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Standing on the shore and looking out into its expanse, you can imagine the surprise of the Spanish navigators in 1522 when, nearly certain they were heading towards the long dreamed of route to the Pacific, they instead came upon Lago de Nicaragua . The lake - also known by its indigenous name, Cocibolca ("sweet sea") - is the largest freshwater sea in the Americas after the Great Lakes, and the tenth largest body of fresh water in the world. Over 177km long, about 58km wide and fed by forty rivers, the lake is not very deep (about 60m at its deepest point), though its waters can be rough. Both Lago de Nicaragua and Lago de Managua were probably once part of the Pacific, until volcanic eruptions and earthquakes created the Pacific plain which separates the lakes from the ocean today. Fed by freshwater rivers over millennia, the lake water gradually lost its salinity, while the saltwater fish trapped in it evolved into some of the most unusual types of fish found anywhere on earth, including freshwater tarpon and swordfish. The lake is also visited by the bull shark , a voracious predator capable of moving between the ocean waters of the Caribbean and the fresh waters of the lake. Crossing the lake can be quite an undertaking: Lago de Nicaragua is affected by what locals call a "short-wave phenomenon" - short, high, choppy waves - caused by the meeting of the Papagayo wind from the west and the Caribbean-generated trade winds from the east. Lakegoing craft are notoriously thick-set and slow; the waves require them to advance slowly and in a zigzag pattern - one reason why lake crossings take so long. The lake's choppiness makes crossing it hell for those prone to seasickness, and there are occasional dangerous squalls, especially in November. Travellers who have the patience to cope with erratic boat schedules (and preferably some Spanish, as settlements around the lake are few and isolated) are drawn by the area's unique culture . Many are captivated by the natural beauty of the islands that dot the southwest sector of the lake: twin-volcanoed Isla de Ometepe and the scattering of small islands known as the Archipielago de Solentiname . Ernesto Cardenal, one of Nicaragua's best-known writers, lived for many years in Solentiname and the islands are also famous for their pintores primitivos - naif-style painters who depict lush landscapes in which jewel-coloured parrots and red jaguars poke their noses out of verdant jungles. In all, over 400 islands dot the lake, most of them inhabited, while others are used by well-to-do mainlanders as a place for holiday homes. On its eastern edge the lake is fed by the 170-kilometre Rio San Juan, which forms Nicaragua's southern border and runs out into the Caribbean. You can take a boat trip down the river to the remote El Castillo , an old Spanish fort on the banks of the Rio San Juan, surrounded on all sides by pristine jungle and offering excellent opportunities for wildlife spotting. The Rio San Juan and El Castillo are reached via the largest town on the east side of the lake, San Carlos , a muddy, bug-ridden town of little interest, used by travellers mainly as a transit point for exploring the river or travelling south to Costa Rica via Los Chiles.
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