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 kilometres (0.76 mi2). Its depth varies between 6 and 18 m (20 and 59 ft).[1][2]
Location
[edit]Situated in Cote district, Guatuso canton, of Alajuela province, between the Arenal Volcano and Tenorio Volcano, Lake Cote is located near the largest overall lake in Costa Rica, Lake Arenal,[3] which was artificially increased in size in 1979.[4]
Physical aspects
[edit]It is a maar-based crater lake with a heartlike, ovoid shape and a 1 km (0.62 mi) diameter. The average depth is 6.30 m (20.7 ft), with a maximum depth of 18 m (59 ft) near the center.
It is the natural drainage of River Cote.
The average water temperature ranges between 21.9 and 27.9 °C (71 and 82 °F).
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).[5] Some believe the photograph only depicts the wake of a boat.[6][7]
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.
- 1 2 Chaves, Gerardo (2 February 1997). "Cóter: Paraíso lacustre". Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ↑ "Lake Arenal Dam". Arenal.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "COSTA RICA UFO". The Black Files. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ Zúñiga, Alejandro. "The mysterious Costa Rican UFO". www.crcdaily.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.