often listed as a freshwater lake, though its waters are slightly brackish. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of water and surface area. It is the 18th largest lake in the world. It has a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft).
Overview
The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.
The lake consists of two nearly separate subbasins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m (2,620 ft) across at the narrowest point. The larger subbasin, Lago Grande (also called Lago Chucuito), has a mean depth of 135 m (443 ft) and a maximum depth of 284 m (932 ft).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Lake Titicaca” as alpine lake in Peru and Bolivia. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as alpine lake in Peru and Bolivia. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q35342. VIAF identifies the subject as 316430432. The Library of Congress control number is sh85135652. Authority coordinates are -15.825, -69.325. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lake Titicaca”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lake Titicaca primary sources, Lake Titicaca archive and Lake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lake Titicaca”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lake Titicaca” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.