Lake Gatún is an artificial lake situated in the Republic of Panama. The lake was created between 1904 and 1914 by damming of the Chagres River. Part of the watersystem of the Panama Canal, Lake Gatún is 26 metres above sea level. With its watersheds it serves as a reservoir for the three canal locks since there is a dry season from late December to early April in Panama. With the creation of the lake many hilltops became islands. The biggest and most known of them is Barro Colorado Island.
GatunLake has an area of 425 km² (164 square miles) at its normal level of 26 m (85 ft) above sea level; it stores 5.2 billion cubic metres (183,000,000,000 ft³) of water, which is about as much as the Chagres River brings down in an average year.
GatunLake forms a major component of the Panama Canal; the lake, including the flooded arm extending up the Chagres River, makes up 32.7 km (20.3 miles) of the raised part of the waterway, the other part being the 12.6 km (7.8 mile) Gaillard Cut.
The lake is also important as a reservoir of water for the operation of the canal locks.
The lake is situated in the valley of the Chagres River, which is dammed by the Gatun Dam about 10 km (6 miles) from its mouth in the Caribbean Sea.
GatunLake has an area of 425 km² (164 square miles) at its normal level of 26 m (85 ft) above sea level; it stores 5.2 billion cubic metres (183,000,000,000 ft³) of water, which is about as much as the Chagres River brings down in an average year.
GatunLake forms a major component of the Panama Canal; the lake, including the flooded arm extending up the Chagres River, makes up 32.7 km (20.3 miles) of the raised part of the waterway, the other part being the 12.6 km (7.8 mile) Gaillard Cut.
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